mlyons@nmsu.edu (Michael Lyons) (06/26/91)
I was wondering if anyone out there happened to know of a good power supply for a supposedly rated 1800 Volt He-Ne laser tube. I picked it up from a friend with no specs but am pretty sure that the voltage rating is around 1.8kV. I don't know the power output rating but would guess a small milliwatt output. I have a home-built power supply that my friend had used previously using a 555 timer circuit oscillator into a approx. 12 Volt primary Xformer. The output was then sent through a gutted Ford ignition coil to give approx. 1.8 kVolts. The problem is that the power supply was sloppily built and I'm not sure if I want to go to all the trouble of totally rebuilding it. I think the design is alright but am wondering if it would be cheaper to just get a new "made for He-Ne" laser power supply. Any suggestions would be greatly appreciated.... Thanks, Mike Lyons << NMSU >> mlyons@nmsu.edu
tedwards@aplcomm.JHUAPL.EDU (Edwards Thomas G S1A x8297) (06/26/91)
In article <MLYONS.91Jun25222423@gauss.nmsu.edu> mlyons@nmsu.edu (Michael Lyons) writes: >I was wondering if anyone out there happened to know of a good power >supply for a supposedly rated 1800 Volt He-Ne laser tube. I picked it Meredith Instruments (P.O. box 1724 Glendale, AZ 85301 (602) 934-9387) advertised a 12VDC input supply yielding 1.2-2.6KV @ 4.0-7.0 mA with a 10KV trigger for $75, and a 110VAC input supply for $95. >I have a home-built power supply that my friend had used previously >using a 555 timer circuit oscillator into a approx. 12 Volt primary >Xformer. The output was then sent through a gutted Ford ignition coil >to give approx. 1.8 kVolts. The problem is that the power supply was >sloppily built and I'm not sure if I want to go to all the trouble of >totally rebuilding it. That depends on whether you want to dump $75 on a new supply. It is probably worth it, as a supply of the type Meredith Instruments builds will probably power any HeNe tube you would want to bring into your home (up to at least 7mW). Another way to build a supply is to have the 555 timer pulse current (using a power transistor) into a slightly smaller xformer, and use a voltage doubler circuit. This saves one from having to find a massive step up xformer, but requires one to find high voltage diodes and capacitors. -Tom