*****
To join, leave or search the confocal microscopy listserv, go to:
http://lists.umn.edu/cgi-bin/wa?A0=confocalmicroscopy
Post images on http://www.imgur.com and include the link in your posting.
*****

I've been using four Thorlabs PTA512 compressors and one Panther for a
couple years now with no issues. The Thorlabs compressors are almost as
quiet as the Panther, and in a typical lab with cooling fans going and such
you can't notice the difference. As per all oil-using compressors you just
need to change out the oil every 6 months to a year to keep it clean, but
it's much better than shlepping compressed nitrogen or air bottles around
every month.

Craig

On Wed, Apr 8, 2015 at 10:43 AM, Smith, Benjamin E. <[log in to unmask]>
wrote:

> *****
> To join, leave or search the confocal microscopy listserv, go to:
> http://lists.umn.edu/cgi-bin/wa?A0=confocalmicroscopy
> Post images on http://www.imgur.com and include the link in your posting.
> *****
>
> I'm not sure what compressors work, but I can tell you what hasn't worked
> for us.
>
> We originally had a Panther Silent Compressor that came with the
> microscope.  The compressor is very quiet, but despite performing all
> required routine maintenance, the compressor suddenly died after about a
> year and a half.  Since the pump is a self-contained unit, there was no way
> to repair the unit, so we had to buy a replacement.
>
> Not wanting to fork over the cash for another Panther, we opted for a
> California Air Tools compressor.  While not nearly as quiet, we kept it in
> the back room where, through a single door, the sound was barely
> noticeable.  Yet again, despite performing all routine maintenance,
> including draining the tank everyday, after about 3 months  the compressor
> started running a lot more regularly.  We used a bit of leak detection
> fluid and found the leak was actually at a poor weld on the pressure vessel
> itself!!!
>
> After that experience, I decided I never wanted to deal with a compressor
> again (I happen to be fond of all my fingers and toes).  As such, I got an
> inline drier from Drierite, and now run the air tables off of the house air
> supply.  Even though I am running three air tables off of this one line,
> the Drierite lasts a little over a month before it needs to be changed, and
> can be recharged indefinitely.
>
> As a back up, I scavenged the check valve off of the panther compressor,
> and attached it to a nitrogen cylinder.  The supply line is set to 60PSI
> and the cylinder is set to 45 PSI.  With the check valve, as long as the
> house air supply is working, then the cylinder is not used (because of the
> check valve).  However, if the power ever goes out, or I am changing the
> Drierite, then the nitrogen cylinder will keep the system pressurized, even
> with the house air disconnected.   After two months, the cylinder has not
> lost any pressure.
>
> I would highly recommend this route if at all possible, because draining
> tanks daily gets old, let alone changing compressor oil.  And there are
> plenty of Youtube videos that show what happens when a standard compressor
> tank fails.  That, combined with the personal experience of having our own
> pressure vessel begin to fail after just a few months, made me decide to
> never use a compressor again.
>
> Hope this helps,
>    Ben Smith
>
> Benjamin E. Smith, Ph.D.
> Samuel Roberts Noble Microscopy Laboratory
> Research Scientist, Confocal Facility Manager
> University of Oklahoma
> Norman, OK 73019
> E-mail: [log in to unmask]
> Voice   405-325-4391
> FAX  405-325-7619
> http://www.microscopy.ou.edu/
>
> ________________________________________
> From: Confocal Microscopy List [[log in to unmask]] on
> behalf of Anton Kamnev [[log in to unmask]]
> Sent: Wednesday, April 08, 2015 10:32 AM
> To: [log in to unmask]
> Subject: Purchasing air compressors in UK
>
> *****
> To join, leave or search the confocal microscopy listserv, go to:
> http://lists.umn.edu/cgi-bin/wa?A0=confocalmicroscopy
> Post images on http://www.imgur.com and include the link in your posting.
> *****
>
> Dear all,
>
> Recently I started looking into purchasing new air pumps for our microscope
> anti-vibration tables. Any chance you could share your experience with
> purchasing air compressors for that purpose in UK? What suppliers would you
> recommend? Which pumps works years and stay quiet?
>
> What I'm looking for is a quiet compressor able to supply ~50psi pressured
> air to a couple of tables.
>
> Our tables are Newport Vision IsoStations. They have built-in air filter,
> thus compressors don't have to be supplied with extra filters. I would,
> nevertheless, very much appreciate your tips on system for purification of
> compressed air.
>
> Sincerely,
> Anton Kamnev, PhD
> Imaging Manager
> Mechanochemical Cell Biology Building
> Division of Biomedical Cell Biology
> Warwick Medical School
> The University of Warwick
> Coventry, CV4 7AL UK
>
> tel: +44 (0) 24-7615-1934
> cell: +44 (0) 782-408-6941
> email: [log in to unmask]
>