Helium-Neon One-Brewster Laser Kits 1 and 2

The only difference between kits 1 and 2 is that the latter has a Climet 9048 laser head, which includes the 1-B safely mounted inside with insulated high voltage connections. So, it's harder to zap yourself or break the tube, but the discharge is also hidden so it may not be as aesthetically pleasing!

The kits consist of:

• Melles Griot 05-LHB-570 or similar HeNe laser tube with an internal high reflector (HR) mirror and Brewster window at the other end. (Bare tube for Kit 1, Climet 9048 laser head for Kit 2).
• Melles Griot 05-LPM-379 (or equivalent) 115 VAC power supply, line cord, and fuse. (International 230 VAC versions may be available at extra charge.)
• Short Alden cable with ballast resistor(s) to attach the power supply to the tube.
• An Output Coupler (approximately 99 percent) mirror removed from a dead 2-5 mW Melles Griot HeNe or similar laser tube tested and guaranteed to work with the 1-B tube or head.
• Aluminum cylinder (optional at no extra charge for the bare tubes only) from Melles Griot laser head in which the tube can be mounted. However, the only ones I have are rather long and thus they will need to be cut shorter and have three holes drilled and tapped for the 10-32 Nylon mounting screws.

A complete description of the one-Brewster HeNe laser with some suggestions for mounting and experiments may be found in Sam's Laser FAQ in the section: A One Brewster HeNe Laser Tube. Some basic electrical skills (soldering) and mechanical skills will be required to fabricate a suitable stable platform for the laser tube and an adjustable mirror mount to make a working laser. (If you have access to some basic optical bench parts, mounting can be greatly simplified using standard HeNe laser tube mounts with a pan-tilt mirror mount on an optical table or rail.) There are detailed plans for a complete experimenter's laser in Sam's Instant External Mirror Laser Using a One Brewster HeNe Tube.

These laser tubes are pulls from equipment but have been tested and work well. They can be used to construct the ideal laser for experiments inside the cavity with various types of mirrors and optics. With a typical mirror, the output beam is multimode (very interesting pattern). However, single mode (TEM00) operation can be forced by inserting a stop in the cavity. But, the fun part is what to do with all those photons between the mirrors!

Information on using this laser head once you get it can be found in: Care and Feeding of the One-Brewster HeNe Laser Tube and Care and Feeding of the Climet 9048 One-Brewster HeNe Laser Head.

Serving Suggestion: HENEOBK1 mounted in Plexiglas box.

(Plexiglas box, mounting brackets, mirror mount, and power switch NOT included.)

If you don't know what this is, how to use it, or what to do with it, you probably don't need it or want it! Where you would just like to have a working HeNe laser, complete systems or components are available here and elsewhere.

The only difference between #HENEOLK1 and #HENEOLK2 is the guaranteed maximum output power from the tube. For basic experiments, it really doesn't matter but if you want the brightest one-Brewster laser on your block, go for one of the higher power versions.