Cautious note: In my experience, many problems with the cooling system
of a laser, air-cooled or water-cooled, are actually problems with 
the flow sensors that manufacturers install to verify that there is 
enough coolant flow. A good precaution, but apparently these sensors 
are brittle components: I think we had two replacements on our Leica
SP2,
and the service people told us this is a relatively frequent problem.

Best Regards,

Emmanuel


-----Original Message-----
From: Confocal Microscopy List [mailto:[log in to unmask]]
On Behalf Of Jennifer Clarke
Sent: donderdag 29 oktober 2009 00:18
To: [log in to unmask]
Subject: Re: Broken fan on argon laser

Hi Andrew

We've had this happen in the past with the fan for the Argon laser on
our Leica
SP5.  The fan stops or fails to switch on and there is an inbuilt safety
mechanism which disables the Argon laser if the fan isnt on, so that it
cant
overheat.

The actual problem in our case was a build-up of dust in the fan, so the
fan
just needed to be cleaned.

Goodluck!
Jennifer


Quoting Tim Feinstein <[log in to unmask]>:

> Hi Andrew,
> 
> If the fan is a physically separate part that is linked to the laser  
> unit by a power cable and an air handling tube, then my former lab  
> dealt with the same problem a few years ago.  Before replacing the fan

> (~$400 as an aftermarket part), make sure to check the relevant fuses

> in the laser power supply ($5 at Radio Shack).  Replacing the fan unit

> will not fix a blown fuse. Melles Griot should provide you with  
> diagrams to find the appropriate fuse for your particular model.
> 
> One caution - It can be fiendishly awkward to get at the fuses in some

> M-G power supply boards.  You might wan an experienced computer  
> surgeon around to consult.
> 
> Good luck and all the best,
> 
> 
> TF
> 
> On Oct 28, 2009, at 7:11 AM, Andrew Lindsay wrote:
> 
> > Dear List,
> >
> > The fan on the argon laser of our Zeiss LSM510 has stopped working.

> > The
> > laser itself switches on but after a few minutes it will turn itself

> > off,
> > presumably due to overheating. I was wondering if anyone else has
> > enocuntered this problem and if it can be rectified without  
> > replacing the entire
> > laser unit.
> >
> > Many thanks in advance,
> > Andrew
> 


-- 
Jennifer Clarke BSc (Hons) PhD
Research Associate, Anatomy and Histology
Centre for Neuroscience, School of Medicine
&
Facility Manager, Optical Microscopy Suite, Flinders Microscopy 
(available for training and assistance on Mondays only)

Flinders University
GPO Box 2100, Adelaide 5001
Phone: 61 8 8204 6454 / 61 8 8204 4205
Email: [log in to unmask]