"Lockergnome1" writes:

I recently acquired several model 3184-H lasers made by Hughes Aircraft
Company Electron Dynamics Division. They are gold-colored cylinders,
about 12.25 inches long and 1.75 inches diameter. There are small
leads (red and green) coming out of the side near one end. One of them
had been disassembeled, and had contained a glass cylinder about 3/4 of
the length of the entire thing (maybe more, it had been broken and I
estimated based on the pieces I had). I also got a few rubber blocks
about 1.5 x 4.5 x 0.5 inches, labelled Hughes Model 3591H/01 Laser
Power Supply. These have 2 small wires (black and red) and one larger
red wire protruding from one face, and a rectangular block with two
holes in it on one end. Thus far I have not been able to find any
information on these; does anyone know anything about these devices?

They are HeNe lasers with plasma tubes having Brester window snd external
mirrors in the gold end-pieces. If you power these with a HeNe laser power
supply designe for 2-4 mW lasers with red as positive, they shoud light
up. But if you've removed and replaced the end-pieces, mirrors alignment
is all messed up.

All asmples I've seen of these lasers have been dead due to air leakage.

The other blocks might be ballast resistors for the laser head. Measure
the resistance between the fat and thin red wires.

I'd be happy to check out the lasers and blocks for you.

--- sam | Sci.Electronics.Repair FAQ Mirror: http://repairfaq.ece.drexel.edu/
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