Tools, Facilities, Requirements
For technicians!
This chapter contains tools, facilities and requirements to
install, repair and to adjust Pannoramic scanners and
to clean optics.
Computer relevant configuration and software requirements are true
until the operating system Windows xP® and the
software version 1.14 is used.
·
Relevant computer information
since the software version 1.15 or higher and the operating system Windows 7®
64bit is collected in the chapter “Prerequisites”.
·
Tools used to cleaning optics
Hexagon
(hex) key wrenches
(metric)
Used in: All scanners
Hexagon
key wrench
Ball point hexagon key wrench
Sizes: 0.9,
1.5, 2, 2.5, 3, 4 and 5mm metric.
All the mounting and adjustment bolts can be driven with one of
the key sizes, named above.
An offset hexagon key wrench set is required; for the key sizes
1.5, 2.5 and 3 mm screw driver type tools with handle
are recommended. Furthermore, a ball point hexagon key wrench in the sizes 2.5
and 3 mm offers advantage in some situations.
·
Because the 0.9 mm hexagon key wrench is often not
included in any set, an offset hexagon key wrench 0.9 mm should be purchased separately.
Important
To tighten or loosen
a bolt, use always an (offset) hexagon key wrench, never a ballpoint hexagon
key wrench!
PCON
In
the scanner Pannoramic Confocal
key sizes of 6mm and 8mm are also required!
Screw drivers
In some cases screw drivers for “Cross head Philips® screws” are
used in the following sizes:
PH 00 60 mm
PH
0 60 mm;
PH
1 80 mm;
PH
2 100 mm;
PZ
2 100 mm;
open
and offset ring ends, chrome-plated; small heads
Used in: SCAN and P250
Size: 10 and 5.5 mm metric
Remark: The size 10
combination wrench is delivered with the SCAN scanner.
The 10th wrench
is used to open / close the cover locks and to loosen / tighten the shipping
bolt in the SCAN scanner; the truss nuts are also tightened with the 10th wrench.
The 5.5th wrench
is used to loosen / tighten the fixing nut for the chromatic aberration adjustment
bolt in the DESK.
open end, small heads
Used in: All scanners
To loosen or tighten the compression-type connection of the
spindle to the rotor, 2 additional metric
·
This connection occurs always on the spindle connection of newer
type X-Y-stage units and other kind of spindle driven units.
·
8mm open end wrench, chrome-plated; small heads
·
6mm open end wrench, chrome-plated; small heads
·
The
thickness of the wrenches is about 2mm.
Tweezers (recommended)
Used in: All scanners
Two types;
- fine and spiky,
- big and blunt
Flat
nose pliers (recommended)
Used in: All scanners
To hold bolts, nuts or
other small pieces flat nose pliers or any equivalent gripping pliers is
recommended.
·
The
pliers should not be used to tighten or loosen bolts or nuts!
Other pliers (recommended)
Used in: All scanners
For any
kind of electronics pliers see also:
· http://shop.nws-tools.de/index.php/en/electronic-tools.html
The shown
pliers are collected from:
· http://shop.nws-tools.de/index.php/en/electronic-tools/finish-72/economyline.html
All
pliers have a length of:
Length
[mm] 120
Length
[inch] 4 3/4
Used
in: All scanners
For distance measuring, to
check the correct size of parts and the check of adjustments a digital caliper
with a nominal resolution of 0.01
mm and a length of 150 mm is recommended.
Used in: All scanners
Please use always a protective eye
wear if the slide loading test
is in progress and you are looking closely at the loading procedure! It may
happen that a slide can fly in peaces during the process, mainly if the
adjustment is incorrect!
Autocollimator and
dovetail ring adaptor
Used in: P250, SCAN
and
The
autocollimator is used to find
the correct filter position of the filter wheel in the turret unit.
Precautions
Never look directly into the beam
of the autocollimator!
The
LASER beam has often a power of 0.01W only, but this is enough to harm the
retina of the eye!
Used in: P250, SCAN and
The light
source is used to illuminate the field of view, if the fluorescent scan modus
is selected.
· For our
purposes, we can also use the user’s light source.
Precautions
Never look directly into the beam
of the fluorescent light source! The lamp emits also ultraviolet light with
very high intensity. To prevent your eyes from harm (damage) use always sun
glasses with a high filter factor of UV light if the fluorescent light source
is switched on and you are adjusting the beam mainly if the cover of the turret
unit is removed. For further precautions please, refer to the manual for the
fluorescent light source you are using!
See also: “X-Cite Series 120Q” and “Xcite120PC_UserGuide”
SOLA-SM-II-Light-Engine
Used in: P250,
SCAN and
Sola-SM-II-Light-Engine®
offers a more cost-effective solution in relation to the HxP
light engine® or to the Lumencor SPECTRA light
engine® and may be used in Fluorescent scan sessions of any scanner type.
- Because the Light
engine emits white light, only single band filters can be used.
See
also: Users
manual
Used in: P250, SCAN and
A set of filter blocks in the wave lengths red, green and
blue is used to adjust the fluorescent filter unit and to scan the fluorescent
tissue.
