shut down time for Ar laser on LSM 510

[Julio Vazquez]

Search the CONFOCAL archive at http://listserv.acsu.buffalo.edu/cgi-bin/wa?S1=confocal Greetings to all!

We have a Zeiss LSM 510 confocal with a multiline Argon laser. After turning the laser OFF with software, it goes through a cool off period, with the cooling fan staying ON for a while, and then automatically shutting itself OFF.  The manual says that laser should be allowed 10 minutes of cooling off time, before powering down the system. However, on our set-up, the laser and fan shut themselves down after 1 minute. I wonder if this is enough and would like to get some feed back from LSM 510 users as to what their experience is. Our laser died after about 3.5 years (and definitely less than 10,000 hours), and I wonder if we are losing laser lifetime for not allowing enough cooling.  So basically, how long is your cooling off period, and can that be set somewhere in the software?

Many thanks, 

Julio.

--

Julio Vazquez

Fred Hutchinson Cancer Research Center

Seattle, WA 98109-1024

http://www.fhcrc.org/

[Craig Brideau]

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Could the heat the laser reaches depend on how hard you are running
it, and thus how long the cooling fan needs to stay on?  If you are
running it at low power perhaps it is not getting as hot?  Does the
body of the laser feel warm even after the fan has shut off?

Craig

On 11/2/07, Julio Vazquez <[hidden email]> wrote:

> Search the CONFOCAL archive at
> http://listserv.acsu.buffalo.edu/cgi-bin/wa?S1=confocal
> Greetings to all!
>
> We have a Zeiss LSM 510 confocal with a multiline Argon laser. After turning
> the laser OFF with software, it goes through a cool off period, with the
> cooling fan staying ON for a while, and then automatically shutting itself
> OFF.  The manual says that laser should be allowed 10 minutes of cooling off
> time, before powering down the system. However, on our set-up, the laser and
> fan shut themselves down after 1 minute. I wonder if this is enough and
> would like to get some feed back from LSM 510 users as to what their
> experience is. Our laser died after about 3.5 years (and definitely less
> than 10,000 hours), and I wonder if we are losing laser lifetime for not
> allowing enough cooling.  So basically, how long is your cooling off period,
> and can that be set somewhere in the software?
>
> Many thanks,
>
> Julio.
>
>
>
> --
> Julio Vazquez
> Fred Hutchinson Cancer Research Center
> Seattle, WA 98109-1024
>
> http://www.fhcrc.org/
>
>
>
>
>

[Csucs Gabor]

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Dear Julio,

I've never measured the cooling time but my feeling is that in our case
(we have two systems) the cooling time is also in the range of 1-2 min.
(Certainly not 10). In theory the fan should shut down once the laser is
cooled down (but actually if you put your hand over the fan - you can
feel it).  In our case when the fan switches off - the air temperature
is only slightly warmer the the room temperature (but you can still feel
it....) I don't think that you can adjust this cooling time.
I think 3.5 years of laser time is not bad at all - our experience shows
that 6-8000 hour for an Ar laser are much more realistic.

Cheers     Gabor

--
Gabor Csucs
Light Microscopy Centre, ETH Zurich
Schafmattstrasse 18, HPM F16
CH-8093, Zurich, Switzerland

Web: www.lmc.ethz.ch
Phone: [phone]
Fax: [phone]
e-mail: [hidden email]

[Michael Weber-4]

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Julio,

Argon lasers will die anyway after some time, if you use them or not.
They simply loose gas pressure. 3,5 years are a very reasonable time.
Cooling time on our LSM 510 setup is usually in the range of minutes,
but also not 10.

cheers,
Michael


Julio Vazquez wrote:

> Search the CONFOCAL archive at
> http://listserv.acsu.buffalo.edu/cgi-bin/wa?S1=confocal Greetings to all!
>
> We have a Zeiss LSM 510 confocal with a multiline Argon laser. After
> turning the laser OFF with software, it goes through a cool off period,
> with the cooling fan staying ON for a while, and then automatically
> shutting itself OFF.  The manual says that laser should be allowed 10
> minutes of cooling off time, before powering down the system. However,
> on our set-up, the laser and fan shut themselves down after 1 minute. I
> wonder if this is enough and would like to get some feed back from LSM
> 510 users as to what their experience is. Our laser died after about 3.5
> years (and definitely less than 10,000 hours), and I wonder if we are
> losing laser lifetime for not allowing enough cooling.  So basically,
> how long is your cooling off period, and can that be set somewhere in
> the software?
>
> Many thanks,
>
> Julio.
>
>
> --
> Julio Vazquez
> Fred Hutchinson Cancer Research Center
> Seattle, WA 98109-1024
>
> http://www.fhcrc.org/

[Zoltan]

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Dear Julio,

In our facility the regulation is that the users must leave the switch
ON for 10 minutes after they shut the system down.  However, when I
keep an "ear out" for the cooler fan, it does shut itself off after a
few minutes at most, definitely not 10.

Zoltan



--
Zoltan Cseresnyes
Imaging Specialist
University of Cambridge Dept. of Zoology
Downing Street
Cambridge
CB2 3EJ

Tel.: (++44) (0)1223 769282
Fax.: (++44) (0)1223 336676

[B. Prabhakar Pandian]

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Hello,
      Does anybody have a protocol for passive coating of glass slides
with avidin/streptavidin (concentration, incubation time, etc.).

I know there are several covalent binding possible via silane and other
methods but was wondering if anybody knew of a simple passive binding
method.

Thanks,

-Prabhakar

[Julio Vazquez]

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-

Thanks to all for your feed-back!!

Julio.

--

Julio Vazquez

Scientific Imaging

Fred Hutchinson Cancer Research Center

Seattle, WA 98109-1024

http://www.fhcrc.org/