Olympus FV1000 Laser Replacement / Upgrade

[golubo]

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Hello all,

I was wondering if anyone on this board has any experience or relevant
information regarding the replacement and potential upgrade of lasers on
an Olympus FV1000 confocal.

Our FV1000 has a 543nm HeNe that needs to be replaced soon, and
instead of replacing it with another relatively weak (~1.5mW max) HeNe
tube, I was hoping to upgrade the system by installing a 3rd party 561nm
laser diode, as they are much cheaper, more powerful, and more abundant
lasers than 543 HeNe's.

However, I am concerned that the new wavelength won't get diffracted and
launched into fiber by the AOTF, and I haven't been able to find any
options in the FV software that will allow me to tune the AO. So I am
curious if anyone here has replaced any of the lasers on their FV1000 with
a 3rd party laser, and if so, how you went about mounting it in the box and
tuning the AOTF to accept the new laser line.

Any and all help regarding this topic would be greatly appreciated!

Thank you,
-Oggie


Oggie Golub
-----------------------
University of Oregon
Institute of Molecular Biology
PhD Candidate

[Craig Brideau]

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Adding a new wavelength to a standard commercial system is often
challenging. You will need to have your AOTF retuned for the new
wavelength. You will also need to make sure the primary dichroic will work
with the new laser line. It's doable, but it will require some work on your
part to get the new laser to play nice with the old system.

Craig

On Fri, Dec 12, 2014 at 2:14 PM, Oggie Golub <[hidden email]> wrote:

>
> *****
> To join, leave or search the confocal microscopy listserv, go to:
> http://lists.umn.edu/cgi-bin/wa?A0=confocalmicroscopy
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> *****
>
> Hello all,
>
> I was wondering if anyone on this board has any experience or relevant
> information regarding the replacement and potential upgrade of lasers on
> an Olympus FV1000 confocal.
>
> Our FV1000 has a 543nm HeNe that needs to be replaced soon, and
> instead of replacing it with another relatively weak (~1.5mW max) HeNe
> tube, I was hoping to upgrade the system by installing a 3rd party 561nm
> laser diode, as they are much cheaper, more powerful, and more abundant
> lasers than 543 HeNe's.
>
> However, I am concerned that the new wavelength won't get diffracted and
> launched into fiber by the AOTF, and I haven't been able to find any
> options in the FV software that will allow me to tune the AO. So I am
> curious if anyone here has replaced any of the lasers on their FV1000 with
> a 3rd party laser, and if so, how you went about mounting it in the box and
> tuning the AOTF to accept the new laser line.
>
> Any and all help regarding this topic would be greatly appreciated!
>
> Thank you,
> -Oggie
>
>
> Oggie Golub
> -----------------------
> University of Oregon
> Institute of Molecular Biology
> PhD Candidate
>

[Zdenek Svindrych-2]

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Hi Oggie,
I don't think 561nm lasers are particularly cheap... if you go for the
'confocal grade'...

Anyway, depending on your other filters and dicroics (though I believe the
beamsplitter in FV1000 is achromatic) you may go for 543nm solid state
lasers (still you need to tune the AOTF) or 556nm solid state laser (these
are cheaper than 561's and closer to the design wavelength of you machine).

In some older microscopes (Radiance 2000, Leica SP2) the AOTF driver is
'autonomous' such that there is no way to tune it from within the user
software. You may need to hook up the AOTF to the computer with a serial
cable and tune it using some service program kindly provided by the
microscope manufacturer :-), or using some utility provided by AOTF
manufacturer.

Good luck with the upgrade and let us know what's the long-term stability of
your new laser...

Best, zdenek, kcci.virginia.eud





---------- Původní zpráva ----------
Od: Oggie Golub <[hidden email]>
Komu: [hidden email]
Datum: 12. 12. 2014 16:16:14
Předmět: Olympus FV1000 Laser Replacement / Upgrade

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Hello all,

I was wondering if anyone on this board has any experience or relevant
information regarding the replacement and potential upgrade of lasers on
an Olympus FV1000 confocal.