- The specified wave
lengths of the filter block and the exciting and emitting wave length of
the stained tissue have to match each other.
· For our
purposes, we can also use the user’s filter block(s).
Used in: All scanners
To cut labels and inscriptions a scissor with a blade length of at
least 10 cm is helpful.
To cut strips and foils,
to open packaging and others, a utility knife is required.
Used
in: All scanners
To check voltages and fuses and to measure resistances, any kind
of multi meter can be used; we recommend the use of the UNI-T DT830E or any
equivalent type.
Used
in: All scanners
To remove bits of broken glass from the magazine channel, slide
rails and from other parts, paint-brushes in 2
cm and 4 cm width are often very helpful;
furthermore, any kind of dust can also be removed from the units by the use of
a brush.
Used in: SCAN,
The following configuration is true for
service purposes until the software version 1.14 and the operating system
Windows xP®.
Since the software version 1.15 and the
operating system Windows7® x64bit please use a configuration as described under “Computer
configuration and conditions” in the chapter “Prerequisites’
Processor: Intel
Pentium dual core, 2.6 GHz or higher
Ram: 4GB or
more
HDD: 400 GB or
more
USB 2.0 ports: 6 or
more
VGA card: PCI
16x
FireWire ports: 1
FireWire extension card: 2 controllers
LAN controller and network
connection
Monitor: 17” color
LCD or larger Resolution: 1024 x 768 or higher
Keyboard, Mouse
Barcode dongle
Following requirements are mainly based on software versions with
the operating system Windows®´xP 32bit until the
software version 1.14. If an operating system Windows® 7 x64bit is used, please
refer to “Prerequisites” and “Software and driver
installation”
Slide
scanner program with dongle or actual
license file
·
Please
make a security backup of the file MicroscopeConfiguration.ini before parameter
values are modified!
The MicroscopeConfiguration.ini and the
MicroscopeSettings.ini are situated:
Before version 1.14.
The *.ini files are found in the directory specified for the
program Slidescanner.exe or MScan.exe respectively.
Version 1.14.
The *.ini files are found in the directory:
C:\ Documents and
Settings\All Users\Application Data\3DHISTECH\SlideScanner\
All Users:
this directory is true if the SlideScanner software
was installed for “All Users”; otherwise, the software is installed to the user
that was logged on during the install procedure.
Slide viewer program with
dongle or actual license file
The slide
viewer program is found in the directory, specified during installation.
Service program (SlideScannerService.exe
or MService.exe) with
actual license file
Important
·
Please make a security backup of the file
MicroscopeConfiguration.ini before parameter values are modified!
Versions before 1.14
The
service program has to be copied (is found) into the directory specified for
the program Slidescanner.exe / MScan.exe.
Versions
1.14. and higher:
The
service program (the entire service pack) has to be copied (is found) into the
directory:
C:\
Documents and Settings\All Users\Application Data\3DHISTECH\SlideScanner\
· See also
above “SlideScanner program”.
Batch test program “b-Test.exe”
The test
program b-Test.exe can be used to define and run test routines to moving units
separately and in cycles.
The program works with predefined commands and these are arranged
as needed for the test. To create your own test sequence, no programming
knowledge is needed; the commands and steps are arranged by using logic.
The
address of the addressable unit can
be defined with the program “Serial.exe’.
To upgrade the firmware of the stepper motor controller,
start the “Atmel AVR Tools” and “AVR Studio 4”.
Slide dimension check tool
Used
in: PCON_S_M_D
The tool is delivered with the appropriate scanner since January 2015!
The allowed slide dimensions are:
Length: 75.00
to
Width: 25.00
to
Thickness: 00.95 to
- If the first character of the serial number is an “S” the tool is used to check the
slide’s dimensions for the scanners “PCON”, “SCAN”, “MIDI” and “DESK””.
- If the first character of the serial number is a “P” the tool is used to check the
slide’s dimensions for the scanner “P250”.
· Please
check the slide’s dimensions before filling the magazine or the tray with
slides!
Slide dimensions in DESK_II
Single width
Length: 75.00 to
Width: 25.00 to
Thickness: 00.95 to
Double width
Length: 75.00 to
Width: 50.00 to
Thickness: 00.95 to
Slide dimension check tool
Used in: P250
The
tool is delivered with the scanner since January 2015!
The allowed slide dimensions are:
Length: 75.00
to
Width: 25.00
to
Thickness: 00.95 to
- If the first character of the serial number is an “S” the tool is used to check the
slide’s dimensions of the scanners “SCAN, “
- If the first character of the serial number is a “P” the tool is used to check the
slide’s dimensions of the scanner “P250”.
· Please
check the slide’s dimensions before filling the magazine!
Recommended slides
Used in: PCON,
P250, SCAN,
Slide loading test: glass slides;
300 peaces (SCAN).
