[AussieMakerGeek]

So, I have my Synrad t60 based Gravograph LS800 in which the laser needs a recharge. I got it cheap in a completely non-working state and I managed to get it working but the laser power drops to almost nothing in about a minute or so of cutting. It's going to cost way too much to recharge for it to be economical for me as I only use it for hobby use.

What i'm looking at doing is converting it to a glass tube instead of RF since this will be a fraction of the cost to repair it - I understand the compromises as far as tube life, cooling, high voltage etc. I have already replaced all of the logic control with a generic motion control board so I can run gcode on it and easily interface with a glass co2 laser. I have extensive electronics knowledge but zero experience with Glass tube co2 lasers.

I have some basic questions to help me decide what I need, but specifically with the paring of a power supply and tube.

I'm looking at getting a 50W tube, which is the largest tube that will fit in the back of the machine, I could go to 60W but this will hang out of the machine by about 15cm that would need to be boxed in, plus the cost is about double the 50W.

If i buy a 50W tube, but a 60+W power supply, will this still be ok? The trigger and hold voltages are different so I don't know if they need to be 'paired' in wattage for that reason or does it just work fine?

Is there any reason to NOT go with a 50w tube and stick with 40W? They do seem to have a larger diameter spot.

Your experience and knowledge would be greatly appreciated

[trumax11]

Go with the largest tube that will fit…you won’t regret the extra cutting power. You should get a RECI tube…they last MUCH longer than the low cost generic tubes. If you need parts and/or advice I highly recommend the team at Rabbit Laser in Dayton, Ohio. Family run, customer focused business.