HBO/Mercury lamp lifetimes
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http://listserv.acsu.buffalo.edu/cgi-bin/wa?S1=confocal So you have time for this stuff, but not for me? Gotcha! Anda Cornea Ph.D. Head of the Imaging and Morphology Core Oregon National Primate Research Center Oregon Health & Science University (503) 690-5293 >>> [hidden email] 04/25/08 1:39 PM >>> Search the CONFOCAL archive at http://listserv.acsu.buffalo.edu/cgi-bin/wa?S1=confocal We recently encountered a failure of a Nikon Xenon housing on a vintage 1992 Diaphot. The hard plastic insulation on part of the cable interface broke down and arced to the lamp housing at ignition. The users reported that it kept clicking (sparking), wouldn't ignite and the burning odor wouldn't go away. Gee, at least they finally got the idea and turned it off. Our only other non-bulb issue was a Prior power supply on a Leica MZ-12 FLIII that Prior never could get to keep igniting. I change our Hg bulbs about 300-320 hrs on widefield systems, but let a confocal go to 350-380 since it has fewer ignitions. The other confocal has a 75W xenon with about 4,000 hours. Ushio 102D bulbs have been much more reliable than the Osram 103W, especially with older power supplies. I've replaced all of the Osram bulbs with Ushio. Glen Glen MacDonald Core for Communication Research Virginia Merrill Bloedel Hearing Research Center Box 357923 University of Washington Seattle, WA 98195-7923 USA (206) 616-4156 [hidden email] ************************************************************************ ****** The box said "Requires WindowsXP or better", so I bought a Macintosh. ************************************************************************ ****** On Apr 25, 2008, at 10:41 AM, Ignatius, Mike wrote: > Search the CONFOCAL archive at > http://listserv.acsu.buffalo.edu/cgi-bin/wa?S1=confocal > > An important side bar in this discussion, is what warning signs are > there that the bulb is too old and possibly going to fail/explode. > > For me, the earliest signs that the arc gap has grown to impossible > widths were difficulty in starting the bulb to begin with, flickering > when on, long time to stabilize etc. > > The more dreadful indication is an electrical burning smell when it is > on and about to blow. > > In my one experience it smelled like insulation burning off of wiring. > Apparently the bulb super heats before failure? I would be curious to > hear if others have had this warning sign before the bulb blew. I > stupidly got up, and sniffed around the scope to see what the > source was > and wham the bulb blew in my face. I thanked Nikon for their sturdy > housing, no glass came through, though the diffuser lens inside did > shatter, and the mercury vapor surely escaped. After it has blown, > always good to leave the area for a while to let the gas escape. > > My recommendation: if you smell electrical burning, turn off the lamp > and check your bulb! If the smell persists, something else is amiss. > > And no one has mentioned benefits to running cooling fans across > housing > this time around. It seems to help extend lamp life. > > Mike Ignatius > > -----Original Message----- > From: Confocal Microscopy List > [mailto:[hidden email]] On > Behalf Of Russell Spear > Sent: Friday, April 25, 2008 7:58 AM > To: [hidden email] > Subject: Re: HBO/Mercury lamp lifetimes > > Search the CONFOCAL archive at > http://listserv.acsu.buffalo.edu/cgi-bin/wa?S1=confocal > > I've been using HBO 100 W s, for about 30 years, and have had 2 > explosions in that time, one long ago and one approx. 3 yrs past. > Both > could be attributed to a high number of on off cycles (something I > discourage). I nomally cycle a bulb no more than twice a day, and > need > to relamp about every 40-45 days in a busy lab with 3 fluorescent > scopes. We always replace at 200 hrs. the cost of the bulb is small > compared to the damage to the equipment and time and cost of > decontaminating the microscope rooms. > > Russ > > > > Russell N. Spear > Sr. Research Specialist > Dept. of Plant Pathology > Univ. of Wisconsin > 1630 Linden Dr. > Madison WI 53706 > > voice 608.263.2093 > fax 608.263.2626 |
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In reply to this post by George Ring
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Dear George,
Photos of the damage would be a nice teaching aid. Did you happen to take any photos?
Cheers Stephen H. Cody Tip: Learn how to receive reminders about you microscope
booking: -----Original Message-----
We change our bulb between 300 and 400 hours. We had a mercury bulb explode once several years ago, and it caused at least a couple thousand dollars damage to the microscope (condenser lens, housing, etc). To me, the savings of $50/yr by letting the bulb go longer isn't worth the potential cost in money and downtime of an explosion. ...just my 2 cents worth.
George
George Ring, Ph.D. Search the CONFOCAL archive at http://listserv.acsu.buffalo.edu/cgi-bin/wa?S1=confocal Hello, This is not strictly a confocal question, but reasonably relevant and it's not been recently discussed from what I can tell from the archives. I was hoping to find out at how many hours people change the HBO/Mercury short arc lamps (specifically Osram 103W). The microscope manufacturers (Zeiss & Leica) always recommend 300 hours, due to the potential dangers of explosion when using them for longer... but what do users/facilities tend to do? Someone recently told me that the lamps are now made in such a way that explosions are less common that ~10 years ago (when discussion on this list regarding explosions were more common) Thanks in advance, Graham
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Temasek Life Sciences Laboratory
P: +65 6872 8406 This communication is intended only for the named recipient and may contain information that is confidential, legally privileged or subject to copyright; the Ludwig Institute for Cancer Research does not waiver any rights if you have received this communication in error. The views expressed in this communication are those of the sender and do not necessarily reflect the views of the Ludwig Institute for Cancer Research. |
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Dear Steve,
No, sorry, no pictures. Just a big bill.
George
George Ring, Ph.D.
Dept. of Cell and Developmental Biology SUNY Upstate Medical University 750 E. Adams St. Syracuse NY 13210 Tel. (315) 464-8595 FAX (315) 464-8535 email: [hidden email] >>> Stephen Cody <[hidden email]> 4/27/08 10:47:35 PM >>> Search the CONFOCAL archive at http://listserv.acsu.buffalo.edu/cgi-bin/wa?S1=confocal
Dear George,
Photos of the damage would be a nice teaching aid. Did you happen to take any photos?
Cheers Stephen H. Cody Tip: Learn how to receive reminders about you microscope booking: -----Original Message-----
We change our bulb between 300 and 400 hours. We had a mercury bulb explode once several years ago, and it caused at least a couple thousand dollars damage to the microscope (condenser lens, housing, etc). To me, the savings of $50/yr by letting the bulb go longer isn't worth the potential cost in money and downtime of an explosion. ...just my 2 cents worth.
