Re: XYZ drifts - giving advice and looking for advice
Posted by
Glen MacDonald-2 on
URL: http://confocal-microscopy-list.275.s1.nabble.com/XYZ-drifts-giving-advice-and-looking-for-advice-tp5977803p5981982.html
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Does it have a motorized XY stage? They are notorious for adding thermal drift in all dimensions. The only solution is an enclosure. You might not need to fully heat the microscope enclosure, it might be enough to block ambient air currents and temp fluctuations. A constant temp control less than 37 might be the next step, with final heating of live mammalian specimens left to a stage incubator. In the latter case, a commercial incubator is reasonably priced. 1 inch thick styrofoam construction insulation is USD$50 per 4 ft x 4 ft sheet. Duct tape will not stick, use the heavy aluminum tape with peel-off backing or aliphatic wood glue. My enclosure lasted several years and I'm now rebuilding it with an aluminum frame.
Regards,
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
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On Feb 1, 2011, at 8:35 AM, Daniel Murphy wrote:
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> The scope is sitting on a vibration isolated table stabilized via Nitrogen.