I have bought a used 150W CO2 laser (with a relatively new tube). The ammeter shows around 28 mA at 80% power, and the laser tube glows violet. However, the output power of the laser beam is comparable to 20% power on my 40W laser. Considering how long these tubes are supposed to last, I’m wondering if my tube is faulty after all.
If the gas has leaked out, would there still be any output from the tube? Is there any way to determine if the CO2 tube is defective? The mirrors and lenses are brand new and properly aligned.
28mA is what my chart shows as full current, did the manufacturer advise you of the maximum working current?
The way these work, is the laser power supply (lps) raises the voltage on the tube until it reaches what’s known as the trigger voltage. This starts the tube lasing. There is no current flow if the tube doesn’t lase.
I’d suggest check the tubes TEM mode of operation at M1 and see if it complies with TEM00 mode.
There’s no simple way to determine if the tube or lps has failed, but in your case, it sounds like the tube.
I’ve seen brand new tube fail in the operational mode after just being installed.
Most of the time, RECI tubes of this size have a 10k hour MTBF.
I would say I have TEM00ish and I have determined that my laser tube is faulty. Ordering a new one and will update later. Skiing in the Swedish mountains this week