George
George Ring, Ph.D. Search the CONFOCAL archive at http://listserv.acsu.buffalo.edu/cgi-bin/wa?S1=confocal Hello, This is not strictly a confocal question, but reasonably relevant and it's not been recently discussed from what I can tell from the archives. I was hoping to find out at how many hours people change the HBO/Mercury short arc lamps (specifically Osram 103W). The microscope manufacturers (Zeiss & Leica) always recommend 300 hours, due to the potential dangers of explosion when using them for longer... but what do users/facilities tend to do? Someone recently told me that the lamps are now made in such a way that explosions are less common that ~10 years ago (when discussion on this list regarding explosions were more common) Thanks in advance, Graham
-----
Temasek Life Sciences Laboratory
P: +65 6872 8406
This communication is intended only for the named recipient and may contain information that is confidential, legally privileged or subject to copyright; the Ludwig Institute for Cancer Research does not waiver any rights if you have received this communication in error. The views expressed in this communication are those of the sender and do not necessarily reflect the views of the Ludwig Institute for Cancer Research. |
 
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Karen Lovely-Leach |
Re: HBO/Mercury lamp lifetimes
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In reply to this post by Dale Callaham
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http://listserv.acsu.buffalo.edu/cgi-bin/wa?S1=confocal Karen Lovely-Leach MacGuire LSB- Room 326 Amherst College Amherst, MA 01002 413-542-2081 [hidden email] Hi everyone, I started running our new confocal facility a little over a year ago with an LSM5 Pascal. Last year we got the recommended 200 hours out of the HBO100 W/2, after which it began to stutter on ignition, and we changed it promptly. Because we use it most of the time to locate cells and quickly look for staining, we started running it at 20%, and since then we have logged approximately 750 hours. Now I am getting nervous with thoughts of explosions, so I am going to replace it! I found all of the conversation on this topic very helpful. Karen -----Original Message----- From: Confocal Microscopy List [mailto:[hidden email]] On Behalf Of Dale Callaham Sent: Friday, April 25, 2008 6:07 PM To: [hidden email] Subject: Re: HBO/Mercury lamp lifetimes Search the CONFOCAL archive at http://listserv.acsu.buffalo.edu/cgi-bin/wa?S1=confocal Hi, I have seen strong recommendations against forced air cooling where arc stability is a prime concern. Osram literature states that forced air is not needed if sufficient convection through the lamp housing will keep the bases below 230C and most commercial designs probably do this. They state that any cooling should "not be directed at the discharge vessel". Most recent lamp housings and lamp mountings assist the upper base cooling with a heatsink. I bolted a thermocouple to the upper base (- terminal) of a unit (leave TC disconnected until after ignition!) and measured only 180C for a new lamp; the lamp has to get hot to function properly. Staying with well-designed equipment in good operating condition (check for oxidation of leads and connectors and replace if necessary) it shouldn't be necessary to use forced air. I am curious - someone mentioned the Zeiss AttoArc - doesn't that allow you to run at lower than max/nominal settings? Seems that many arclamps are too bright and need attenuation anyway; I was wondering if anyone runs them at lower levels as a standby condition between users or for lower excitation and does it seem to extend the life? I built a unit that could run a HBO 100W/2 nicely below 1A (they have a 5A nominal current) but I didn't get to monitor the performance over a long period. Dale Ignatius, Mike wrote: > Search the CONFOCAL archive at > http://listserv.acsu.buffalo.edu/cgi-bin/wa?S1=confocal > > An important side bar in this discussion, is what warning signs are > there that the bulb is too old and possibly going to fail/explode. > > For me, the earliest signs that the arc gap has grown to impossible > widths were difficulty in starting the bulb to begin with, flickering > when on, long time to stabilize etc. > > The more dreadful indication is an electrical burning smell when it is > on and about to blow. > > In my one experience it smelled like insulation burning off of wiring. > Apparently the bulb super heats before failure? I would be curious to > hear if others have had this warning sign before the bulb blew. I > stupidly got up, and sniffed around the scope to see what the source > and wham the bulb blew in my face. I thanked Nikon for their sturdy > housing, no glass came through, though the diffuser lens inside did > shatter, and the mercury vapor surely escaped. After it has blown, > always good to leave the area for a while to let the gas escape. > > My recommendation: if you smell electrical burning, turn off the lamp > and check your bulb! If the smell persists, something else is amiss. > > And no one has mentioned benefits to running cooling fans across housing > this time around. It seems to help extend lamp life. > > Mike Ignatius > > -----Original Message----- > From: Confocal Microscopy List [mailto:[hidden email]] On > Behalf Of Russell Spear > Sent: Friday, April 25, 2008 7:58 AM > To: [hidden email] > Subject: Re: HBO/Mercury lamp lifetimes > > Search the CONFOCAL archive at > http://listserv.acsu.buffalo.edu/cgi-bin/wa?S1=confocal > > I've been using HBO 100 W s, for about 30 years, and have had 2 > explosions in that time, one long ago and one approx. 3 yrs past. > could be attributed to a high number of on off cycles (something I > discourage). I nomally cycle a bulb no more than twice a day, and need > to relamp about every 40-45 days in a busy lab with 3 fluorescent > scopes. We always replace at 200 hrs. the cost of the bulb is small > compared to the damage to the equipment and time and cost of > decontaminating the microscope rooms. > > Russ > > > > Russell N. Spear > Sr. Research Specialist > Dept. of Plant Pathology > Univ. of Wisconsin > 1630 Linden Dr. > Madison WI 53706 > > voice 608.263.2093 > fax 608.263.2626 |
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In reply to this post by Nowell, Cameron
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http://listserv.acsu.buffalo.edu/cgi-bin/wa?S1=confocal "Nowell, Cameron" <[hidden email]> writes: > We have been doing this for a year and a half now and have not had > any problems. When we first started to do it, we asked a lot of > people about the exploding lamps. No one we spoke to had had it > happen to them but everyone new someone (or new someone who new > someone) who had had it happen in the past. At one of my previous jobs we had a 50W Zeiss arc lamp explode 9sorry I don't know the model number). This was on a rarely used scope used to check staining or tansfection efficiencies, and so lamp stability or intensity was not important. I expect the lamp had done multiple times its recommended lifetime. The result was pretty dramatic, the reflector was shattered and the collection lens damaged. We ditched the lamp housing after this, not worth fixing (or decontaminating). Anybody know how dangerous the mercury vapour from this type of explosion would be? We evacuated the room for a few hours, didn't seem to be much else we could do. Ian |
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http://listserv.acsu.buffalo.edu/cgi-bin/wa?S1=confocal Hi Ian Last time we had a mishap like this our safety dept. banned all use of the room until they decontaminated all surfaces with an absorbent and monitored for Hg vapor for 72hrs. Then gave us stern lecturing and billed us. Room was off limits for about 1 1/2 wks. So it isn't worth the risk to use them past rated hours. Russ Russell N. Spear Sr. Research Specialist Dept. of Plant Pathology Univ. of Wisconsin 1630 Linden Dr. Madison WI 53706 voice 608.263.2093 fax 608.263.2626 >>> Ian Dobbie <[hidden email]> 5/3/2008 9:53 AM >>> Search the CONFOCAL archive at http://listserv.acsu.buffalo.edu/cgi-bin/wa?S1=confocal "Nowell, Cameron" <[hidden email]> writes: > We have been doing this for a year and a half now and have not had > any problems. When we first started to do it, we asked a lot of > people about the exploding lamps. No one we spoke to had had it > happen to them but everyone new someone (or new someone who new > someone) who had had it happen in the past. At one of my previous jobs we had a 50W Zeiss arc lamp explode 9sorry I don't know the model number). This was on a rarely used scope used to check staining or tansfection efficiencies, and so lamp stability or intensity was not important. I expect the lamp had done multiple times its recommended lifetime. The result was pretty dramatic, the reflector was shattered and the collection lens damaged. We ditched the lamp housing after this, not worth fixing (or decontaminating). Anybody know how dangerous the mercury vapour from this type of explosion would be? We evacuated the room for a few hours, didn't seem to be much else we could do. Ian |
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Search the CONFOCAL archive at
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Hi everybody,
all these scary stories about blown up lamps sound fancy, but please have in mind that these things might happen with lamps very far away from expiration date. e.g. the only accident like that we had in our institution was with a lamp just 60 hours old ... We are playing fluorescence quite a bit, and the japanese lamps we are using right now last 500+ hours ...
All the best + a great weekend!
