So I finally got my quote back for all the ULS parts this week. It came in quite a bit higher than I anticipated. While most of the items are tolerable, some aren’t. [all prices are Canadian, and don’t include the 13% tax I need to pay as well]
Well today I decided to try and salvage the flying head that carries the #3 mirror and focusing lens. I had pretty much written it off, as it was partially encased in molten glass & plastic. It also fell into the fire, so I assumed the worst for the parts of it that I could not see.
I decided to fire up the laser again, and get some pictures this time. So while I was at it, I decided to check the beam alignment between the visible and burning laser beams. I also got some pictures of the test set-up.
Now that this project is officially a go, I need to source some replacement parts. So as a starting point I thought I’ll see what official replacement parts from ULS will cost, before I try to hack something together. So I put together a quick list based on my first impressions during the tear-down.
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.
Things have been busy at work as we just moved, so I haven’t had much time to think about the laser. I’ve decided to take the next few Fridays off from work to work on it, as I have some accrued vacation time I need to use up before the year-end. This is the first Friday, and I decided to start breaking down the laser to asses the state of things. I’ll post more detail over the next little while as I examine the bits more closely, but for now enjoy the photos that I took to try and detail the construction, and the damage to the unit.
Ouch my eye! 