EBME Forums Forums Maintenance Technical Assistance LAb Equipment...Nikon Coolscope

Any of you folks responsible for lab equipment? If so, please read on!

When the slide carrier moves into the unit, it seems to overshoot where it should stop by about 3cm, and there is an error nXCP7, sometimes followed by a 'Mag Switchover error' as well (missed the error code). When commanded to move out of the unit, it stops with the hinged door flap partly open.

This fault was intermittent for a week or so, now it's permanent.

Any help much appreciated, alas I have no manuals! The lab techs have got a couple of extra-difficult diagnoses to make, and they need the Coolscope to get a second opinion!

Tony.

Sounds like a case of having a good old look, Tony. A failed (or dirty) microswitch? A belt drive pulley slipping on its spindle? Something jammed inside that shouldn't be there? Who knows? ... but, Good Luck!

I think I would start by stripping it down as far as I could, having a good look (as I say), and giving it all a thorough clean (which may well save the day right there). Otherwise, try jerking it back (I mean "re-align" it) by 3 cm and see what happens!

PS: lab kit is good ... always plenty of diversity there!

Hi Geoff,

Yes..been there, done that! I've actually got it to centre on the specimen slide and it behaves. I know once the 'eject' button is clicked, it will mess up again, so I've warned the Chief Tech NOT to do that until they get their second opinion! FYI, the scope can send images via TCP/IP to a specialist, who can also remotely control the microscope functions..pretty et, cool!

Oh yes, pretty cool ... when it works!

(where would specialist be located? Anywhere in the world, I guess)?

I think they have someone in the UK, US, Germany and Australia, so that means there is a fair chance of being able to get assistance 'day and night' if needs be.

Interesting. How about we set up something like this for tech support?

I'm musing in general terms, now. We could surely set it up right here (Huw)? With all the gizmos available these days (both audio, and still and video images), detailed information and appeals for help could be cast around amongst the wise elders for comment, opinion and advice. Not too sure about the "day and night" dimension, though.

This sort of thing has been mooted before. Would it need to be funded? If so, how?

Comments please, by close of play today!

The 'day and night' part isn't so bad...that's because if you have 'advisers' and 'advisees' in 3 time zones approx 8hrs apart, then there should be a daytime person to help someone stuck 'out of hours' or vica-versa. I know in many global project engineering (and coding) situations, some large (and not so large) companies maintain 24hr effort in a similar way, by 'handing over' a project to the next time zone.

I think the likes of Microsoft Live Instant Messaging or Skype could offer much of what's needed. Audio, video (for those bandwidth-rich users), white boarding, file transfer. I'm not sure of the logistics of setting up such a service or getting any access permissions right..but that would just need a little investigation and thought/discussion.

What, I ask, would make it genuinely useful, and better than this forum as is? Not mere 'bells and whistles' of course...we're Biomeds after all, and we don't need such gimmicks!!!

Do you think it's worth getting this moved to a new thread? Perhaps the ever watchful Huw could help with that part?

Remote problem solving (or fault-finding). There have been quite a few cases on this forum where the problem being posed has been completely misrepresented and/or misunderstood (usually the latter). Sometimes we (or, at least, I) have been imagining something else entirely!

A (simple) picture is definitely worth (perhaps not a thousand, but at least ...) a hundred words!

A few of us are sometimes being asked to travel away from these shores to help out on technical matters, only to disappoint when the need for funding gets mentioned. My "dream" is to have something like (what we are discussing) set up, in order to "help people to help themselves". The new (cost-effective) way versus the old (expensive) way.

Let's kick it about, and see what we come up with. Yes ... new thread required!

Congratulations in getting your response in "by close of play", by the way.

... and, of course, there's always Google!

The slide carrier worked just fine. You must have fixed it!