Yours
Ivan
Ivan Todorov
City of Hope
Duarte, Ca From: Confocal Microscopy List on behalf of Russell Spear Sent: Сб 5/3/2008 2:54 To: [hidden email] Subject: Re: HBO/Mercury lamp lifetimes Search the CONFOCAL archive at |
mg_info.txt (1K) |
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S. Pagakis (IIBEAA) |
Re: HBO/Mercury lamp lifetimes
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In reply to this post by Russell Spear
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http://listserv.acsu.buffalo.edu/cgi-bin/wa?S1=confocal Hello everyone I think we are barking under the wrong tree. Please correct me if i am wrong, but many explosions I read reported in this thread (and only one -in 25 years- which happened to me @50hrs) happened at way less than the rated hours. Shouldn't we revise the myth that changing the lamp early protects from explosions? It seems to me that it is either due to material failure (in which case I think the lamp manufacturers should pay the damage bill) or too many ignitions, in which case the manufacturers should include this count in the specs. Regards, ********************************* Stamatis Pagakis Ph.D. Biological Imaging Unit Biomedical Research Foundation, Academy of Athens, Greece > On 4 May 2008, at 00:54, Russell Spear wrote: > Search the CONFOCAL archive at > http://listserv.acsu.buffalo.edu/cgi-bin/wa?S1=confocal > > So it isn't worth the risk to use them past rated hours. > > Russ > > > > Russell N. Spear > Sr. Research Specialist > Dept. of Plant Pathology > Univ. of Wisconsin > 1630 Linden Dr. > Madison WI 53706 > > voice 608.263.2093 > fax 608.263.2626 > |
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Search the CONFOCAL archive at
http://listserv.acsu.buffalo.edu/cgi-bin/wa?S1=confocal Hi all, I would like to go back to an earlier post, and reiterate that there are several different types of power supplies. The constant-current ones increase the applied voltage as the "conductivity" of the bulb decreases. This means that the amount of power deposited in the arc slowly INCREASES as the electrodes age and eventually, this will cause overheating, and softening of the fused-quartz envelope. Constant-power supplies will not cause this problem, but the intensity of the brightest part of the arc will slowly deteriorate with time. Another factor is dirt. Either finger grease or perhaps some accidental event such as a small, fried insect or a very small piece of flaked-off black paint. In short, anything that absorbs light and gets hot while attached in some way to the quartz envelope. Any "dark spot" will cause local overheating and asymmetrical envelope failure. A second possibility has to to with the connections between the bulb and the housing. If the mating surfaces of these metal parts become corroded, or oxidized, the contact resistance will increase as will the working temperature. This also can lead to premature envelope failure. Even the alignment of the spherical rear mirror can be important. If the reflected image of the arc is formed not to the side of the arc itself but concentrated onto a small section of the envelope, this can exacerbate any asymmetrical heating cause by dirt or contamination. The effect of these "operator" factors will vary somewhat depending on the type of power supply used. Therefore, it seems to me that the list of important variables should include not just be the bulb manufacturer, the bulb type and the design of the power supply but the care with which the new bulb has been installed and aligned. And then there is the whole matter of variable-power Hg systems. We usually use our Atto-arc 50W at about 20% power and the bulbs often seem to last for over a thousand hours. More than enough brightness to find the part of your sample best suited to confocal analysis. Finally, there is the matter of xenon arcs. These have all the same problems mentioned above, but in addition, because they are reputed to start off having a much higher gas pressure, any resulting explosions are said to be much more impressive, in fact even dangerous (albeit, without the additional nuisance of Hg contamination). Has anyone had any experience here? Cheers, Jim Pawley >Search the CONFOCAL archive at >http://listserv.acsu.buffalo.edu/cgi-bin/wa?S1=confocal > >Hello everyone > >I think we are barking under the wrong tree. Please correct me if i >am wrong, but many explosions I read reported in this thread (and >only one -in 25 years- which happened to me @50hrs) happened at way >less than the rated hours. > >Shouldn't we revise the myth that changing the lamp early protects >from explosions? > >It seems to me that it is either due to material failure (in which >case I think the lamp manufacturers should pay the damage bill) or >too many ignitions, in which case the manufacturers should include >this count in the specs. > >Regards, > >********************************* >Stamatis Pagakis Ph.D. >Biological Imaging Unit >Biomedical Research Foundation, Academy of Athens, Greece > >>On 4 May 2008, at 00:54, Russell Spear wrote: >>Search the CONFOCAL archive at >>http://listserv.acsu.buffalo.edu/cgi-bin/wa?S1=confocal >> >>So it isn't worth the risk to use them past rated hours. >> >>Russ >> >> >> >>Russell N. Spear >>Sr. Research Specialist >>Dept. of Plant Pathology >>Univ. of Wisconsin >>1630 Linden Dr. >>Madison WI 53706 >> >>voice 608.263.2093 >>fax 608.263.2626 -- ********************************************** Prof. James B. Pawley, Ph. 608-263-3147 Room 223, Zoology Research Building, FAX 608-265-5315 1117 Johnson Ave., Madison, WI, 53706 [hidden email] 3D Microscopy of Living Cells Course, June 14-26, 2008, UBC, Vancouver Canada Info: http://www.3dcourse.ubc.ca/ Applications due by March 15, 2008 "If it ain't diffraction, it must be statistics." Anon. |
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In reply to this post by Graham Wright-5
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Commercial Interest
Having followed this discussion,
we can contain ourselves no longer.........LEDs!
JIM Beacher
CoolLED Ltd
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Alison J. North |
Re: HBO/Mercury lamp lifetimes
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Search the CONFOCAL archive at
http://listserv.acsu.buffalo.edu/cgi-bin/wa?S1=confocal Hi Jim, Oh you cruel man, you are mercilessly TAUNTING those of us based in the USA who would love to buy your LEDs but are prevented from doing so by exceptionally irritating patent restrictions (hello to the company concerned - your LED system is prohibitively expensive!). Or am I missing something and this situation has recently changed? Do keep us posted please? And yes, I am intentionally sending this to the listserver, so that other people based in this country don't get all excited by your LEDs and have their hopes dashed, like us. Plus, if I am incorrect about the patent situation and we can in fact obtain an LED-based lamp here at a reasonable price (without having to assemble everything ourselves), we would like to know. Thanks and best wishes, Alison James Beacher wrote: > Search the CONFOCAL archive at > http://listserv.acsu.buffalo.edu/cgi-bin/wa?S1=confocal > Commercial Interest > > > Having followed this discussion, we can contain ourselves no > longer.........*LEDs!* > > > > JIM Beacher > CoolLED Ltd > > > > -----Original Message----- > *From:* "Confocal Microscopy List" <[hidden email]> > *Sent:* 07/05/2008 14:50 > *To:* "[hidden email]" <[hidden email]> > *Subject:* Re: HBO/Mercury lamp lifetimes > > > Search the CONFOCAL archive at > http://listserv.acsu.buffalo.edu/cgi-bin/wa?S1=confocal > > Hi all, > > I would like to go back to an earlier post, and reiterate that there > are several different types of power supplies. The constant-current > ones increase the applied voltage as the "conductivity" of the bulb > decreases. This means that the amount of power deposited in the arc > slowly INCREASES as the electrodes age and eventually, this will > cause overheating, and softening of the fused-quartz envelope. > Constant-power supplies will not cause this problem, but the > intensity of the brightest part of the arc will slowly deteriorate > with time. > > Another factor is dirt. Either finger grease or perhaps some > accidental event such as a small, fried insect or a very small piece > of flaked-off black paint. In short, anything that absorbs light and > gets hot while attached in some way to the quartz envelope. Any "dark > spot" will cause local overheating and asymmetrical envelope failure. > > A second possibility has to to with the connections between the bulb > and the housing. If the mating surfaces of these metal parts become > corroded, or oxidized, the contact resistance will increase as will > the working temperature. This also can lead to premature envelope > failure. > > Even the alignment of the spherical rear mirror can be important. If > the reflected image of the arc is formed not to the side of the arc > itself but concentrated onto a small section of the envelope, this > can exacerbate any asymmetrical heating cause by dirt or > contamination. > > The effect of these "operator" factors will vary somewhat depending > on the type of power supply used. > > Therefore, it seems to me that the list of important variables should > include not just be the bulb manufacturer, the bulb type and the > design of the power supply but the care with which the new bulb has > been installed and aligned. > > And then there is the whole matter of variable-power Hg systems. We > usually use our Atto-arc 50W at about 20% power and the bulbs often > seem to last for over a thousand hours. More than enough brightness > to find the part of your sample best suited to confocal analysis. > > Finally, there is the matter of xenon arcs. These have all the same > problems mentioned above, but in addition, because they are reputed > to start off having a much higher gas pressure, any resulting > explosions are said to be much more impressive, in fact even > dangerous (albeit, without the additional nuisance of Hg > contamination). Has anyone had any experience here? > > Cheers, > > Jim Pawley > > > >Search the CONFOCAL archive at > >http://listserv.acsu.buffalo.edu/cgi-bin/wa?S1=confocal > > > >Hello everyone > > > >I think we are barking under the wrong tree. Please correct me if i > >am wrong, but many explosions I read reported in this thread (and > >only one -in 25 years- which happened to me @50hrs) happened at way > >less than the rated hours. > > > >Shouldn't we revise the myth that changing the lamp early protects > >from explosions? > > > >It seems to me that it is either due to material failure (in which > >case I think the lamp manufacturers should pay the damage bill) or > >too many ignitions, in which case the manufacturers should include > >this count in the specs. > > > >Regards, > > > >********************************* > >Stamatis Pagakis Ph.D. > >Biological Imaging Unit > >Biomedical Research Foundation, Academy of Athens, Greece > > > >>On 4 May 2008, at 00:54, Russell Spear wrote: > >>Search the CONFOCAL archive at > >>http://listserv.acsu.buffalo.edu/cgi-bin/wa?S1=confocal > >> > >>So it isn't worth the risk to use them past rated hours. > >> > >>Russ > >> > >> > >> > >>Russell N. Spear > >>Sr. Research Specialist > >>Dept. of Plant Pathology > >>Univ. of Wisconsin > >>1630 Linden Dr. > >>Madison WI 53706 > >> > >>voice 608.263.2093 > >>fax 608.263.2626 > > > -- > ********************************************** > Prof. James B. Pawley, Ph. > 608-263-3147 > Room 223, Zoology Research Building, > FAX 608-265-5315 > 1117 Johnson Ave., Madison, WI, 53706 > [hidden email] > 3D Microscopy of Living Cells Course, June 14-26, 2008, UBC, > Vancouver Canada > Info: http://www.3dcourse.ubc.ca/ Applications due by > March 15, 2008 > "If it ain't diffraction, it must be statistics." Anon. > -- Alison J. North, Ph.D., Research Assistant Professor and Director of the Bio-Imaging Resource Center, The Rockefeller University, 1230 York Avenue, New York, NY 10065. Tel: office ++ 212 327 7488 Tel: lab ++ 212 327 7486 Fax: ++ 212 327 7489 |
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Search the CONFOCAL archive at
http://listserv.acsu.buffalo.edu/cgi-bin/wa?S1=confocal for cheap mounted LEDs/drivers for microscopes you can try Thorlabs http://www.thorlabs.com/NewGroupPage9.cfm?ObjectGroup_ID=2692&visNavID=551 I have no commercial interest here, they dont seem to have a 3-color system yet but its a matter of time, maybe request it? -----Original Message----- From: Confocal Microscopy List [mailto:[hidden email]]On Behalf Of Alison North Sent: Wednesday, May 07, 2008 7:51 AM To: [hidden email] Subject: Re: HBO/Mercury lamp lifetimes Search the CONFOCAL archive at http://listserv.acsu.buffalo.edu/cgi-bin/wa?S1=confocal Hi Jim, Oh you cruel man, you are mercilessly TAUNTING those of us based in the USA who would love to buy your LEDs but are prevented from doing so by exceptionally irritating patent restrictions (hello to the company concerned - your LED system is prohibitively expensive!). Or am I missing something and this situation has recently changed? Do keep us posted please? And yes, I am intentionally sending this to the listserver, so that other people based in this country don't get all excited by your LEDs and have their hopes dashed, like us. Plus, if I am incorrect about the patent situation and we can in fact obtain an LED-based lamp here at a reasonable price (without having to assemble everything ourselves), we would like to know. Thanks and best wishes, Alison James Beacher wrote: > Search the CONFOCAL archive at > http://listserv.acsu.buffalo.edu/cgi-bin/wa?S1=confocal > Commercial Interest > > > Having followed this discussion, we can contain ourselves no > longer.........*LEDs!* > > > > JIM Beacher > CoolLED Ltd > > > > -----Original Message----- > *From:* "Confocal Microscopy List" <[hidden email]> > *Sent:* 07/05/2008 14:50 > *To:* "[hidden email]" <[hidden email]> > *Subject:* Re: HBO/Mercury lamp lifetimes > > > Search the CONFOCAL archive at > http://listserv.acsu.buffalo.edu/cgi-bin/wa?S1=confocal > > Hi all, > > I would like to go back to an earlier post, and reiterate that there > are several different types of power supplies. The constant-current > ones increase the applied voltage as the "conductivity" of the bulb > decreases. This means that the amount of power deposited in the arc > slowly INCREASES as the electrodes age and eventually, this will > cause overheating, and softening of the fused-quartz envelope. > Constant-power supplies will not cause this problem, but the > intensity of the brightest part of the arc will slowly deteriorate > with time. > > Another factor is dirt. Either finger grease or perhaps some > accidental event such as a small, fried insect or a very small piece > of flaked-off black paint. In short, anything that absorbs light and > gets hot while attached in some way to the quartz envelope. Any "dark > spot" will cause local overheating and asymmetrical envelope failure. > > A second possibility has to to with the connections between the bulb > and the housing. If the mating surfaces of these metal parts become > corroded, or oxidized, the contact resistance will increase as will > the working temperature. This also can lead to premature envelope > failure. > > Even the alignment of the spherical rear mirror can be important. If > the reflected image of the arc is formed not to the side of the arc > itself but concentrated onto a small section of the envelope, this > can exacerbate any asymmetrical heating cause by dirt or > contamination. > > The effect of these "operator" factors will vary somewhat depending > on the type of power supply used. > > Therefore, it seems to me that the list of important variables should > include not just be the bulb manufacturer, the bulb type and the > design of the power supply but the care with which the new bulb has > been installed and aligned. > > And then there is the whole matter of variable-power Hg systems. We > usually use our Atto-arc 50W at about 20% power and the bulbs often > seem to last for over a thousand hours. More than enough brightness > to find the part of your sample best suited to confocal analysis. > > Finally, there is the matter of xenon arcs. These have all the same > problems mentioned above, but in addition, because they are reputed > to start off having a much higher gas pressure, any resulting > explosions are said to be much more impressive, in fact even > dangerous (albeit, without the additional nuisance of Hg > contamination). Has anyone had any experience here? > > Cheers, > > Jim Pawley > > > >Search the CONFOCAL archive at > >http://listserv.acsu.buffalo.edu/cgi-bin/wa?S1=confocal > > > >Hello everyone > > > >I think we are barking under the wrong tree. Please correct me if i > >am wrong, but many explosions I read reported in this thread (and > >only one -in 25 years- which happened to me @50hrs) happened at way > >less than the rated hours. > > > >Shouldn't we revise the myth that changing the lamp early protects > >from explosions? > > > >It seems to me that it is either due to material failure (in which > >case I think the lamp manufacturers should pay the damage bill) or > >too many ignitions, in which case the manufacturers should include > >this count in the specs. > > > >Regards, > > > >********************************* > >Stamatis Pagakis Ph.D. > >Biological Imaging Unit > >Biomedical Research Foundation, Academy of Athens, Greece > > > >>On 4 May 2008, at 00:54, Russell Spear wrote: > >>Search the CONFOCAL archive at > >>http://listserv.acsu.buffalo.edu/cgi-bin/wa?S1=confocal > >> > >>So it isn't worth the risk to use them past rated hours. > >> > >>Russ > >> > >> > >> > >>Russell N. Spear > >>Sr. Research Specialist > >>Dept. of Plant Pathology > >>Univ. of Wisconsin > >>1630 Linden Dr. > >>Madison WI 53706 > >> > >>voice 608.263.2093 > >>fax 608.263.2626 > > > -- > ********************************************** > Prof. James B. Pawley, Ph. > 608-263-3147 > Room 223, Zoology Research Building, > FAX 608-265-5315 > 1117 Johnson Ave., Madison, WI, 53706 > [hidden email] > 3D Microscopy of Living Cells Course, June 14-26, 2008, UBC, > Vancouver Canada > Info: http://www.3dcourse.ubc.ca/ Applications due by > March 15, 2008 > "If it ain't diffraction, it must be statistics." Anon. > -- Alison J. North, Ph.D., Research Assistant Professor and Director of the Bio-Imaging Resource Center, The Rockefeller University, 1230 York Avenue, New York, NY 10065. Tel: office ++ 212 327 7488 Tel: lab ++ 212 327 7486 Fax: ++ 212 327 7489 |
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Gary Laevsky-2 |
Re: HBO/Mercury lamp lifetimes ***COMMERCIAL RESPONSE***
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In reply to this post by Alison J. North
Search the CONFOCAL archive at
