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If you happen to want an indication of simply how far know-how has come within the final 40 years, simply check out this teardown of a 1987 laser particle counter.
Granted, the laser-powered instrument that [Les Wright] scored off of eBay wasn’t precisely aimed toward shoppers. Somewhat, this was extra seemingly an instrument put in in cleanrooms to ensure the particulate counts didn’t come out of vary. As such, it was constructed like a battleship in an enormous case filled with card after card of electronics, together with the attendant pumps and filters wanted to attract in samples. However nonetheless, the truth that we are able to put basically the identical performance into a tool that simply suits within the palm of your hand is fairly putting.
[Les] clearly purchased this instrument to reap components from it, and there’s a ton of different goodness inside, together with a number of copies of just about each chip from the Z80 household. The analog part has some lovely Teledyne TP1321 op-amps in TO-99 cans. Every little thing is in immaculate situation, and out of date or not, that is an enviable haul of classic components, particularly the helium-neon laser at its coronary heart, which nonetheless works. [Les] guarantees an in-depth have a look at that in a follow-up video, however for now, he treats us to just a little tour of the optics used to measure particulates by the quantity of laser gentle that’s scattered.
All issues thought-about, [Les] actually made out effectively on this discover — a lot better than his final buy.
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