Resuscitate Teletrac 150

Dec 11, 2017 6 Replies

Greetings,



We have a Telerac 150 stabelized HeNe laser that no longer seems to lase. W e have been troubleshooting and have narrowed it down to a possibly contami nated/sputtered tube. It is unclear if we have a Zygo tube or Melles-Griot tube, but are looking into options for repair. The symptoms appear to be: t he laser tube will glow a reddish color, and a blue spot will come out, but nothing that indicates actual lasing.



My team and I have been trying to find a repair site. We've reached out to Holo Spectra Laser,who repaired our laser 10 years ago, with no response th rough any medium of communication. We've browsed Sam's Laser FAQ, and reach ed out to Meredith Instruments (directed us back to Sam's regarding not kno wing the tube type), Cascade lasers (no response, but sent today), and Camb ridge Lasers (who got back to us quickly, but don't service HeNe's).



Does anyone know if it's an easy fix to get repair parts and install oursel ves? We don't have any fear about doing this repair. We did remove the tube , and it seems pretty straightforward. We just don't know exactly where to go.



We can consider shipping the laser for repair as well, if that is an option .



We have some pictures of the laser I can post, depending on what informatio n is needed.



Thank you for your time.


Well, He and Ne gasses both can diffuse through seals (maybe even glass); probably the gas needs refilling. Sometimes it's enough, I've heard, to just put the tube into a helium-rich atmosphere for a few days.

Thank you for the suggestion. That is the next troubleshooting step we are going to try. Appreciate the time!

What is "lase"? Can't seem to find it in my dictionary ;-). Sincerely,

J. B. Wood e-mail: arl_123234@hotmail.com

Oh, wait, now I get it. A "laser" must be a person or thing that "lases". Obviously not to be confused with LASER or, showing my age, MASER. Must have an out-of-date dictionary. Sincerely,

J. B. Wood e-mail: arl_123234@hotmail.com

The tubes used in Teletrac lasers are hard-sealed and for all practical purposes do not leak. It's not impossible but more likely end-of-life as lasers like this tend to be turned on and left on 24/7 until they die.

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