The slide
loading test for the SCAN and the
Metal
etalon test slides
The allowed slide dimensions for the SCAN,
the MIDI and
the DESK are:
Length: 75.00 to 76.00 mm
Width: 25.00 to 26.00 mm
Thickness: 00.95 to 01.05 mm
To
ensure, that the specified slide dimensions can be loaded, a metal slide kit
with 4 test slides was created; the slides, if they are inserted, checking so
the loadable slide dimensions. The test kit contains the following dimension checks:
· The
longest and widest slide
· the longest and smallest slide
· the shortest and widest slide
· the shortest and smallest slide.
Barcode
check slides
For barcode reading, a series of 19 check slides is used; the
check slides containing the different barcode types with the smallest, allowed
pixel size.
DESK,
slide insert check
The slide stud in the DESK should be able to hold the thickest
allowed slide together with the cover slip (thickness = 0.17mm). Use this test
slide to check the slide stud size in the DESK.
Test
slide #2
The test slide # 2 contains 9 circles; each circle has a cross in
the center. These crosses are marker positions for the preview
calibration program.
In S_M_D_II-type scanners a new preview calibration slide is used.
The calibration slide exists in 2
versions, Single width slide and double width slide.
In all scanners, the calibration is done
with the single width calibration slide.
In DESK_II the double width calibration
slide is used to check the preview calibration result.
Because a new, more precise preview
calculation algorithm is used, a new calibration slide is required, so post
corrections after preview calibration are minimized or eliminated.
Calibration slide Carl Zeiss
# 474028
The
calibration slide #474028 is used to correct the chromatic
aberration and
to check the inclination of the specimen holder.
· Live
view with 20x objective and not zoomed
Test
kit 3, 1725 / 06
The slide #1725 / 06 is very poor in contrast and therefore used
to check the preview quality.
Test slide
Abeta
Fluorescent
compensation slide
The fluorescent compensation slide is used to create a virtual
compensation image for the fluorescent scan procedure; it consists of a glass
slide and a foil.
·
Used in the SW versions 1.14 and 1.15 only
Important
The foil is very light sensitive! Therefore, the
slide should be returned into the protecting box as soon as possible after the
fluorescent compensation image had been taken.
·
Used in
the SW versions 1.14 and 1.15 only
FL scan check slide
Important
Fluorescent slides are very light
sensitive! Therefore, the slide should be returned into a light protecting box
as soon as possible after the fluorescent scan is finished.
The slides “Abeta”, “HE”, Slide #1725 / 06 and “Convallaria”
are used to check the scan quality in brightfield and
fluorescent scan mode.
Used in: PCON, P250,
SCAN,
See also: “Cleaning
optics”
Manual air blower
By using a manual air
blower, loosen dust can be removed easily.
Do not use canned air cleaner products for optics; the composition
is often not exactly known and may contain contaminations; these might damage
the optics surface or the coating. Furthermore, if a powerful air blow reaches
the optics surface, the existing dust particles on the optics may scratch the
surface or coating immediately!
Clamp forceps
To grip and hold lens
cleaning tissues or cotton pads a clamp forceps is very helpful.
Plastic
blade tweezers
Any kind of
cleaning materials like cotton batting, cleaning tissues or cotton balls can
also be hold by a plastic tweezers.
The cotton material to be hold should fully cover the peaks of the
tweezers and should keep a thick coating to prevent touching the surface with
the peaks.
Lens brush
To clean lens surfaces
special lens brushes can be used. The use of the lens brush for mirrors is not
recommended. The lens brush should be cleaned or replaced from time to time,
because the dust / lint will adhere to the hairs of the brush.
To protect optics from
fingerprints during execution of the cleaning procedure, finger coats are used;
even so, used materials will not be contaminated if they are touched. Latex
gloves can also be used but they are more expensive.
Bottle dropper
The liquid, used to clean
optical surfaces can be dosed excellent by a bottle dropper. The used liquid is
96% - 98% ethanol or methanol; available in any pharmacy, the bottle dropper
also.
High concentrated ethanol
or methanol is very hygroscopic. After some drops of liquid is dropped onto the
cleaning material, close the bottle immediately, never leaf the bottle
unclosed. To avoid contamination of the cleaning liquid, the pipette should
never touch the material where the liquid is dropped on.
·
Take into account that such liquids are very flammable! The
quantity of the liquid in stock for such cleaning projects must not exceed 1l;
otherwise special fire prevention measures have to be taken!
Cotton
batting
For some
optical surfaces, like the objective lenses, a very thin tool with cotton
batting is used for the cleaning procedure.
Wooden or bamboo tools
To reach the lens surface
of the objective on the tissue side, a peak ended wooden tool was created; to
clean the lens surface on the camera side a flat ended tool can be used.
· To create bamboo tools,
Asian chopsticks are very well suited as basic material.
Lens
cleaning tissue
Such lens cleaning tissues
do not scratch the optics surfaces; it can be used for mirrors and lenses both;
nevertheless, each surface of the tissue can be used for one wipe only!
Lens
cleaning pads
Because the
size of one pad is large (100x90 mm), and large pads are seldom needed, it can
be cut in halves or quarters.
These pads are often used to remove dust from borders of the lens
or edges of mirrors. The surface of the pad can be used also for one wipe only.