Projects/Copper

Oxford Lasers Cu10 10Watt Copper Vapour Laser
Reading Hackspace have a pair of Oxford Lasers CU10 copper vapour lasers under refurbushment.

SAFETY
Additional hazards specific to these lasers. When working on any part of the laser the power cord must be removed from the mains supply. Exposed 240V supply is present in all parts of the control unit and on the printed circuit boards. When working on the High voltage side of the control unit or the head thehigh voltage circuit breaker must be tripped out, and all the capacitors discharged with the earthed wand.
 * Laser Beam. The laser emits light strongly in both the green(510.6 nm) and the yellow(578.2nm) parts of the spectrum. Normal protective eyewear for green DPSS or Argon lasers is not suitable.
 * High voltages. The voltages present (10kV +) in the laser control unit and the laser head are lethal. There are interlocks on the removable covers and these must not be disabled.
 * High temperatures. The head operates at high temperature and may remain very hot for hours after use. All laser fans in head and control unit must be unobstructed
 * High pressure gas. The neon gas used by the laser is at high pressure.
 * Vacuum. Parts of the control unit and head may be at low vacuum making implosion hazard if broken.

Documentation CU10 Specific

 * Edwards E2M1.5 Vacuum Pump

The thyratron is a EEV (E2V) CX1535 Hydrogen Thyratron capable of 25kV at 1000A peak (25 MegaWatts!). They have limited lifetime, so please keep a lookout on the surplus market.
 * Thyratron



There is a full datasheet included here, but I can't extract just the CX1535 part. 

The manual specifies Shell Diala B G oil (4.7litres) for the Thyratron tank. Shell Dialla B is now replaced with Shell Diala S2 ZU-I, though this is not having a G suffix (gas absorbing) We should check with manufaturer the best currently available oil.
 * Thyratron Oil

Applications
Micromachining, Dye pumping and high speed imaging.

Thou shalt not pump narrow-band dyes in thy hackspace lest the men with guns appear.

Current Status
Running! For sale!

Pics and video

 * Gas Related


 * Laser Head