Eventually my laser has started to show some erratic behaviour by failing to trigger properly at low current settings and it is now evident that it is time to replace the tube.
The original has done some sterling service over the last few years (imported from the USA in March 2007) but they don’t last forever and must always be regarded as expendable components.
Also as always, nothing is ever simple and I have not been able to easily obtain a ‘size for size’ replacement so some modifications are going to be required to accommodate a longer length of tube.
The standard 30/40 Watt Chinese laser tube is approx. 700mm overall length and offering one up to the existing enclosure shows that I will need to construct bit of an extension to enclose the high voltage end.
Something I learnt a few years back – no CNC project is ever finished it always remains an ongoing adventure.
Tweakie.