Our FV1000 has a 543nm HeNe that needs to be replaced soon, and
instead of replacing it with another relatively weak (~1.5mW max) HeNe
tube, I was hoping to upgrade the system by installing a 3rd party 561nm
laser diode, as they are much cheaper, more powerful, and more abundant
lasers than 543 HeNe's.

However, I am concerned that the new wavelength won't get diffracted and
launched into fiber by the AOTF, and I haven't been able to find any
options in the FV software that will allow me to tune the AO. So I am
curious if anyone here has replaced any of the lasers on their FV1000 with
a 3rd party laser, and if so, how you went about mounting it in the box and
tuning the AOTF to accept the new laser line.

Any and all help regarding this topic would be greatly appreciated!

Thank you,
-Oggie


Oggie Golub
-----------------------
University of Oregon
Institute of Molecular Biology
PhD Candidate"

[Naomi Melamed-Book]

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HI,

We have replaced a 543 with a 561, our Olympus rep here in Israel replaced
it (about 2 years ago) and we got new dichroic and filters we needed.

Naomi

Naomi Melamed-Book, Ph.D
Bio-Imaging Unit-Director
The Alexander Silberman Institute of Life Science
Edmond Safra Campus (G Ram)
The Hebrew University
Jerusalem 91904, Israel
phone: [phone]
Fax:[phone]
[hidden email]




-----Original Message-----
From: Confocal Microscopy List [mailto:[hidden email]]
On Behalf Of Oggie Golub
Sent: Friday, December 12, 2014 11:14 PM
To: [hidden email]
Subject: Olympus FV1000 Laser Replacement / Upgrade

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Hello all,

I was wondering if anyone on this board has any experience or relevant
information regarding the replacement and potential upgrade of lasers on
an Olympus FV1000 confocal.

Our FV1000 has a 543nm HeNe that needs to be replaced soon, and instead of
replacing it with another relatively weak (~1.5mW max) HeNe tube, I was
hoping to upgrade the system by installing a 3rd party 561nm laser diode,
as they are much cheaper, more powerful, and more abundant lasers than 543
HeNe's.

However, I am concerned that the new wavelength won't get diffracted and
launched into fiber by the AOTF, and I haven't been able to find any
options in the FV software that will allow me to tune the AO. So I am
curious if anyone here has replaced any of the lasers on their FV1000 with
a 3rd party laser, and if so, how you went about mounting it in the box
and tuning the AOTF to accept the new laser line.

Any and all help regarding this topic would be greatly appreciated!

Thank you,
-Oggie


Oggie Golub
-----------------------
University of Oregon
Institute of Molecular Biology
PhD Candidate

[Stanislav Vitha-2]

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Hi Oggie,
I am dealing with a similar issue right now.

Yes, if you change the laser wavelength, you will have to change settings
for a particular AOTF channel in the driver that controls the AOTF. This
would be the frequency and power (amplitude) of the signal that is generated
by the driver and sent to the AOTF to diffract a particular laser wavelength.
This cannot be done from the FV1000 software.

  If you open the laser combiner box on your FV1000, you will see that the
AOTF is from AA Optoelectronics  (France), as is the 8-channel driver. The
driver in our old system is mounted in the hinged box that sits above the
laser combiner compartment.
Your driver is probably the MOD.nc model. It has a connection for a
dedicated remote controller device. The connector looks much like for an
ethernet cable. Because you cannot get to the driver without further
disassembly, there is a short piece of cable and a more accessible connector
for the remote controller is installed on the underside of the hinged
compartment, right next to a row of six (?) switches.  So when you raise the
hinged part, you will see it.
It is true that the MOD.nc box has a serial  (RS232) connector, but the
serial interface was optional. In our microscope the serial interface is not
present, so the only way to change the driver settings is via the remote.
The cost is in the $700 range.
Perhaps somebody at your university who plays with lasers and
optoelectronics happens to have the remote controller and will let you use
it for a day.  You would still need to know how to set the right frequency
and amplitude for your new laser.

