Hey, I've been considering buying a small 40W CO2 tube, mainly just to cut thin acrylic sheet.
The ratings for the tube are 15kV @ 18mA run, 22kV trigger.
I have a 15kV 25mA NST here not doing much, and it'd make the perfect PSU for this laser, however I have some questions.
Do CO2 tubes need DC or AC? Not really a big issue as I can make a 20kV fullwave rectifier for about $20.
What about the extra 7mA of current from the NST? At 15kV, thats about 105 Watts, which seems like it could be a bit too much for the CO2 tube. If so, how would I go about dropping the extra 7mA, or even making it adjustable?
I know gas lasers are pretty much a direct short to power supplies, and all NST's are current limited anyway, but that extra 7mA is a lot of power at 15kV.
Also, not to do with powering the tube, but if I wanted to use it to cut materials, would I need special lenses to give me a focal point etc?
BTW: NST = Neon sign transformer.
Cheers,
Dan
The ratings for the tube are 15kV @ 18mA run, 22kV trigger.
I have a 15kV 25mA NST here not doing much, and it'd make the perfect PSU for this laser, however I have some questions.
Do CO2 tubes need DC or AC? Not really a big issue as I can make a 20kV fullwave rectifier for about $20.
What about the extra 7mA of current from the NST? At 15kV, thats about 105 Watts, which seems like it could be a bit too much for the CO2 tube. If so, how would I go about dropping the extra 7mA, or even making it adjustable?
I know gas lasers are pretty much a direct short to power supplies, and all NST's are current limited anyway, but that extra 7mA is a lot of power at 15kV.
Also, not to do with powering the tube, but if I wanted to use it to cut materials, would I need special lenses to give me a focal point etc?
BTW: NST = Neon sign transformer.
Cheers,
Dan