shut down time for Ar laser on LSM 510
Posted by
Julio Vazquez on
URL: http://confocal-microscopy-list.275.s1.nabble.com/shut-down-time-for-Ar-laser-on-LSM-510-tp590738.html
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