http://listserv.acsu.buffalo.edu/cgi-bin/wa?S1=confocal Hi Alison and all, CoolLed has a 3 channel version available in the states for $8,500 list. Best, Gary Laevsky, Ph.D. Imaging Application Specialist Andor Technology discover new ways of seeing [hidden email] Cell (774) 291 - 9992 Office (860) 290 - 9211 x219 Fax (860) 290 - 9566 Web: www.andor.com -----Original Message----- From: Confocal Microscopy List [mailto:[hidden email]] On Behalf Of Alison North Sent: Wednesday, May 07, 2008 10:51 AM To: [hidden email] Subject: Re: HBO/Mercury lamp lifetimes Search the CONFOCAL archive at http://listserv.acsu.buffalo.edu/cgi-bin/wa?S1=confocal Hi Jim, Oh you cruel man, you are mercilessly TAUNTING those of us based in the USA who would love to buy your LEDs but are prevented from doing so by exceptionally irritating patent restrictions (hello to the company concerned - your LED system is prohibitively expensive!). Or am I missing something and this situation has recently changed? Do keep us posted please? And yes, I am intentionally sending this to the listserver, so that other people based in this country don't get all excited by your LEDs and have their hopes dashed, like us. Plus, if I am incorrect about the patent situation and we can in fact obtain an LED-based lamp here at a reasonable price (without having to assemble everything ourselves), we would like to know. Thanks and best wishes, Alison James Beacher wrote: > Search the CONFOCAL archive at > http://listserv.acsu.buffalo.edu/cgi-bin/wa?S1=confocal > Commercial Interest > > > Having followed this discussion, we can contain ourselves no > longer.........*LEDs!* > > > > JIM Beacher > CoolLED Ltd > > > > -----Original Message----- > *From:* "Confocal Microscopy List" <[hidden email]> > *Sent:* 07/05/2008 14:50 > *To:* "[hidden email]" > *Subject:* Re: HBO/Mercury lamp lifetimes > > > Search the CONFOCAL archive at > http://listserv.acsu.buffalo.edu/cgi-bin/wa?S1=confocal > > Hi all, > > I would like to go back to an earlier post, and reiterate that there > are several different types of power supplies. The constant-current > ones increase the applied voltage as the "conductivity" of the bulb > decreases. This means that the amount of power deposited in the arc > slowly INCREASES as the electrodes age and eventually, this will > cause overheating, and softening of the fused-quartz envelope. > Constant-power supplies will not cause this problem, but the > intensity of the brightest part of the arc will slowly deteriorate > with time. > > Another factor is dirt. Either finger grease or perhaps some > accidental event such as a small, fried insect or a very small piece > of flaked-off black paint. In short, anything that absorbs light and > gets hot while attached in some way to the quartz envelope. Any "dark > spot" will cause local overheating and asymmetrical envelope failure. > > A second possibility has to to with the connections between the bulb > and the housing. If the mating surfaces of these metal parts become > corroded, or oxidized, the contact resistance will increase as will > the working temperature. This also can lead to premature envelope > failure. > > Even the alignment of the spherical rear mirror can be important. If > the reflected image of the arc is formed not to the side of the arc > itself but concentrated onto a small section of the envelope, this > can exacerbate any asymmetrical heating cause by dirt or > contamination. > > The effect of these "operator" factors will vary somewhat depending > on the type of power supply used. > > Therefore, it seems to me that the list of important variables should > include not just be the bulb manufacturer, the bulb type and the > design of the power supply but the care with which the new bulb has > been installed and aligned. > > And then there is the whole matter of variable-power Hg systems. We > usually use our Atto-arc 50W at about 20% power and the bulbs often > seem to last for over a thousand hours. More than enough brightness > to find the part of your sample best suited to confocal analysis. > > Finally, there is the matter of xenon arcs. These have all the same > problems mentioned above, but in addition, because they are reputed > to start off having a much higher gas pressure, any resulting > explosions are said to be much more impressive, in fact even > dangerous (albeit, without the additional nuisance of Hg > contamination). Has anyone had any experience here? > > Cheers, > > Jim Pawley > > > >Search the CONFOCAL archive at > >http://listserv.acsu.buffalo.edu/cgi-bin/wa?S1=confocal > > > >Hello everyone > > > >I think we are barking under the wrong tree. Please correct me > >am wrong, but many explosions I read reported in this thread (and > >only one -in 25 years- which happened to me @50hrs) happened at way > >less than the rated hours. > > > >Shouldn't we revise the myth that changing the lamp early protects > >from explosions? > > > >It seems to me that it is either due to material failure (in which > >case I think the lamp manufacturers should pay the damage bill) or > >too many ignitions, in which case the manufacturers should include > >this count in the specs. > > > >Regards, > > > >********************************* > >Stamatis Pagakis Ph.D. > >Biological Imaging Unit > >Biomedical Research Foundation, Academy of Athens, Greece > > > >>On 4 May 2008, at 00:54, Russell Spear wrote: > >>Search the CONFOCAL archive at > >>http://listserv.acsu.buffalo.edu/cgi-bin/wa?S1=confocal > >> > >>So it isn't worth the risk to use them past rated hours. > >> > >>Russ > >> > >> > >> > >>Russell N. Spear > >>Sr. Research Specialist > >>Dept. of Plant Pathology > >>Univ. of Wisconsin > >>1630 Linden Dr. > >>Madison WI 53706 > >> > >>voice 608.263.2093 > >>fax 608.263.2626 > > > -- > ********************************************** > Prof. James B. Pawley, Ph. > 608-263-3147 > Room 223, Zoology Research Building, > FAX 608-265-5315 > 1117 Johnson Ave., Madison, WI, 53706 > [hidden email] > 3D Microscopy of Living Cells Course, June 14-26, 2008, UBC, > Vancouver Canada > Info: http://www.3dcourse.ubc.ca/ Applications due by > March 15, 2008 > "If it ain't diffraction, it must be statistics." > -- Alison J. North, Ph.D., Research Assistant Professor and Director of the Bio-Imaging Resource Center, The Rockefeller University, 1230 York Avenue, New York, NY 10065. Tel: office ++ 212 327 7488 Tel: lab ++ 212 327 7486 Fax: ++ 212 327 7489 |
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Martyn Reynolds |
Re: HBO/Mercury lamp lifetimes
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In reply to this post by James Pawley
Search the CONFOCAL archive at
http://listserv.acsu.buffalo.edu/cgi-bin/wa?S1=confocal
* Commercial Interest *
Dear All,
Following recent posts here, I would
like to contribute my experiences to the
thread. First, the points made regarding
the importance of the constant power driving
of the short-arc lamps (both Hg and Xe) should
not be underestimated. I cannot comment on
failure rates of lamps installed in other
manufacturers systems, but at Cairn we rarely
encounter lamp explosions despite installation
and operation of many hundreds of systems,
many of which we know are heavily used. Needless
to say, all our systems operate on a constant
power basis (and the majority are Xe rather
than Hg).
One cautionary point I would make is
that users should stop operating a lamp immediately
the output starts to fluctuate eratically.
This does indeed indicate the lamp is reaching
the very limits of its life, and the only
explosions we have had reported are after
this situation has been left unchecked.
Aside from the obvious health hazardof Hg
contamination, I don't have any specificexperience
of the relative hazard of Hg versus Xe lamp
explosion, but in either case the damage
caused by lamp failures is indeed quite spectacular-
and usually costly to repair. Our housings
completely enclose the lamp to maximise output
stability, minimise light leakage, and protect
against the explosion hazard. This means
any explosion is completely contained, and
while being impressively destructive internally,
should not present a hazard to
the system operator.
In our hands the main problem with lamp
aging is that the output intensity drops
below an acceptable level rather than the
envelope failing, and we know of systems
being run many hundreds of hours beyond the
rated life until this occurs. I would not
advocate this as good practice though, and
would advise exchanging lamps at their
rated lifetime.
My overall point is that whilst any
pressurised system is potentially dangerous.
With a few sensible precautions and a trained
operator there is no significant risk in
using these sources. This said, for an increasing
number of applications, LED emitters are
now of sufficient intensity that they make
a good alternative for simple fluorescence
applications (such as verification of transfection,
or certain time-lapse imaging experiments).
If you don't require the flexibility with
wavelengths offered by a short-arc lamp,
then LED systems such as our OptoLED or the
PrecisExcite from CoolLED are increasingly
useful alternatives.
