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Hi,
I had a chance to work with this system prior to
its commercial launch. It was intriguing because
bulb exchange was so simple, just snap out the
old and snap in the new: no alignment, no
flicker, no high pressure arc. I know that the
bulbs are rated for very long times; I saw some
of the original engineering tests ... and they
confirmed those lifetime ratings, so I have no
reason not to believe them. Also, since these
are not arc sources (the bulbs I saw originally
were like the lamps in projectors), there was no change in intensity with age.
I only saw the 50W version, and am glad to hear that there is now the 120W.
Hope this is helpful.
Best regards,
Barbara Foster
Microscopy/Microscopy Education
313 S Jupiter Rd, Suite 100
Allen, TX 75002
P: 972-954-8011
W: www.MicroscopyEducation.com
MME is now scheduling customized, on-site courses
through September. Call us today for details.
P. S.
Need a good general reference or light microscopy
text for the Spring semester? Call us today to
learn more about "Optimizing LIght
Microscopy". Copies still available through
MME... even for class-room lots ... and we give
quantity discounts. Call Ken Piel at (972)954-8011.
At 11:21 AM 4/13/2006, Julio Vazquez wrote:
>Search the CONFOCAL archive at
>http://listserv.acsu.buffalo.edu/cgi-bin/wa?S1=confocal
>
>Michael,
>
>We have a 120W EXFO on our Zeiss Axiovert 200. I do not have an
>emission spectrum chart, but the illumination is quite strong. With a
>10x/0.3 objective, we get 45 mW of power with FITC cube and 75 mW
>with TRITC cube. This compares to 15 mW and 60 mW respectively on our
>(rather bright) Nikon with conventional 100 W Hg bulb and a 10x/0.45
>objective. (In both cases, bulbs were around the middle of their
>rated lifetime). The Exfo has an aperture to regulate illumination
>intensity, we typically use it in the lower settings. I am not sure
>how power declines with time, but I think it is OK even near the end
>of the lamp's life. We replaced our first two lamps after 1800 and
>1500 hours, respectively
>
>Because of the fiber optic, illumination is very even (no adjustments
>required). We also appreciate the built-in safety (lamp does not turn
>ON when hot), and the fact that there is no hot lamp housing near the
>scope.
>
>Julio.
>
>--
>Julio Vazquez, PhD
>Scientific Imaging
>Fred Hutchinson Cancer Research Center
>1100 Fairview Ave. N., DE-512
>Seattle, WA 98109-1024
>
>
>
>
>On Apr 13, 2006, at 7:44 AM, Michael Weber wrote:
>
>>Search the CONFOCAL archive at
>>http://listserv.acsu.buffalo.edu/cgi-bin/wa?S1=confocal
>>
>>Dear list,
>>
>>you probably know the EXFO X-Cite 120 illumination system:
>>
>>http://www.exfo-lifesciences.com/products/X-Cite120.html
>>
>>It's an "alternative" to common lamphouses with HBO-/XBO-lamps,
>>with a halide gas lamp in an external box, plugged into the
>>microscope beampath over an optical fiber.
>>
>>On the paper, this system sound interesting, especially when it
>>comes to heavy-used machines. The running time of a lamp is to
>>amount to 1500 hours. Beyond that, there's no need for adjustment
>>like on normal (non-motorized) lamphouses.
>>
>>We currently have one of these illumination system here for demo
>>from Olympus, but only togehter with a less used microscope.
>>Therefore, we still have no long-term experiences with that system:
>>
>>- Is the running time realistic?
>>- When needs the fiber to be changed in reality?
>>- Is the output and the spectra stable over the whole lifetime?
>>- How is the spectra compared to other lamps?
>>
>>So far I found one review, but this sounds more like advertisement:
>>
>>http://www.biocompare.com/review/246/The-EXFO-Photonics-X-CITE-120-
>>Fluorescence-Microscope-Illumination-System.html
>>
>>We have quite a lot of lamphouses here on our systems, and most of
>>them are heavily used, so we need to exchange the lamps quite
>>often. Exchange and adjustment costs always some time - so maybe
>>it's worth switching to another illumination system?!
>>
>>I'm really interested in your experiences with the EXFO system.
>>
>>Have a nice Easter,
>>Michael
>>
>>--
>>Michael Weber (B.Sc.)
>>
>>..MPI..
>>Max Planck Institute of Molecular Cell Biology and Genetics
>>Light Microscopy Facility
>>Pfotenhauer Str. 108
>>D-01307 Dresden
>>phone: +49 351 2102837
>>
>>..MTZ..
>>Technische Universität
>>Medical Theoretical Centre, Haus 91
>>Fiedlerstr. 42
>>D-01307 Dresden
>>phone: +49 351 4586426
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