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You might want to consider simply mounting the laser module on some sort of moving axis. But to have the system automated in such a way that it randomly moves the beam around a room would not be a simple task.

GG is right on the money. Don't ever buy an ion laser online without seeing pictures outright of it running, preferably into a power meter, and the hour meter itself.

The terminals of the cap look worse than the screwdriver does. Frankly it doesn't look too bad, just a dark deformed spot no larger than 2mm across. The worst I've seen from shorting a cap was one time when I was attempting to fix a computer power supply. It was making a buzzing sort of noise...

Wow 650 farads! It actually says that right on the cap so it's not just some typo. How do you guys charge up your HV caps?

If you have glasses I'd recommend you go with style 38, otherwise it's up to your preference. Don't bother with style 700 or 800, they are kinda cheaply constructed and the hinges don't work too good.

If you want protection from blu-ray at 405nm as well as green at 532 I would strongly recommend these ARG - UV, Blu Ray, Argon, Blue, KTP Green Protection ARG Laser Protective Eyewear [NOR-ARG-EN207] - $80.48 Then your next pair should be ones that block red and IR and you'll have yourself all...

Yeah, those are supercaps. Halfway between a cap and a battery. They have huge capacity for the size but they can't source much current at once. I have a 1 farad supercap that's about that size but it can only source about 20ma at full charge. Great for backup power or running a LED but not...

Yes, that is the reason I don't have more pictures. Only shorted each of them twice. If I ever get my hands on more of them though, I plan to defeat the pressure release, take one out into a field and abuse it (reverse polarity, over voltage, maybe pound it with some AC power or set it on fire)...

Yeah, don't they have an internal inductor to compensate for the capacitance of the discharge so they cancel each other out? I remember hearing something like that. But I don't think photoflash caps come in this size. :D Also, I just got the super incredibly stupid idea of shorting it with a...

No those aren't the same ones. Those are 10v caps and mine are 30v. The ebay listing is here: Sprague Electroclytic Capacitors 160,000 uF 30 VDC on eBay.ca (item 320379716589 end time 13-Jun-09 21:22:54 EDT) I charge them with a simple variable DC power supply. I limit the current to 500mA and...

Hey guys. As a general electronics geek I, like most electronics geeks, like to occasionally play with very high voltage or high current electrical devices, often for no other reason than to do something dangerously stupid for entertainment. Having grown bored with my 9000 volt neon sign...

My Omni 532 argon draws about 17 amps at maximum power, puts out 40mW. I had to install a 20 amp circuit in my basement just for it!

No I wasn't talking about the diodes. I was thinking more specifically of the other assorted lasers and laser parts that he's been selling for years.

Chris, One question that has haunted me for years is where the hell do you even GET all this stuff?

I fired up my argon today for a while after having it sitting for a few months. She was hard to start but she fired up eventually. It's an Omnichrome 532 and strangely enough my current control doesn't work either. I'm stuck with light control mode, and while I have no problems with that, if I...

Another option would be a Q-switched YAG laser with a high repetition rate. Though that wouldn't necessarily be any less expensive than a CO2!

Just look at it! http://cgi.ebay.ca/WORLDS-Smallest-He-Ne-Helium-Neon-Laser-HVPS-SWEET_W0QQitemZ180295929770QQcmdZViewItemQQptZLH_DefaultDomain_0?hash=item29fa798faa&_trksid=p3286.c0.m14&_trkparms=65%3A12|66%3A2|39%3A1|72%3A1215|240%3A1318|301%3A0|293%3A1|294%3A50 It's cute as all hell. I...

Mirror coatings are used to select wavelength. Tube length is a factor in the sense that the non-red wavelengths have very low gain and since mirrors are not perfect there is always some loss, and the longer tube is needed to increase the gain to compensate for those losses. The HR mirror is...

Cancel that problem. I figured it out. I found that if I make a new connection from the oscillator output to ground through a 16 ohm resistor, the laser fires up every time. I'm not 100% sure why, but I guess original circuit has too high a resistance/reactance for the new oscillator and so its...

Alright, stop everything. We have one more problem. I am finding that the problem isn't the solder connection. The RF light will only come on and the laser will only lase when I have the scope connected to the oscillator output pin. It's not a physical connection because nothing happens when I...