Best Regards Martyn ................................................ Dr A.M. Reynolds www.cairn-research.co.uk [hidden email] Direct Line : + 44 (0)1795 594 503 >> Search the CONFOCAL archive at >> http://listserv.acsu.buffalo.edu/cgi-bin/wa?S1=confocal >> Hi all, >> I would like to go back to an earlier post, and reiterate that there >> are several different types of power supplies. The constant-current >> ones increase the applied voltage as the "conductivity" of the bulb >> decreases. This means that the amount of power deposited in the arc >> slowly INCREASES as the electrodes age and eventually, this will >> cause overheating, and softening of the fused-quartz envelope. >> Constant-power supplies will not cause this problem, but the >> intensity of the brightest part of the arc will slowly deteriorate >> with time. >> Another factor is dirt. Either finger grease or perhaps some >> accidental event such as a small, fried insect or a very small piece >> of flaked-off black paint. In short, anything that absorbs light and >> gets hot while attached in some way to the quartz envelope. Any "dark >> spot" will cause local overheating and asymmetrical envelope failure. >> A second possibility has to to with the connections between the bulb >> and the housing. If the mating surfaces of these metal parts become >> corroded, or oxidized, the contact resistance will increase as will >> the working temperature. This also can lead to premature envelope >> failure. >> Even the alignment of the spherical rear mirror can be important. If >> the reflected image of the arc is formed not to the side of the arc >> itself but concentrated onto a small section of the envelope, this >> can exacerbate any asymmetrical heating cause by dirt or >> contamination. >> The effect of these "operator" factors will vary somewhat depending >> on the type of power supply used. >> Therefore, it seems to me that the list of important variables should >> include not just be the bulb manufacturer, the bulb type and the >> design of the power supply but the care with which the new bulb has >> been installed and aligned. >> And then there is the whole matter of variable-power Hg systems. We >> usually use our Atto-arc 50W at about 20% power and the bulbs often >> seem to last for over a thousand hours. More than enough brightness >> to find the part of your sample best suited to confocal analysis. >> Finally, there is the matter of xenon arcs. These have all the same >> problems mentioned above, but in addition, because they are reputed >> to start off having a much higher gas pressure, any resulting >> explosions are said to be much more impressive, in fact even >> dangerous (albeit, without the additional nuisance of Hg >> contamination). Has anyone had any experience here? >> Cheers, >> Jim Pawley >> >Search the CONFOCAL archive at >> >http://listserv.acsu.buffalo.edu/cgi-bin/wa?S1=confocal >> > >> >Hello everyone >> > >> >I think we are barking under the wrong tree. Please correct me if i >> >am wrong, but many explosions I read reported in this thread (and >> >only one -in 25 years- which happened to me @50hrs) happened at way >> >less than the rated hours. >> > >> >Shouldn't we revise the myth that changing the lamp early protects >> >from explosions? >> > >> >It seems to me that it is either due to material failure (in which >> >case I think the lamp manufacturers should pay the damage bill) or >> >too many ignitions, in which case the manufacturers should include >> >this count in the specs. >> > >> >Regards, >> > >> >********************************* >> >Stamatis Pagakis Ph.D. >> >Biological Imaging Unit >> >Biomedical Research Foundation, Academy of Athens, Greece >> > >> >>On 4 May 2008, at 00:54, Russell Spear wrote: >> >>Search the CONFOCAL archive at >> >>http://listserv.acsu.buffalo.edu/cgi-bin/wa?S1=confocal >> >> >> >>So it isn't worth the risk to use them past rated hours. >> >> >> >>Russ >> >> >> >> >> >> >> >>Russell N. Spear >> >>Sr. Research Specialist >> >>Dept. of Plant Pathology >> >>Univ. of Wisconsin >> >>1630 Linden Dr. >> >>Madison WI 53706 >> >> >> >>voice 608.263.2093 >> >>fax 608.263.2626 >> -- >> ********************************************** >> Prof. James B. Pawley, Ph. 608-263-3147 >> Room 223, Zoology Research Building, >> FAX 608-265-5315 >> 1117 Johnson Ave., Madison, WI, 53706 >> [hidden email] >> 3D Microscopy of Living Cells Course, June 14-26, 2008, UBC, Vancouver >> Canada >> Info: http://www.3dcourse.ubc.ca/ Applications due by March 15, 2008 >> "If it ain't diffraction, it must be statistics." Anon. |
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Gary Laevsky-2 |
Re: HBO/Mercury lamp lifetimes ***COMMERCIAL RESPONSE***
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In reply to this post by Gary Laevsky-2
Search the CONFOCAL archive at
http://listserv.acsu.buffalo.edu/cgi-bin/wa?S1=confocal FYI, Andor Technology provides this in the states. Best, Gary Laevsky, Ph.D. Imaging Application Specialist Andor Technology discover new ways of seeing [hidden email] Cell (774) 291 - 9992 Office (860) 290 - 9211 x219 Fax (860) 290 - 9566 Web: www.andor.com -----Original Message----- From: Gary Laevsky Sent: Wednesday, May 07, 2008 11:15 AM To: 'Confocal Microscopy List' Subject: RE: HBO/Mercury lamp lifetimes ***COMMERCIAL RESPONSE*** Hi Alison and all, CoolLed has a 3 channel version available in the states for $8,500 list. Best, Gary Laevsky, Ph.D. Imaging Application Specialist Andor Technology discover new ways of seeing [hidden email] Cell (774) 291 - 9992 Office (860) 290 - 9211 x219 Fax (860) 290 - 9566 Web: www.andor.com -----Original Message----- From: Confocal Microscopy List [mailto:[hidden email]] On Behalf Of Alison North Sent: Wednesday, May 07, 2008 10:51 AM To: [hidden email] Subject: Re: HBO/Mercury lamp lifetimes Search the CONFOCAL archive at http://listserv.acsu.buffalo.edu/cgi-bin/wa?S1=confocal Hi Jim, Oh you cruel man, you are mercilessly TAUNTING those of us based in the USA who would love to buy your LEDs but are prevented from doing so by exceptionally irritating patent restrictions (hello to the company concerned - your LED system is prohibitively expensive!). Or am I missing something and this situation has recently changed? Do keep us posted please? And yes, I am intentionally sending this to the listserver, so that other people based in this country don't get all excited by your LEDs and have their hopes dashed, like us. Plus, if I am incorrect about the patent situation and we can in fact obtain an LED-based lamp here at a reasonable price (without having to assemble everything ourselves), we would like to know. Thanks and best wishes, Alison James Beacher wrote: > Search the CONFOCAL archive at > http://listserv.acsu.buffalo.edu/cgi-bin/wa?S1=confocal > Commercial Interest > > > Having followed this discussion, we can contain ourselves no > longer.........*LEDs!* > > > > JIM Beacher > CoolLED Ltd > > > > -----Original Message----- > *From:* "Confocal Microscopy List" <[hidden email]> > *Sent:* 07/05/2008 14:50 > *To:* "[hidden email]" > *Subject:* Re: HBO/Mercury lamp lifetimes > > > Search the CONFOCAL archive at > http://listserv.acsu.buffalo.edu/cgi-bin/wa?S1=confocal > > Hi all, > > I would like to go back to an earlier post, and reiterate that there > are several different types of power supplies. The constant-current > ones increase the applied voltage as the "conductivity" of the bulb > decreases. This means that the amount of power deposited in the arc > slowly INCREASES as the electrodes age and eventually, this will > cause overheating, and softening of the fused-quartz envelope. > Constant-power supplies will not cause this problem, but the > intensity of the brightest part of the arc will slowly deteriorate > with time. > > Another factor is dirt. Either finger grease or perhaps some > accidental event such as a small, fried insect or a very small piece > of flaked-off black paint. In short, anything that absorbs light and > gets hot while attached in some way to the quartz envelope. Any "dark > spot" will cause local overheating and asymmetrical envelope failure. > > A second possibility has to to with the connections between the bulb > and the housing. If the mating surfaces of these metal parts become > corroded, or oxidized, the contact resistance will increase as will > the working temperature. This also can lead to premature envelope > failure. > > Even the alignment of the spherical rear mirror can be important. If > the reflected image of the arc is formed not to the side of the arc > itself but concentrated onto a small section of the envelope, this > can exacerbate any asymmetrical heating cause by dirt or > contamination. > > The effect of these "operator" factors will vary somewhat depending > on the type of power supply used. > > Therefore, it seems to me that the list of important variables should > include not just be the bulb manufacturer, the bulb type and the > design of the power supply but the care with which the new bulb has > been installed and aligned. > > And then there is the whole matter of variable-power Hg systems. We > usually use our Atto-arc 50W at about 20% power and the bulbs often > seem to last for over a thousand hours. More than enough brightness > to find the part of your sample best suited to confocal analysis. > > Finally, there is the matter of xenon arcs. These have all the same > problems mentioned above, but in addition, because they are reputed > to start off having a much higher gas pressure, any resulting > explosions are said to be much more impressive, in fact even > dangerous (albeit, without the additional nuisance of Hg > contamination). Has anyone had any experience here? > > Cheers, > > Jim Pawley > > > >Search the CONFOCAL archive at > >http://listserv.acsu.buffalo.edu/cgi-bin/wa?S1=confocal > > > >Hello everyone > > > >I think we are barking under the wrong tree. Please correct me > >am wrong, but many explosions I read reported in this thread (and > >only one -in 25 years- which happened to me @50hrs) happened at way > >less than the rated hours. > > > >Shouldn't we revise the myth that changing the lamp early protects > >from explosions? > > > >It seems to me that it is either due to material failure (in which > >case I think the lamp manufacturers should pay the damage bill) or > >too many ignitions, in which case the manufacturers should include > >this count in the specs. > > > >Regards, > > > >********************************* > >Stamatis Pagakis Ph.D. > >Biological Imaging Unit > >Biomedical Research Foundation, Academy of Athens, Greece > > > >>On 4 May 2008, at 00:54, Russell Spear wrote: > >>Search the CONFOCAL archive at > >>http://listserv.acsu.buffalo.edu/cgi-bin/wa?S1=confocal > >> > >>So it isn't worth the risk to use them past rated hours. > >> > >>Russ > >> > >> > >> > >>Russell N. Spear > >>Sr. Research Specialist > >>Dept. of Plant Pathology > >>Univ. of Wisconsin > >>1630 Linden Dr. > >>Madison WI 53706 > >> > >>voice 608.263.2093 > >>fax 608.263.2626 > > > -- > ********************************************** > Prof. James B. Pawley, Ph. > 608-263-3147 > Room 223, Zoology Research Building, > FAX 608-265-5315 > 1117 Johnson Ave., Madison, WI, 53706 > [hidden email] > 3D Microscopy of Living Cells Course, June 14-26, 2008, UBC, > Vancouver Canada > Info: http://www.3dcourse.ubc.ca/ Applications due by > March 15, 2008 > "If it ain't diffraction, it must be statistics." > -- Alison J. North, Ph.D., Research Assistant Professor and Director of the Bio-Imaging Resource Center, The Rockefeller University, 1230 York Avenue, New York, NY 10065. Tel: office ++ 212 327 7488 Tel: lab ++ 212 327 7486 Fax: ++ 212 327 7489 |
