<!DOCTYPE HTML PUBLIC "-//W3C//DTD HTML 3.2//EN">
<HTML>
<HEAD>
<META HTTP-EQUIV="Content-Type" CONTENT="text/html; charset=iso-8859-1">
<META NAME="Generator" CONTENT="MS Exchange Server version 6.5.7232.77">
<TITLE>RE: [3DEM] Re: tecnai version 2.1.5</TITLE>
</HEAD>
<BODY>
<!-- Converted from text/plain format -->
<P><FONT SIZE=2>We just had another vB short problem on our Polara (2.1.5, but probably unrelated to software). A partial short in the vB switch cut/reduced power to the board which reads all of the switches. The status of the MSC, insertion rod, column valve, etc switches became unreadable & they were locked out. The board didn't respond. It wasn't until after a new board was fitted that FEI traced the problem back to the vB switch.<BR>
<BR>
We also had an intermittent short to the solenoid on the insertion rod. That was shored up by shrink wrapping a splint to the Oxford/Gatan cable & connector. This is the same connector set up & problem sometimes seen with the Oxford CT3500 holder controller cables, with very fine wires that flex & can get bent sharply at the connector.<BR>
<BR>
Mike<BR>
<BR>
-----Original Message-----<BR>
From: owner-3dem@ncmir.ucsd.edu on behalf of Bob Grassucci<BR>
Sent: Tue 6/28/2005 3:32 PM<BR>
To: Angel M Paredes<BR>
Cc: tecnai@wadsworth.org; 3dem@ucsd.edu<BR>
Subject: [3DEM] Re: tecnai version 2.1.5<BR>
<BR>
**** Messages to this list are automatically archived ***<BR>
**** Please limit quoting of previous postings to the bare minimum ****<BR>
<BR>
Hi Angel,<BR>
I am very sorry to hear about your FEG tip. One thing that<BR>
surprises me about this event is that the user did not realize that Vb was<BR>
open since it is right next to Va. The sad thing about it is that even if<BR>
he did realize it the software would not allow him to close Vb since it<BR>
would be locked. I agree that the software should protect the tip at all<BR>
costs and close the column valves when venting the airlock. I know that if<BR>
I hit the cartridge button V7 and V4 do indeed close. We have been having<BR>
the opposite problem with venting the airlock that it fails to open the<BR>
vent valve at all unless we hit vent air lock more than one time. There is<BR>
no substitute for common sense when using these instruments that are still<BR>
on the "bleeding" edge. Whenever there is a potential for a vacuum<BR>
disaster the number one mantra I instill in the users is protect the tip<BR>
and close the column valves. If you have to leave the room close the<BR>
valves. When a tip goes bad there is at least a week of down time. My<BR>
hope is that you get a good stable tip as a replacement.<BR>
The integration of the TVIPS cameras leaves something to be<BR>
desired but we are slowly working through it. This is our main<BR>
"bug". Good luck with your tip replacement and I hope your are up and<BR>
running very soon.<BR>
Regards,<BR>
Bob<BR>
<BR>
At 01:39 PM 6/28/2005 -0500, Angel M Paredes wrote:<BR>
>Hi all,<BR>
><BR>
>Sunday we experienced a rather bad malfunction that people should be aware<BR>
>of that destroyed our FEG tip. On our Polara, the user working with the<BR>
>scope decided to remove the MSC to exchange the specimen. To do this you<BR>
>have to vent the airlock. He pushed the "vent airlock" button. Since he<BR>
>had not closed the column valves, the software I believe was supposed to<BR>
>have detected this and closed the column valves for him to protect the<BR>
>FEG. The software unfortunately did not. What the user did not know was<BR>
>that there was an electrical short in valve B that told the software that<BR>
>valve B was closed when it was in fact opened. Instead of telling him to<BR>
>close valve B as it should have done, the software detected that valve B<BR>
>was already closed and told the user instead to close valve A... which he<BR>
>did. The software then vented the airlock but with valve B opened instead<BR>
>of closed, the column was vented and since the software had not closed the<BR>
>column valves when the user pushed "vent airlock", the FEG was vented too.<BR>
>FEG tip gone.<BR>
><BR>
>We are currently using version 2.1.5 of the user interface. Has anyone<BR>
>out there been experiencing any other bugs with 2.1.5? Thorsten had<BR>
>problems with his system rebooting when a log file was full and I went<BR>
>through the same thing during a bugcheck the system decided to perform.<BR>
>Another bug we've seen is in low dose. We use diffraction while in<BR>
>search. Every now and again the search mode goes from looking normal to<BR>
>looking really strange and becoming very difficult to align. When I go<BR>
>from diffraction back to regular image mode in search, I find that the<BR>
>microscope has gone from a magnification of 52,000x to 52x while in<BR>
>diffraction and this is the reason why the search mode goes from looking<BR>
>okay to looking strange. FEI's response is that we are not supposed to be<BR>
>using diffraction and experiments in the factory have shown that if one<BR>
>switches in and out of diffraction too quickly, it causes the mag to<BR>
>change. All I know is that version 2.1.3 did not have this problem. Are<BR>
>there any other problems I should be made aware of?<BR>
><BR>
>Thanks,<BR>
>angel<BR>
<BR>
********************************<BR>
Robert Grassucci<BR>
Howard Hughes Medical Institute<BR>
Wadsworth Center<BR>
Empire State Plaza<BR>
Albany, NY 12201-0509<BR>
<BR>
bobg@wadsworth.org<BR>
Phone: (518)474-5821<BR>
Fax: (518)486-2191<BR>
--<BR>
For information on how to subscribe/unsubscribe/etc., send mail to<BR>
3dem-request@3dem.ucsd.edu with the text "help" in the body of the<BR>
message.<BR>
<BR>
</FONT>
</P>
</BODY>
</HTML>