Hello,
 
Recently we have found that the reflector mirror for laser scan mode in the
slider in Zeiss LSM 410 had been severely corroded. One of the dichroic beam
splitter (for rhodamine) was also fogged a little bit.
 
The first sign of this trouble is the uneven brightness of the DIC image
obtained with the transmission detector. The service person from Zeiss Japan
suggested the possibility of the corrosive gas, but we have never smelled any
such gas during about 400 hrs of operation since January 1994 the year of
installation. We also noted the corrosion on the knob of apertures of the
condensor turret. The other equipments in the same room, an SEM (100h of
operation last year), an ion coator, and a freeze dryer show few sign of
corrosion.
 
During summer, very humid season here, we kept running air-conditioning. We
have a sink and a drain hole near the LSM. There is a dark-room in the next
room, but the door was kept closed.
 
Does anyone there have a similar experience? If so, please let us know your
suggestion.
 
Isao Uemura<[log in to unmask]>
Dept Biology, Tokyo Metropolitan Univ
Fax: +81 426 77 2559  Phone: +81 426 77 2567