Ouch my eye!

Had a little time after work today so I thought I’d try and test fire the laser as it working is pretty much the deciding factor on the fate of this project. After a bit of googling, I found a manual for a ULS OEM laser that contained the connector pin-out. I cut the wiring harness apart, separating out the links to the laser. I still want to use the original power supply if I can. So first thing I did was fire up the power supply, and was happy to see it was outputting at the desired 48V. Next I set up the laser aimed at a concrete block wall, with a piece of card stock as a target. Following the pin-out in the manual I found, I wired in the interlock safety loop with a key-switch, and then used a two way momentary switch attached to an external power supply to trigger the aiming visible red laser, and the CO2 burning laser. I re-applied power, and the laser fan spun-up making a terrible noise… sounds like a blade is hitting the guard, or a bearing is shot… either way, that will need to be replaced. Next I tested the visible laser, and was happy to find it working. [this was a bonus, I was not expecting an integrated visible pointing laser] Then I armed the laser by flipping the key to the safe position and tried firing the CO2 laser…. nothing. My heart sank, I thought perhaps this find was too good to be true.

After a few minutes, I decided to go over my wiring, and discovered I made an error. I had the interlock switch going to ground instead of the required +12V.  Which meant the laser was sitting in the safe-off position all the time.  My heart lifted again, perhaps this is still going to work. So I corrected the wiring, and tried it again. This time I got a flash as I momentarily pressed the fire button. SUCCESS! the laser cut right through the paper, and set it on fire. The laser works! It looks to be fairly well aligned with the visible red laser too, but will need to check this properly later.

Now before the safety police call and complain, I did take some basic safety precautions for this test. Firstly I had on glasses to protect my eyes from any stray laser light [a must whenever working with lasers]. I also always remained behind and to the side of the laser, so I was never in harms way, unless the thing exploded. The room where I tested was also locked, to prevent someone else from walking in while the laser was firing, effectively placing me inside the laser chamber. I however do not recommend testing a class4 laser like this, unless you know what you are doing.

Needless to say, with the good news of a working laser, this project is officially a go!