Quanta Tech is the US distributor for AA Optoelectronic. I just talked to
them last week, they were very helpful.  If you give them a serial number of
your driver, they will be able to tell you if the serial interface is
present or not. They can also send you the instruction manual for the
driver, it includes the serial interface commands.

Assuming your laser combiner is the same as ours, you will need to take the
lid off the hinged compartment  to see the driver. The serial number is on
the front side of the red driver box, i.e. the side opposite from the
connectors. To read the serial number you will need to remove the front
panel of the hinged compartment, it is held by three screws from the bottom
plate of the compartment.

If you are lucky and find out that your driver has the serial interface, you
can (with some difficulty) sneak a serial cable in and connect it to the
driver. A standard serial cable (NOT null-modem cable) with DB9 female
connector is what you want.

The MOD.nc driver is no longer in production. The new  MDS.nC  driver has a
USB connection, and I was told it is pin-compatible with the old driver. So
if our driver ever dies (or another of the 8 channels develops a problem), I
should be able to swap the old driver for the new one and program it via
USB.  It probably is not that simple, but I am an optimist.

Stan
   

[Glen MacDonald-2]

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The AOTF driver was replaced on our FV-1000 last year.  the new driver takes different mounting brackets.  Looks easy to fabricate one’s own brackets.  

Regards,
Glen MacDonald
        Core for Communication Research
Virginia Merrill Bloedel Hearing Research Center
        Cellular Morphology Core
Center on Human Development and Disability
Box 357923
University of Washington
Seattle, WA 98195-7923  USA
[phone]
[hidden email]







On Dec 13, 2014, at 11:19 PM, Stanislav Vitha <[hidden email]> wrote:

> *****
> To join, leave or search the confocal microscopy listserv, go to:
> http://lists.umn.edu/cgi-bin/wa?A0=confocalmicroscopy
> Post images on http://www.imgur.com and include the link in your posting.
> *****
>
> Hi Oggie,
> I am dealing with a similar issue right now.
>
> Yes, if you change the laser wavelength, you will have to change settings
> for a particular AOTF channel in the driver that controls the AOTF. This
> would be the frequency and power (amplitude) of the signal that is generated
> by the driver and sent to the AOTF to diffract a particular laser wavelength.
> This cannot be done from the FV1000 software.
>
>  If you open the laser combiner box on your FV1000, you will see that the
> AOTF is from AA Optoelectronics  (France), as is the 8-channel driver. The
> driver in our old system is mounted in the hinged box that sits above the
> laser combiner compartment.
> Your driver is probably the MOD.nc model. It has a connection for a
> dedicated remote controller device. The connector looks much like for an
> ethernet cable. Because you cannot get to the driver without further
> disassembly, there is a short piece of cable and a more accessible connector
> for the remote controller is installed on the underside of the hinged
> compartment, right next to a row of six (?) switches.  So when you raise the
> hinged part, you will see it.
> It is true that the MOD.nc box has a serial  (RS232) connector, but the
> serial interface was optional. In our microscope the serial interface is not
> present, so the only way to change the driver settings is via the remote.
> The cost is in the $700 range.
> Perhaps somebody at your university who plays with lasers and
> optoelectronics happens to have the remote controller and will let you use
> it for a day.  You would still need to know how to set the right frequency
> and amplitude for your new laser.
>
> Quanta Tech is the US distributor for AA Optoelectronic. I just talked to
> them last week, they were very helpful.  If you give them a serial number of
> your driver, they will be able to tell you if the serial interface is
> present or not. They can also send you the instruction manual for the
> driver, it includes the serial interface commands.
>
> Assuming your laser combiner is the same as ours, you will need to take the
> lid off the hinged compartment  to see the driver. The serial number is on
> the front side of the red driver box, i.e. the side opposite from the
> connectors. To read the serial number you will need to remove the front
> panel of the hinged compartment, it is held by three screws from the bottom
> plate of the compartment.
>
> If you are lucky and find out that your driver has the serial interface, you
> can (with some difficulty) sneak a serial cable in and connect it to the
> driver. A standard serial cable (NOT null-modem cable) with DB9 female
> connector is what you want.
>
> The MOD.nc driver is no longer in production. The new  MDS.nC  driver has a
> USB connection, and I was told it is pin-compatible with the old driver. So
> if our driver ever dies (or another of the 8 channels develops a problem), I
> should be able to swap the old driver for the new one and program it via
> USB.  It probably is not that simple, but I am an optimist.
>
> Stan
>

