http://confocal-microscopy-list.275.s1.nabble.com/FW-LSM-510-META-computer-upgrade-tp7584062p7584068.html
operating system). Then you can try an upgrade to Win Vista (and then
(from 1997). Well, new photomultiplier tubes are always a good idea...
faster (533 vs. 400 lines per second scanning speed). Now we got new
> *****
> 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 Deanne,
>
> I can only second Jason's email. We have a Leica confocal purchased
> in 2001, and like the Zeiss 510, it will no longer be serviced by
> Leica from December this year. We have cannibalised a unit being
> decommissioned from another institution, but I imagine we will
> decommission our instrument by the end of next year. You might want
> to investigate obtaining spare parts from a decommissioned system,
> though as Jason says, the electronic components age even if just
> sitting on the shelf.
>
> The problem with trying to keep an instrument like this going is
> that you really need to have a local enthusuastic tinkerer happy to
> exchange boards and other components, or else an independent
> engineer who knows the system very well and who is willing to keep
> your system going. We are fortunately in the latter category.
> Eventually, you have to weigh up the salary time (and external
> engineer bills) spent keeping an older system going against purchase
> of a superior and generally easier to use new system.
>
> Good luck,
> cheers,
> Rosemary
>
> Dr Rosemary White
> CSIRO Black Mountain
> GPO Box 1600
> Canberra, ACT 2601
>
> T 61 2 6246 5475
>
> ________________________________________
> From: Confocal Microscopy List [
[hidden email]] on
> behalf of Jason Kirk [
[hidden email]]
> Sent: Tuesday, 4 August 2015 1:59 a.m.
> To:
[hidden email]
> Subject: Re: LSM 510 META computer upgrade
>
> *****
> 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 Deanne,
>
> I am sorry you are having so much trouble with your 510.
>
> First let me state that I am a former Zeiss employee and I do not
> speak directly for Zeiss, however (hopefully) I can give you some
> insight into your problems.
>
> Your first 2 issues you should be able get rectified via Zeiss
> service. Upgrades of the 510 system from XP are tricky because
> depending on the vintage of the instrument (whether you have the
> SCSI based grey ECU or the ethernet based laser module). Windows 7
> does not support SCSI - so Zeiss had to create a workaround to talk
> to the SCSI controller via USB. These are not standard items and
> only apply to earlier vintages of the 510.
>
> Issue #4 - does your Ch3 respond to the gain control at all?
> Meaning if you turn the Master Gain to 1250V do you see any noise in
> the image? If not, the problem is likely a bad high voltage board
> for that particular PMT. HV boards are very sensitive and when
> coupled to older system electronics they can be finicky.
>
> As to the rest of your issues with the system being slow and
> inefficient - unfortunately just as you experienced a slowdown in
> your OS computer performance you will encounter the same types of
> hardware degradation in the system electronics over time. Every
> circuit board in your system will eventually fail. It is not a
> matter of if but when. With these older systems even opening the
> cases and removing/replacing boards can cause micro-fractures that
> can lead of unforeseen downstream issues that can compound your
> problems.
>
> Also keep in mind that the 510 was officially discontinued almost 10
> years ago. That means that contracts with suppliers for one-off
> components are expired and such components are no longer being
> manufactured. So while you likely can get parts for things such as
> laser power supplies due to the fact that the laser vendor still
> manufactures a compatible model - specialized components
> specifically made for the 510 are just not being made anymore. That
> means that any parts that are ordered from Germany come from a spare
> parts stock that is likely as old as the part you currently have.
> Also they may have been salvaged from systems that have been traded
> in, etc which can account for a higher failure rate. Service
> agreements (in the US at least) stopped being offered this year for
> the 510 as the end of life projections for availability of parts is
> dwindling and Zeiss can no longer guarantee the level of service you
> are used to. Traditionally Zeiss has offered parts and labor
> service on instruments that are past contract availabilty dates -
> and they will work diligently to repair and maintain these systems
> as well as they can - but they too can only do so much with the
> resources they have.
>
> There is a point in every system's lifetime where it just become
> inefficient to keep fixing - and for many 510 systems that date is
> rapidly approaching. Many are just on borrowed time.
>
> Sorry for the gloom and doom - but I hope this helps in
> understanding a situation that every hardware vendor eventually has
> to face.
>
> -Jason Kirk
>
>> On Aug 2, 2015, at 11:38 PM, Deanne Veronica Catmull
>> <
[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.
>> *****
>>
>>
>> Good afternoon List servers!
>>
>> We have a Zeiss LSM 510 META confocal microscope at our facility In
>> Melbourne, Australia. It recently underwent a computer upgrade to
>> the newer Windows 7 platform with ZEN 2009 software. Before the
>> upgrade (and partially the reason for the upgrade) was that the
>> computer was 10 years old and getting slow. The microscope was
>> sometimes struggling to communicate efficiently with the microscope
>> and we were experiencing a number of software related issues which
>> were making our experiments longer and more troublesome. Sometimes
>> we needed to re-boot the whole system several times just to
>> complete an experiment.
>> The upgrade occurred three months ago now and the system has never
>> worked efficiently since.
>> Firstly two printed circuit boards failed which are involved in
>> communication between the computer and the microscope (this is
>> believable given our previous issues). But since then we have found
>> out a few things:
>>
>> 1. The computer that was sent out was configured in the
>> entirely wrong way for our instrument and had to be re-configured
>> to be compatible.
>>
>> 2. The computer was meant to be supplied with 24 GB RAM but
>> it only has 16 GB. This is still in the process of being rectified.
>>
>> 3. The printed circuit boards, and AOTF cable had to be
>> replaced twice (the first replacement was deemed faulty)
>>
>> 4. The PMT to Ch3 no longer works despite it working
>> perfectly before the upgrade
>>
>> 5. The system works when initially started up, then after
>> several hours I was finding that even our test slide could no
>> longer generate a good image in confocal mode despite being able to
>> get a prefect image at the start and the following morning with the
>> same test slide. Is this a laser or power supply issue?
>>
>> Has anyone else experienced endless issues after an upgrade like
>> this? Any suggestions what may be wrong with our microscope?
>> Zeiss used to be exceptional with their servicing but have found
>> their service with this upgrade slow and inefficient. There seems
>> to be constant problems with their communication with the German
>> head office and their Quality Control with parts and international
>> pricing. Has anyone else experienced this? We are trying to gather
>> notes to compile when revising the accumulating service costs to
>> the machine.
>>
>> Many thanks in advance,
>> Deanne.
>>
>> Deanne Catmull | Research Assistant and HSR
>> Melbourne Dental School | Faculty of Medicine, Dentistry and Health Sciences
>>
>> Level 6, 720 Swanston St
>> The University of Melbourne, Victoria 3010 Australia
>> T: +61 3 9341-1577| E:
>>
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>