Ar laser failure

Karel Drbal (drbal@biomed.cas.cz)
Thu, 13 Feb 1997 15:39:41 -0800

Dear flowers,
I ask you whether anyone have recorded a strange laser failure (Ar-15mW,
air-cooled) in the BD instrument (FACSort). It happens almost everyday during
data acquisition. The laser power and current drops to zero and after approx. 1
minute come back to the normal value. Normal values for laser power and current
were OK. Nothing I have tested helps. The laser have 5000 hours which is close
to its lifetime.
My questions:
1) Could overheating be the cause?
2) How one can decide when the laser should be replaced?
Any other suggestions?

-- 
  _______________________________________________________________
  Karel Drbal
  Laboratory of Leukocyte Antigens
  Institute of Molecular Genetics
  Academy of Sciences of the Czech Republic
  Videnska 1083
  142 20 PRAHA 4
  Czech Republic, Europe
  voice:  +42-2-4752589
  fax:    +42-2-4727979
  e-mail: drbal@biomed.cas.cz
  WWW:    http://leuko.biomed.cas.cz