Michael Hooker Microscopy Facility (MHMF.ORG)

What's Down & Scheduled Repairs

• Mar 25: Zeiss 510 confocal.  The shutter to the binocular head is sticking shut. 
  • Symptom - can not see any light when viewing through the oculars with transmitted light or fluorescence. 
  • The work around:-
    • In LSM 510 software set Microscope Control to viewing mode and turn on transmitted light. 
    • Use a 3 mm Allen wrench (yellow arrow points to wrench which is inserted in loosening screw) and loosen the binocular head while supporting it. 
    • (click on image in order to zoom out)
    • Remove binocular head.
    • In front of the tube lens is a black shutter which will swing out of the way when gently nudged.
    • Replace binocular tube.
  • Note that this shutter is part of the laser safety system which prevents direct viewing of laser light beam.  Do not do anything to jam this shutter open permanently.
  • Repair order has been called in.  Due to a number of Zeiss repair engineers unavoidably being out of the country, repair will not be carried out until April.

• Mar 13: Nikon Upright Microscope (MicrophotSA).  The disk drive has been replaced.  Images stored on the drive is currently unavailable.  The Act-1 software, which runs the DXM 1200 color camera has been re-installed.  Note that Norton Antivirus prevent writing of valid CDs if real time file protection is on. 

• Mar. 05: Perkin Elmer confocal.  The OrcaER CCD camera shows some apparent blooming on top left of the image.  It is worse with binning, and more noticeable with higher camera gain.  There is also a claim that there are ~7 bad pixels on the chip.  This is not good and will have to mention this to Perkin Elmer service.

• Feb. 26: Leica4D confocal computers are no longer be connected to the Medical School Network:

• The Leica4D confocal (Viceroy) is no longer connected to the Medical School Network, and hence the entire internet, including the Cytic_Fibrosis domain.  Scanning can still be performed and the 100 MByte Zip drive can be used to transfer data.  OIS has discontinued the sub-network that the 4D was assigned to on Feb. 18, 2003 as a final act in a 5 year plan to give the 152.2. subnet back to the main campus, and block that subnet in the Medical School.  Unfortunately the 4D OS9-VME computer can not be easily be migrated to the Medical School subnet.  Hence the 4D is isolated from the network.  Alternative solutions are being investigated, but are limited by the potential fragility of the two unsupported operating systems that are an essential part of the 4D confocal.

• In April or May: LeicaSP2 confocal & Leica AS-Laser Micro-Dissection.  Air conditioning improvements will be carried out in Room 6123 Thurston Bowles.  This work is required to keep the room temperature under control when the confocal lasers are running.  The LeicaSP2 confocal will be unavailable for about 4 days in order to allow this work to be carried out.  Physical Plant will give a few days notice before this work will commence, and users will be notified at this time.  The Leica Laser Micro Dissection system will be temporarily moved into room 6033a, which can be accessed via room 6129.  Please note that the schedule for this work is unavoidably vague since it involves three different shops from Physical Plant.

History

		Copyright 2001-2015  Dr. M. Chua, School of Medicine, University of North Carolina, Chapel Hill, NC 27599
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