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Alison J. North |
Re: HBO/Mercury lamp lifetimes ***COMMERCIAL RESPONSE***
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In reply to this post by Gary Laevsky-2
Search the CONFOCAL archive at
http://listserv.acsu.buffalo.edu/cgi-bin/wa?S1=confocal Hi all, Is this true? Thanks for the response Gary but we had an e-mail from Jim Beacher recently informing us that CoolLED could not currently supply it to the USA. Jim, could we have clarification on this issue please? Is it that only particular models are available here? Thanks, Alison P.S. Since an Andor person has taken the trouble to help me out, I feel I should be allowed to comment on an Andor product at this point - we finally got round to demo-ing the iXon 512 EMCCD on our spinning disk yesterday and now I see what all the fuss is about - fabulous camera guys!!! Gary Laevsky wrote: > Search the CONFOCAL archive at > http://listserv.acsu.buffalo.edu/cgi-bin/wa?S1=confocal > > Hi Alison and all, > > CoolLed has a 3 channel version available in the states for $8,500 list. > > Best, > > > > Gary Laevsky, Ph.D. > > Imaging Application Specialist > > > > Andor Technology > > discover new ways of seeing > > > > [hidden email] > > Cell (774) 291 - 9992 > Office (860) 290 - 9211 x219 > Fax (860) 290 - 9566 > Web: www.andor.com > > -----Original Message----- > From: Confocal Microscopy List [mailto:[hidden email]] On > Behalf Of Alison North > Sent: Wednesday, May 07, 2008 10:51 AM > To: [hidden email] > Subject: Re: HBO/Mercury lamp lifetimes > > Search the CONFOCAL archive at > http://listserv.acsu.buffalo.edu/cgi-bin/wa?S1=confocal > > Hi Jim, > > Oh you cruel man, you are mercilessly TAUNTING those of us based in the > USA who would love to buy your LEDs but are prevented from doing so by > exceptionally irritating patent restrictions (hello to the company > concerned - your LED system is prohibitively expensive!). Or am I > missing something and this situation has recently changed? Do keep us > posted please? And yes, I am intentionally sending this to the > listserver, so that other people based in this country don't get all > excited by your LEDs and have their hopes dashed, like us. Plus, if I > am incorrect about the patent situation and we can in fact obtain an > LED-based lamp here at a reasonable price (without having to assemble > everything ourselves), we would like to know. > > Thanks and best wishes, > Alison > > > James Beacher wrote: >> Search the CONFOCAL archive at >> http://listserv.acsu.buffalo.edu/cgi-bin/wa?S1=confocal >> Commercial Interest >> >> >> Having followed this discussion, we can contain ourselves no >> longer.........*LEDs!* >> >> >> >> JIM Beacher >> CoolLED Ltd >> >> >> >> -----Original Message----- >> *From:* "Confocal Microscopy List" <[hidden email]> >> *Sent:* 07/05/2008 14:50 >> *To:* "[hidden email]" > <[hidden email]> >> *Subject:* Re: HBO/Mercury lamp lifetimes >> >> >> Search the CONFOCAL archive at >> http://listserv.acsu.buffalo.edu/cgi-bin/wa?S1=confocal >> >> Hi all, >> >> I would like to go back to an earlier post, and reiterate that > there >> are several different types of power supplies. The > constant-current >> ones increase the applied voltage as the "conductivity" of the > bulb >> decreases. This means that the amount of power deposited in the > arc >> slowly INCREASES as the electrodes age and eventually, this will >> cause overheating, and softening of the fused-quartz envelope. >> Constant-power supplies will not cause this problem, but the >> intensity of the brightest part of the arc will slowly deteriorate >> with time. >> >> Another factor is dirt. Either finger grease or perhaps some >> accidental event such as a small, fried insect or a very small > piece >> of flaked-off black paint. In short, anything that absorbs light > and >> gets hot while attached in some way to the quartz envelope. Any > "dark >> spot" will cause local overheating and asymmetrical envelope > failure. >> A second possibility has to to with the connections between the > bulb >> and the housing. If the mating surfaces of these metal parts > become >> corroded, or oxidized, the contact resistance will increase as > will >> the working temperature. This also can lead to premature envelope >> failure. >> >> Even the alignment of the spherical rear mirror can be important. > If >> the reflected image of the arc is formed not to the side of the > arc >> itself but concentrated onto a small section of the envelope, this >> can exacerbate any asymmetrical heating cause by dirt or >> contamination. >> >> The effect of these "operator" factors will vary somewhat > depending >> on the type of power supply used. >> >> Therefore, it seems to me that the list of important variables > should >> include not just be the bulb manufacturer, the bulb type and the >> design of the power supply but the care with which the new bulb > has >> been installed and aligned. >> >> And then there is the whole matter of variable-power Hg systems. > We >> usually use our Atto-arc 50W at about 20% power and the bulbs > often >> seem to last for over a thousand hours. More than enough > brightness >> to find the part of your sample best suited to confocal analysis. >> >> Finally, there is the matter of xenon arcs. These have all the > same >> problems mentioned above, but in addition, because they are > reputed >> to start off having a much higher gas pressure, any resulting >> explosions are said to be much more impressive, in fact even >> dangerous (albeit, without the additional nuisance of Hg >> contamination). Has anyone had any experience here? >> >> Cheers, >> >> Jim Pawley >> >> >> >Search the CONFOCAL archive at >> >http://listserv.acsu.buffalo.edu/cgi-bin/wa?S1=confocal >> > >> >Hello everyone >> > >> >I think we are barking under the wrong tree. Please correct me > if i >> >am wrong, but many explosions I read reported in this thread > (and >> >only one -in 25 years- which happened to me @50hrs) happened at > way >> >less than the rated hours. >> > >> >Shouldn't we revise the myth that changing the lamp early > protects >> >from explosions? >> > >> >It seems to me that it is either due to material failure (in > which >> >case I think the lamp manufacturers should pay the damage bill) > or >> >too many ignitions, in which case the manufacturers should > include >> >this count in the specs. >> > >> >Regards, >> > >> >********************************* >> >Stamatis Pagakis Ph.D. >> >Biological Imaging Unit >> >Biomedical Research Foundation, Academy of Athens, Greece >> > >> >>On 4 May 2008, at 00:54, Russell Spear wrote: >> >>Search the CONFOCAL archive at >> >>http://listserv.acsu.buffalo.edu/cgi-bin/wa?S1=confocal >> >> >> >>So it isn't worth the risk to use them past rated hours. >> >> >> >>Russ >> >> >> >> >> >> >> >>Russell N. Spear >> >>Sr. Research Specialist >> >>Dept. of Plant Pathology >> >>Univ. of Wisconsin >> >>1630 Linden Dr. >> >>Madison WI 53706 >> >> >> >>voice 608.263.2093 >> >>fax 608.263.2626 >> >> >> -- >> ********************************************** >> Prof. James B. Pawley, Ph. >> 608-263-3147 >> Room 223, Zoology Research Building, >> FAX 608-265-5315 >> 1117 Johnson Ave., Madison, WI, 53706 >> [hidden email] >> 3D Microscopy of Living Cells Course, June 14-26, 2008, UBC, >> Vancouver Canada >> Info: http://www.3dcourse.ubc.ca/ Applications due by >> March 15, 2008 >> "If it ain't diffraction, it must be statistics." > Anon. > -- Alison J. North, Ph.D., Research Assistant Professor and Director of the Bio-Imaging Resource Center, The Rockefeller University, 1230 York Avenue, New York, NY 10065. Tel: office ++ 212 327 7488 Tel: lab ++ 212 327 7486 Fax: ++ 212 327 7489 |
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Gary Laevsky-2 |
Re: HBO/Mercury lamp lifetimes***COMMERCIAL RESPONSE*** CLARIFICATION
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In reply to this post by Alison J. North
Search the CONFOCAL archive at
