Toys coming my way.

[Things]

Damn it, we have no argons here in AU !! :-/ :'( :'( :'( :'( :'(


/me really really really wants to be able to play with a blue laser :'(

Someone got a nice little argon they wanna get rid of?

 

[GooeyGus]

It's still coming to me. The guys at the packing place are just taking forever in getting it packed up and ready. Supposedly I'll be getting a call next week some time with the information I need to send a truck out to pick it up.

Shipping alone is close to [highlight]$400[/highlight], and thats to a commercial address. If I had it delivered at home it would be close to $600. So while these lasers may technically be 'free', shipping is a killer PLUS these will need a lot of work to get into tip-top condition. A new tube or a rebuild can run around $4000

The good news is that I have access to REAL 3-phase power now, and will not need a phase converter to run it.

I also purchased an HGM5, which should be good for about 4W of multiline goodness, provided that I give it sufficient cooling. Right out of the box it will do 3W for 30 seconds, followed by a cool-down period. That should be here within a few days

 

[jamilm9]

where do you get a 3 phase converter.

 

[GooeyGus]

you need to buy a big (probably 20hp for this application) 3-phase electric motor. The motor will have three wires, one for each phase. You hook in your two legs of single phase to the motor, and you'll need something to get the motor spinning because the single phase usually wont cut it. Then you hook your three output wires to those three wires on the motor. So two of the motor's wires will have two wires coming in and two going out, and the third wire will have one going out. The motor generates the third phase as it spins. The bigger the motor, the more power it can handle. A true rotary phase converter uses a solid state converter to go into three phase (but these cant supply large amounts of power on their own), and then pumps that three phase power into a three phase motor. This way, you dont need anything to get the motor spinning because the solid state converter makes enough juice to get the motor started.

Having 3-phase power is a lot easier ;D

 

[Cyparagon]

Is this three-phase at your house, or elsewhere?

 

[GooeyGus]

Is this three-phase at your house, or elsewhere?

Elsewhere..... I could only dream of having it at my house ;D

 

[Switch]

Hm...I haven't a clue what 3-phase consists of exactly. :-/ How expensive is it to install in your house? Since your MLA collection is moving into the multiwatt range it might be worth it. ;D

 

[daguin]

Hm...I haven't a clue what 3-phase consists of exactly. :-/ How expensive is it to install in your house? Since your MLA collection is moving into the multiwatt range it might be worth it. ;D

It might not even be available where you are (short of paying to have new wires and transformers installed in the neighborhood).  It is significantly more than just hooking up an extra wire.

Peace,
dave

[highlight]**EDIT*[/highlight]* Things -- You just need to be willing to pay for the shipping and all things are possible

 

[GooeyGus]

well... normal 'single phase' AC power is just a 60hz sine wave. Three phase power is basically three 60hz sine waves. This allows for much 'smoother' power. For example, 3-phase argon power supplies dont need nearly as much filtering to turn the power into smooth DC, because the 3-phase coming in is already fairly smooth.

I found these two pictures which may help:

Three phase:

Single phase:

The peaks and valleys are 'pulses' of electricity, switching from wire to wire.


And the reasons to not have 3-phase power installed into your house are purely financial. Basically the power company has to dig a new line from the transfer station, or nearest establishment with 3-phase power, all the way to your house. This costs thousands if not tens of thousands of dollars to have done. And, as dave said, sometimes it's not even available.

 

[Switch]

Oh cool.That's putting it nicely. ;D
About the shipping...Couldn't you just drive there and pick it up? :-/

 

[VW]

That's hardcore...

 

[GooeyGus]

It will cost me more than $400 in time + gas to drive from here (WA state) to the Detroit Michigan area. It would be a fun road trip though.... if I had more vacation time I would probably do it, but I'm saving up to take a week off at Christmas time

 

[diachi]

All I know about 3 phase is that instead of having just one live wire, it has two.

It has two live wires, one earth and one neutral.

-Adam

 

[Racer96heat]

It will cost me more than $400 in time + gas to drive from here (WA state) to the Detroit Michigan area. It would be a fun road trip though.... if I had more vacation time I would probably do it, but I'm saving up to take a week off at Christmas time

Hey! Whereabouts in WA state are you? I'm in BC just north of you, and travel down into Washington fairly often.

Mike

 

[maxkillz]

It will cost me more than $400 in time + gas to drive from here (WA state) to the Detroit Michigan area. It would be a fun road trip though.... if I had more vacation time I would probably do it, but I'm saving up to take a week off at Christmas time

you should come, I live in Detroit it's a nice place if you have bulletproof glass on your car (just in case you turn off the wrong off ramp )
It took about 2 days to drive from Idaho to Florida and that was with stopping whenever I was hungry or tired. it can probably be done in way less from Washington to Detroit ;D ;D

 

[GooeyGus]

[quote author=GooeyGus link=1221367029/40#44 date=1225052485]It will cost me more than $400 in time + gas to drive from here (WA state) to the Detroit Michigan area. It would be a fun road trip though.... if I had more vacation time I would probably do it, but I'm saving up to take a week off at Christmas time  

Hey! Whereabouts in WA state are you? I'm in BC just north of you, and travel down into Washington fairly often.

Mike[/quote]

I'm in Marysville, just about 45 minutes from the border and about 35-40 minutes north of seattle