At the flea market I went in search of some 10GHz equipment, but wound up buying a Hughes HeNe laser for $5. It wasn't working but the OM thought it could be repaired easily.

The toughest part was getting it apart. The hex screws weren't quite the size I had but I managed to get them out. I used a pair of C clamps to hold onto the chassis top shell and compress it so it would slide off. Then I discovered that the key switch and remote plug had been jumpered (the OM had told me there was no longer a key) but the wire had broken off at the board. The board was riveted in place, and wasn't plated through, so I had to solder as best I could.

There's a 75K Ohm resistor that has gotten quite hot and darkened the board. I'll probably replace that with a metal film resistor at some point. The insulated HV line runs right above it so it may be a little trouble to raise off the board.

- posted by Leigh @ 23:34 z