Re: help for optical table choice

Posted by Craig Brideau on
URL: http://confocal-microscopy-list.275.s1.nabble.com/help-for-optical-table-choice-tp593611p593617.html

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It really depends on where your microscope is going to be.  If you are in a basement, away from major streets, you can probably get away with a TMC 770 Series or RS 2000 with fixed legs and 12" of thickness.  On the other hand, if you are on a higher story of a building near a highway or heavy construction you might need to go as far as a 780 or RS 4000 with pneumatic isolators and a thicker table.  Another factor is adjacent equipment.  If your fridge/freezer/machine room is right next door you will probably need higher-end damping.  Our lab is on an upper story in a building still under construction next to a major highway.  We went with 18" thick TMC 780 tables and pneumatic gimbaled legs.  We can see the difference in our images when the tables are floated vs when they are not.  Generally, if you aren't too strapped for cash buy a bit better than you think you need just to play it safe.  Thicker tables are generally always a good idea; more mass means it's less likely to move, even if you are in a basement.  Another thing to consider is how you are going to get the table into the room you are going to use.  In our case we had to open up the side of the building and have them lifted in with a mobile crane!  @:-)

Craig

On Thu, Jul 17, 2008 at 4:20 PM, Jean-Pierre CLAMME <[hidden email]> wrote:

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Hi,

I'm shopping for an optical table for a new confocal / 2photon microscope
and  FCS setup and I was wondering what kind of grade I need.
Indeed for the 2 photon microscope that we have here ((the new one is for
another place) , we have  a TMC 784 series (maximum dry damping) table.  I
saw somewhere that this table is equivalent to the RS 4000 series from NEWPORT.
So I was wondering if this grade is really necessary for a confocal
microscope and FCS system. Or if  as long as I have pneumatic legs, a RS2000
or 783 (standard damping) would be fine ?

Thank you in advance,

JP