Yes, it was on an early Diaphot 200.  Nikon USA emailed me with the news
that several such 'scopes had been shipped with improperly cemented
prisms.  Our local dealer verified the problem and it is shipping out
this week for Nikon USA's service center.
        Apparently, Nikon hadn't notified all of its dealers, so when we
had pointed out the possibility of a problem months ago, the dealer rep.
assumed that the problem was with Bio-Rad's part of the system.
        We've had lots of problems with our MRC-1000, but as the first
field installation in the world we were prepared for some bugs.
Ironically, the actual Bio-Rad components have been relatively reliable.
It has been the peripheral devices - Gateway computer, SCSI controller and
loose microscope prism - that were the headache sources.  The complexity
of the overall system obscured the problems until something
broke entirely.  I think both computer companies and microscope companies
have a similar philosophy - "It's made of silicon, it's factory sealed, it
has no moving parts, therefore it is infallible".
        I spent a lot of time on the telephone with Uhlrike and Nick Doe
at Bio-Rad trying to resolve problems that ultimately proved outside their
domaines of expertise because other companies were either unresponsive
altogether with completely unreliable products (Gateway), or failed to
appreciate the possibility that their "infallible" product could possibly
fail.  For those few problems that actually were the result of Bio-Rad's own
products, Bio-Rad's tech. support was more than adequate.  It is just
unfortunate that they can't afford to have more people out in the field
who can simply fly in and figure out where the problem may lie.
        I don't mean to unduly pick on Nikon.  We had a similar problem
with a Leitz Aristoplan that was losing the backing on a mirror in the
image path.  After 2-3 years of insisting there was nothing that could go
wrong, they finally took a close look, discovered the problem and fixed it.
        I don't believe that it is too much for manufacturers to send a
technical note to all of their dealers when defects in their products are
found.
        While everyone accepts the possibility that most man-made products
can fail or malfunction, undue marketing hype and dealer insistence that
computers and microscopes are infallible creates inflated expectations.
This can lead to unwarranted finger pointing at other components when a
complex system, such as a confocal, breaks down.  This expectation can
also lead to serious damage to a company when even minor defects are not
remedied  fully (like with Intel and the Pentium chip).
        I'm certain that the recent message on this list from Nikon
wasn't meant for public posting, but his reference to Bio-Rad's service
reputation was completely unwarranted.  If one reads the list closely, it
is apparent, as with my own experience, the problems are not so much
with Bio-Rad's components as with someone else's.  I doubt there is
a Nikon dealer in the whole US who is knowlegeable on all the
conbinations of computer imaging systems to which Nikon microscopes are
attached.  Our local dealer can only recite the literature from
whatever imaging product they are selling, and then give the tired song and
dance that Macintoshes are obsolete and Windoze is the wave of the
future (excuse me while I puke).
 
There, I feel better now, and tired of troubleshooting other
peoples' problems.  But, I do  greatly appreciate those
companies that will admit their own problems and fix them graciously.
 
Glen MacDonald
Hearing Development Laboratories RL-30
University of Washington
Seattle, WA  98195
(206)543-8360
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