Nd:Yag Laser - "Not a Toy"

[madmacmo]

Super-Toy or Recipe for Big Trouble ?
Quote:
Not a toy ! Open frame unit . Requier special HV skills and knowledge with some restrictions apply. A " must be" tool for lab experiments and engineering projects
Nd:Yag Laser | eBay

 

[Gryphon]

Looks pretty neat, it even has a jacket for water cooling. Although $800 bucks is a little too steep for me, my ssy1 provides all the pulsed laser fun i need
This wouldn't happen to be your laser would it?

 

[532 with Envy]

How you would use it is up to you.

Remember HIGH VOLTAGE....DANGEROUS CAPACITORS...and a pulse that (ionizes?) the air even before the target. They are water cooled but you have to use De-ionized water.

After all that said, i'v been thinking of putting together a similar set-up. I still have A LOT of research to do! The 55uF 2kV capacitor that I have scares the hell out of me and I won't even charge it until i'm pretty much ready to fire the laser.


I think, unless you have the experience, you are paying for a ready to use system and the price is not way out of line.


Here is a charging PSU.
http://www.ebay.com/itm/Kaiser-Systems-LS1000-1-50KV-Power-Supply-Yag-Laser-/370579146476?pt=LH_DefaultDomain_0&hash=item56483d06ec#ht_500wt_969

Heres a capacitor.
http://cgi.ebay.com/ws/eBayISAPI.dll?ViewItem&item=190633186778#ht_3612wt_1185

Also from what I have read so far, a trigger of some kind.......perhaps a simmer module for longer life, water pump, DI water and of course the laser head.

Good luck and have safe fun.:beer:

 

[FrothyChimp]

I love YAGs. I've had many in my personal inventory. My last big one was a Lasermetrics 9550. It was fun. Don't get my wrong, I like a visible beam as much as the next guy but it's hard not to appreciate the raw power of a huge pulsed IR system. Punching a hole through a steel razor blade is the cat's ass compared to popping a balloon or cutting electrical tape. Punching holes in razor blades is the hobby standard for pulsed lasers just as popping balloons is the standard for CW lasers.

As has been stated however, pulsed laser systems (old school flash lamp and arc lamp pumps) are extremely dangerous to newbies and should not be a first laser. The electrical system will outright kill someone without a second chance and 1J pulse will give a nasty burn and absolutely devastate a retina.

If I had the time to mess with the unit, I might consider it.

 

[Bluefan]

I think I've seen that laser before on ebay, for something slightly above $200.

 

[mendnwngs]

For 200-300 I'd buy one.

Looks like fun to play with.

(I build, install, commission, and train people on specialized materials research equipment, up-to and over 10,000amp capacity. 480V 3ph 200A service, so I'm pretty comfortable with HV / High power stuff )

But agreed with above.. It will kill you the same if you know nothing about HV systems, or have been doing it for 30 years.. It doesnt care.

 

[Seoul_lasers]

More than enough current in the capacitors to do some serious damage.
Actually in the case of laser such as this, the current discharge will blow off fingers and cause defibrillation.

Pulse lasers are EXTREMELY dangerous, not just from Class IV laser power, but a lethal shock hazard.