http://listserv.acsu.buffalo.edu/cgi-bin/wa?S1=confocal Hello List, Checking internally, although we are planning to launch this product as soon as possible, it is currently the topic of a licensing negotiation. Jim Beacher of CoolLED will send a clarification. I am sorry for the misinformation. Best, Gary Laevsky, Ph.D. Imaging Application Specialist Andor Technology discover new ways of seeing [hidden email] Cell (774) 291 - 9992 Office (860) 290 - 9211 x219 Fax (860) 290 - 9566 Web: www.andor.com -----Original Message----- From: Confocal Microscopy List [mailto:[hidden email]] On Behalf Of Alison North Sent: Wednesday, May 07, 2008 10:51 AM To: [hidden email] Subject: Re: HBO/Mercury lamp lifetimes Search the CONFOCAL archive at http://listserv.acsu.buffalo.edu/cgi-bin/wa?S1=confocal Hi Jim, Oh you cruel man, you are mercilessly TAUNTING those of us based in the USA who would love to buy your LEDs but are prevented from doing so by exceptionally irritating patent restrictions (hello to the company concerned - your LED system is prohibitively expensive!). Or am I missing something and this situation has recently changed? Do keep us posted please? And yes, I am intentionally sending this to the listserver, so that other people based in this country don't get all excited by your LEDs and have their hopes dashed, like us. Plus, if I am incorrect about the patent situation and we can in fact obtain an LED-based lamp here at a reasonable price (without having to assemble everything ourselves), we would like to know. Thanks and best wishes, Alison James Beacher wrote: > Search the CONFOCAL archive at > http://listserv.acsu.buffalo.edu/cgi-bin/wa?S1=confocal > Commercial Interest > > > Having followed this discussion, we can contain ourselves no > longer.........*LEDs!* > > > > JIM Beacher > CoolLED Ltd > > > > -----Original Message----- > *From:* "Confocal Microscopy List" <[hidden email]> > *Sent:* 07/05/2008 14:50 > *To:* "[hidden email]" > *Subject:* Re: HBO/Mercury lamp lifetimes > > > Search the CONFOCAL archive at > http://listserv.acsu.buffalo.edu/cgi-bin/wa?S1=confocal > > Hi all, > > I would like to go back to an earlier post, and reiterate that there > are several different types of power supplies. The constant-current > ones increase the applied voltage as the "conductivity" of the bulb > decreases. This means that the amount of power deposited in the arc > slowly INCREASES as the electrodes age and eventually, this will > cause overheating, and softening of the fused-quartz envelope. > Constant-power supplies will not cause this problem, but the > intensity of the brightest part of the arc will slowly deteriorate > with time. > > Another factor is dirt. Either finger grease or perhaps some > accidental event such as a small, fried insect or a very small piece > of flaked-off black paint. In short, anything that absorbs light and > gets hot while attached in some way to the quartz envelope. Any "dark > spot" will cause local overheating and asymmetrical envelope failure. > > A second possibility has to to with the connections between the bulb > and the housing. If the mating surfaces of these metal parts become > corroded, or oxidized, the contact resistance will increase as will > the working temperature. This also can lead to premature envelope > failure. > > Even the alignment of the spherical rear mirror can be important. If > the reflected image of the arc is formed not to the side of the arc > itself but concentrated onto a small section of the envelope, this > can exacerbate any asymmetrical heating cause by dirt or > contamination. > > The effect of these "operator" factors will vary somewhat depending > on the type of power supply used. > > Therefore, it seems to me that the list of important variables should > include not just be the bulb manufacturer, the bulb type and the > design of the power supply but the care with which the new bulb has > been installed and aligned. > > And then there is the whole matter of variable-power Hg systems. We > usually use our Atto-arc 50W at about 20% power and the bulbs often > seem to last for over a thousand hours. More than enough brightness > to find the part of your sample best suited to confocal analysis. > > Finally, there is the matter of xenon arcs. These have all the same > problems mentioned above, but in addition, because they are reputed > to start off having a much higher gas pressure, any resulting > explosions are said to be much more impressive, in fact even > dangerous (albeit, without the additional nuisance of Hg > contamination). Has anyone had any experience here? > > Cheers, > > Jim Pawley > > > >Search the CONFOCAL archive at > >http://listserv.acsu.buffalo.edu/cgi-bin/wa?S1=confocal > > > >Hello everyone > > > >I think we are barking under the wrong tree. Please correct me > >am wrong, but many explosions I read reported in this thread (and > >only one -in 25 years- which happened to me @50hrs) happened at way > >less than the rated hours. > > > >Shouldn't we revise the myth that changing the lamp early protects > >from explosions? > > > >It seems to me that it is either due to material failure (in which > >case I think the lamp manufacturers should pay the damage bill) or > >too many ignitions, in which case the manufacturers should include > >this count in the specs. > > > >Regards, > > > >********************************* > >Stamatis Pagakis Ph.D. > >Biological Imaging Unit > >Biomedical Research Foundation, Academy of Athens, Greece > > > >>On 4 May 2008, at 00:54, Russell Spear wrote: > >>Search the CONFOCAL archive at > >>http://listserv.acsu.buffalo.edu/cgi-bin/wa?S1=confocal > >> > >>So it isn't worth the risk to use them past rated hours. > >> > >>Russ > >> > >> > >> > >>Russell N. Spear > >>Sr. Research Specialist > >>Dept. of Plant Pathology > >>Univ. of Wisconsin > >>1630 Linden Dr. > >>Madison WI 53706 > >> > >>voice 608.263.2093 > >>fax 608.263.2626 > > > -- > ********************************************** > Prof. James B. Pawley, Ph. > 608-263-3147 > Room 223, Zoology Research Building, > FAX 608-265-5315 > 1117 Johnson Ave., Madison, WI, 53706 > [hidden email] > 3D Microscopy of Living Cells Course, June 14-26, 2008, UBC, > Vancouver Canada > Info: http://www.3dcourse.ubc.ca/ Applications due by > March 15, 2008 > "If it ain't diffraction, it must be statistics." > -- Alison J. North, Ph.D., Research Assistant Professor and Director of the Bio-Imaging Resource Center, The Rockefeller University, 1230 York Avenue, New York, NY 10065. Tel: office ++ 212 327 7488 Tel: lab ++ 212 327 7486 Fax: ++ 212 327 7489 |
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Michael Cammer |
Re: HBO/Mercury lamp lifetimes ***COMMERCIAL RESPONSE***
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In reply to this post by Alison J. North
Search the CONFOCAL archive at
http://listserv.acsu.buffalo.edu/cgi-bin/wa?S1=confocal Just out of curiosity, is there anyone on this list who has witnessed an Hg lamp used for microscopy exploding? Or is this a subject for an article at http://snopes.com/ ? ____________________________________________________________________________ Michael Cammer, Senior Light Microscopist, Analytical Imaging Facility, Albert Einstein College of Medicine, 1300 Morris Park Avenue, Bronx, NY 10461 URLs: microscopy http://www.aecom.yu.edu/aif/ and art http://coxcammer.com/ |
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Ignatius, Mike |
Re: HBO/Mercury lamp lifetimes
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Search the CONFOCAL archive at
http://listserv.acsu.buffalo.edu/cgi-bin/wa?S1=confocal No urban myth, this. Sounds like a pistol shot or firecracker. I was three inches away, quite a fright. I concur with Dr. Pawley's comments - check the bulb from time to time for deposition and don't focus the light through the light if you have that type of collector. If the bulb doesn't fire readily, check it! If you smell electrically type smoke, turn it off! Mike Ignatius Molecular Probes/Invitrogen -----Original Message----- From: Confocal Microscopy List [mailto:[hidden email]] On Behalf Of Michael Cammer Sent: Wednesday, May 07, 2008 10:44 AM To: [hidden email] Subject: Re: HBO/Mercury lamp lifetimes ***COMMERCIAL RESPONSE*** Search the CONFOCAL archive at http://listserv.acsu.buffalo.edu/cgi-bin/wa?S1=confocal Just out of curiosity, is there anyone on this list who has witnessed an Hg lamp used for microscopy exploding? Or is this a subject for an article at http://snopes.com/ ? ________________________________________________________________________ ____ Michael Cammer, Senior Light Microscopist, Analytical Imaging Facility, Albert Einstein College of Medicine, 1300 Morris Park Avenue, Bronx, NY 10461 URLs: microscopy http://www.aecom.yu.edu/aif/ and art http://coxcammer.com/ |
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Renato A. Mortara |
RES: HBO/Mercury lamp lifetimes ***COMMERCIAL RESPONSE***
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In reply to this post by Michael Cammer
Search the CONFOCAL archive at
http://listserv.acsu.buffalo.edu/cgi-bin/wa?S1=confocal I had a Hg lamp exploded on me. Fortunately I wear glasses that prevented major damage. Renato Mortara Dr. Renato A. Mortara Division of Parasitology Departament of Microbiology, Immunology and Parasitology UNIFESP - Escola Paulista de Medicina Rua Botucatu, 862 6o andar 04023-062 São Paulo SP Brazil Phone: 55 11 5579-8306 FAX: 55 11 5571-1095 email: [hidden email] home page: www.ecb.epm.br/~renato -----Mensagem original----- De: Confocal Microscopy List [mailto:[hidden email]] Em nome de Michael Cammer Enviada em: quarta-feira, 7 de maio de 2008 14:44 Para: [hidden email] Assunto: Re: HBO/Mercury lamp lifetimes ***COMMERCIAL RESPONSE*** Search the CONFOCAL archive at http://listserv.acsu.buffalo.edu/cgi-bin/wa?S1=confocal Just out of curiosity, is there anyone on this list who has witnessed an Hg lamp used for microscopy exploding? Or is this a subject for an article at http://snopes.com/ ? ____________________________________________________________________________ Michael Cammer, Senior Light Microscopist, Analytical Imaging Facility, Albert Einstein College of Medicine, 1300 Morris Park Avenue, Bronx, NY 10461 URLs: microscopy http://www.aecom.yu.edu/aif/ and art http://coxcammer.com/ |
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