Melles Griot Medium Power Polarized Helium-Neon Laser Head

These are Melles Griot 17" long HeNe laser heads complete with 5 foot Alden cable. The tube is actually a Hughes design manufactured by Melles Griot (who bought the Hughes HeNe laser operation). The tube inside the head may be either a Melles Griot or Hughes style (most likely) but with the same specs. The tube part number is 3227-H-PC rated 7.5 mW minimum output power with most specs similar to that of the Melles Griot 05-LHP-171 but a bit shorter. Divergence = 1.1 mR, mode spacing = 400 MHz, linear polarization = 500:1. The output is a very nicely collimated TEM00 and has the highly desirable linearly polarization. Power requirements are approximately 2,700 V at 7 mA.

I have several power sorts available based on actual meaurements.

Except for HENEMGL4-7, all exceed output power specifications for the 3227-HPC tube (7.5 mW) and the first ones are really hot. I've also found that there is an excellent chance of getting another mW or so by tweaking the cathode-end mirror hex screw adjustments (requires removing the output end-cap and may not be present on some of the Melles Griot tubes) but no guarantees on that (and you could lose lasing entirely if not careful). I doubt that the measured power implies anything about the life expectancy in any experimenter/hobbyist type applications.

These heads are in absolutely mint condition.

Note: This is the exact same laser head that some surplus places claim to have a 15 mW output. None do or can! It is rated Class IIIb, 15 mW maximum output, which is just listed for safety purposes.

The tube inside most likely looks like the one in the photo, below (though a small percentage have normal Melles Griot style tubes with the same specifications. I will attempt to honor a specific request if available). Removal, if desired, is relatively easy as these things go. This provides easy access to the mirror mounts, both of which are adjustable (but watch out for the high voltage on the HR/anode!). Ask for details. CAUTION: No connection should be made to the mirror mount at the output-end of the tube - this will result in permanent damage after a few minutes of operation.

Fancy wooden support and classy vinyl tile are not included. :)