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ArcticMyst Security by Avery

The oldest laser you own that still works?

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Oct 5, 2009
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I've had my fair share of lasers go in and out of my collection, but I've kept the first O-like 150mW green module since 2009. Its changed hosts a couple of times along the way too! Started out in a Jayrob mini mag build and now it's in a C6 host. Surprisingly it still has an overspec output of around 180mW. Over 4 years and still going strong! Tell me about your oldest lasers:D

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I don't really remember mine, it's most likely a cheapo 650nm 5mW laser haha, if it counts I will say the DollarTree one(only one I still have).
 
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If you want to count a 1999 argon, that's my oldest. Spitting out 22 mW at the very most.

Longest in my posession... my 635nm.
 
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Trevor

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Strictly oldest? Probably a Hughes Aircraft HeNe from... I don't even know when.

Longest in my possession? A Metrologic HeNe a friend gave me four years ago.

Trevor
 
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Strictly oldest? Probably a Hughes Aircraft HeNe from... I don't even know when.

Longest in my possession? A Metrologic HeNe a friend gave me four years ago.

Trevor

There was an aircraft HeNe guide laser on ebay a few months ago :O

My oldest working laser is a HeNe from '83, second place is an Omni 532 from '88. Still lasing like a champ with all 8 lines :)
 

DJZ

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This laser was manufactured in 1977! It spent the past 6 years sitting in a shed until I rescued it and got it working again.
36 year old Lexel 85 comes to life - YouTube

Hey look, 200th post, in 5 years! At this rate I'll be a vet in 20 more years!
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My oldest is a home built NdYAG I built 25 years ago. Two BIG
flash tubes and two power supplies. The rod is about 5" long.
HMike
 
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My oldest is a home built NdYAG I built 25 years ago. Two BIG
flash tubes and two power supplies. The rod is about 5" long.
HMike

I've worked on these...but never made one from scratch...sounds like a fun project....

My oldest laser is my argon I think.
As for longest in my posesson.... My sunico pointer and my aries.
 
Joined
Aug 14, 2013
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The oldest I'm not sure, but it's probably in a CD-ROM drive in a Macintosh sitting out in
the garage.

The one I've had the longest is in another CD-ROM dri . .. wha? They're still lasers. :umbrella:

Oh, you mean a standalone laser. Well, the oldest and longest is a 660nm 3xLR44
keychain. I have no idea how old it actually is, but it was made in the days of all brass
keychain lasers. Probably early-mid 90s vintage

It's a very nice host. Too bad the lens is glued in so well that even big channel locks will
not budge it. It is badly in need of a cleaning. There are even pieces of brass down in
there from repeated attempts.

The diode itself is a bare die so small that it's almost invisible. I should've taken more
pictures when I had it all apart. The light just seems to come from nothing.

It is all press fit. I had to make a special jig just to get it apart. That project involved
multiple drill bits and a thick piece of steel.

I'm going to take a measurement of its output once I get the LPM up and running. I
suspect it is slightly over 5mW. I remember seeing a calibration table for Scientech LPM
heads somewhere, but I can't find it anymore. Does anybody know what I'm talking about?
It's a CATALOG NO. 380101. There's a story behind that as well, but another day.
 
Joined
May 1, 2009
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still have the HeNe laser my brother and I have bought in 1984. It's one of the common Philips 1 to 2 mW tubes (with the aluminium belt around the tube) - and it still does the job... for close to 30 years now.

-mo-
 
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BowtieGuy

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The oldest laser that I still own isn't really very old, in comparison to the one's some of you guys own.
It was made in Nov. 2006. It's a pen style with a little different twist.

It's built in a plastic host, that is about 75% round, with a flat bottom, and a flat tapered nose.
Across the front, under the aperture, it's marked "APOLLO".


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