[golubo]

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Stan,

The AOTF in our box is actually manufactured by Panasonic, it's model
number EFLF100-L1 and I haven't been able to find any literature
whatsoever on it. I also emailed Panasonic in hopes of obtaining some
more
information but I have yet to hear back from them.

However, you've inspired me to dig deeper into the laser combiner box in
search of the AOTF driver. In our system, the lasers and the AOTF are
located in the top compartment of the combiner box, and there is an
additional platform below that houses a number of electronics and cables.
I
imagine that's where the RF driver will be, so I would like to find out what
type of interface it has. If it's a serial connection then it should be pretty
easy to communicate with it, but I imagine I will need the proper software.
Anyone have any experience with Panasonic AOTFs?

Unfortunately, I haven't been able to find anyone on campus that has
extensive AO tuning experience to help me. I reached out to the
researchers in our Physics Department and Center for Optics, but very few
of them utilize AOTFs in their builds so I'm kind of on my own here.

Thank you all for your help!

[golubo]

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Naomi,

That's great news, it means it IS possible after all!

I am aware that I will need new dichroics in the laser combiner box as well
as the scan unit (excitation filter), but since Olympus themselves performed
the upgrade for you, I am curious if they also provided the filters.

And what type of 561 laser did they put in? Was it a third party solid state,
or one of their unique laser diode modules? Perhaps a LD559?

-Oggie

[Zdenek Svindrych-2]

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Hi Oggie,
indeed, it exists...
http://industrial.panasonic.com/www-data/pdf/AKA0000/AKA0000CE3.pdf

I only new Gouch and Housego and AA acousto-optics. Had no idea about
Panasonic making acousto-optic devices. And these don't seem just re-branded
common products...

I'v also found some Panasonic RF drivers, but those were just single fixed
frequency units. Maybe you'll be lucky enough and your laser combiner
actually uses some standard RF driver (tuneable, 8-channel).

Good luck, zdenek






---------- Původní zpráva ----------
Od: Oggie Golub <[hidden email]>
Komu: [hidden email]
Datum: 18. 12. 2014 17:11:48
Předmět: Re: Olympus FV1000 Laser Replacement / Upgrade

"*****
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Stan,

The AOTF in our box is actually manufactured by Panasonic, it's model
number EFLF100-L1 and I haven't been able to find any literature
whatsoever on it. I also emailed Panasonic in hopes of obtaining some
more
information but I have yet to hear back from them.

However, you've inspired me to dig deeper into the laser combiner box in
search of the AOTF driver. In our system, the lasers and the AOTF are
located in the top compartment of the combiner box, and there is an
additional platform below that houses a number of electronics and cables.
I
imagine that's where the RF driver will be, so I would like to find out what

type of interface it has. If it's a serial connection then it should be
pretty
easy to communicate with it, but I imagine I will need the proper software.
Anyone have any experience with Panasonic AOTFs?

Unfortunately, I haven't been able to find anyone on campus that has
extensive AO tuning experience to help me. I reached out to the
researchers in our Physics Department and Center for Optics, but very few
of them utilize AOTFs in their builds so I'm kind of on my own here.

Thank you all for your help!"

[golubo]

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*****

Zdenek,

I have seen that specification sheet for the Panasonic EFLF AOTFs, but ours
is a different model. It's a EFLF100L1 and all they list are the EFLF20, R1,
and R2 models.

And I don't think it's safe to assume that the R1 and L1 are the same either,
as the R1 has a tuning range of 900-1600 nm which would not work with the
lasers that are used in this instrument.

Thanks for your help,
-Oggie