Hello Carol

This  was an option we considered to satisfy the difference in needs
between structural biologists and physiologists.  The manufacturers
we looked at  (BioRad, Olympus, Leica and Zeiss) had confocals
capable of switching scan heads but it came down mainly to a time
management issue.  Once on say the inverted microscope, it stopped
dead anyone using the upright.  Considering  the potential length of
time, and unpredictable nature, of some physiological studies for
example this down time could be considerable.

At an average cost os around N.Z.$250,000 it also wasn't considered
prudent to be switching the scan head around on a frequent basis, one
slip and it's an expensive paper weight you're left with.  Again this
could mean significant down times for whoever isn't wanting the
microscope of the day.

Overall, switching scan heads is possible from a technological point
of view, but probably impractical if you have a lot of users with
tight timetables - haven't they all?

Might be better to prune down two confocals to the absolute
essentials and configure them so objectives, stages, etc. can be
swapped around from time to time if needed.

Good luck.

Andrew




>
>I was wondering if any of you have two microscopes, upright and
>inverted, with one of the new confocals and whether you actually
>switch the scan head from one to the other.  If so, how often do you
>switch and how much trouble is it really?  Would it be practical in a
>user facility and could an average user do it his/herself?
--
______________________________________________________________________________
Andrew McNaughton
South Campus Electron Microscope Unit
C/-Department of Anatomy and Structural Biology
School of Medical Sciences
University of Otago
PO Box 913, Dunedin
NEW ZEALAND

Telephone: +64 3 479 7308
Facsimile: +64 3 479 7254

e-mail: [log in to unmask]
______________________________________________________________________________