(21 March, 2009, ff.)
It became clear that the previous version of this head, while it was a good proof of principle, was not sufficiently robust to withstand repeated pulsing at 35 or 36 kV. The aluminum-extrusion electrodes suffered damage when sparks began to occur in the middle of the head, and the damage spots encouraged spark formation; operation rapidly degraded to an unsatisfactory level. I decided to rebuild the head with 1/8"-thick steel angle irons, which are much more robust and durable, but it seems like a good idea to test it with 2-nf capacitors before tearing it down, to see whether they provide any particular advantage either by providing a better match to the capacitance of the main store (which is 89 nf), or simply by holding more energy. If they help at all (and I expect that they will), I will use them in the rebuild. If not, I will stay with 20X 900-pf peaker caps, as in the original design.
To the first page in this set,
which is a general discussion of the issues involved in
designing and building a high-performance nitrogen laser.
To the previous page in this set,
which covers the initial construction of this laser.
To a page about my initial effort
to produce a high-performance nitrogen laser.
To a page about my continuation of that effort,
a simple Do-It-Yourselfer’s Voltage-Doubling Circuit
laser that I refer to as “DKDIY”. It uses
doorknob capacitors, puts out about 100 kW peak power,
and can operate without a vacuum pump if you use a gas
mixture that is mostly helium.
To a “How-To” page about the DKDIY laser.
To the initial page about this effort to build a larger
and more powerful nitrogen laser.
To a page about my redesign (“DK Plus”),
starting mid-August, 2006, of the DKDIY laser, which
resulted in significantly enhanced performance: I
measured output of about 240 kW peak power, and was able
to make sparks on a steel surface by focusing the beam.
To a brief “How-To” page
about building the DK Plus design.
To a page about my first use of a water-capacitor,
in a less-expensive laser with even better performance.
To the Joss Research Institute Website
To my current research homepage
My email address is a@b.com, where a is my first name
(jon, only 3 letters, no “h”), and b is joss.
My phone number is +1 240 604 4495.
Last modified: Wed May 10 013:45:24 EDT 2017
the Joss Research Institute
Contact Information: