Out here on the eastern edge of the Pacific Rim, there is the potential for all sorts of disturbances including such low frequency vibrations as earthquakes. A good example is the "event" of last February--a magnitude 6.8 earthquake. In addition to the normal building vibration on the third floor above ground, there was considerable building sway. Despite this, benchtop analyzers continued without a pause, and moreover, a sort in progress continued without a change of the droplet breakoff position. It's a long way saying that the vibration isolation of most cytometers is fairly good. As a rough test of the isolation capacity, you can probably feel vibrations on the outside of the instrument, but not on the optical bench or the detector housings. Dave Coder dcoder1@qwest.net ----- Original Message ----- From: Fischer, Randy (NIAMS) <fischer1@mail.nih.gov> To: cyto-inbox Sent: Friday, May 25, 2001 4:25 PM Subject: RE: How much vibration is a problem? > > Paul, > > I completely agree. All one has to do is check out all the various > locations around our wonderful NIH campus to see that it is not, for the > most part, the location that determines whether you get good flow data. > Building 10, the clinical center, has so much vibration from all the > construction that it is hard to weigh out reagents, but all 3 of our > machines are performing beautifully. Now if I could only get that corner > lab... > > Happy Memorial Day to all, > > Randy T. Fischer > NIH/NIAMS > Building 10, Room 6D65 > 9000 Rockville Pike > Bethesda, MD 20892 > (301) 594-3537 > fischer1@mail.nih.gov > > > ---------- > > From: J.Paul Robinson > > Reply To: jpr@flowcyt.cyto.purdue.edu > > Sent: Thursday, May 24, 2001 10:07 PM > > To: Cytometry Mailing List > > Subject: Re: How much vibration is a problem? > > > > > > Well at the risk of being unscientific and ignorant....I am going to > > weigh in on this one... > > > > 23 years ago when we bought our first cytometer..we were told > > "you must have it in the basement....vibration will kill you....etc etc" > > ...we put it on the 2nd floor of a 100 year old building, surrounded > > by busy roads.....no problems > > > > At Michigan when I was there they renovated the entire basement > > and created a beautiful flow unit, but a dungeon.... > > > > Here at Purdue - before I came here, someone decided that the > > flow had to be in the basement.....we have beautiful lab, no > > windows, bla, bla...and most of us are starting to look like > > moles...(well I am anyway) > > > > I think 99% of the perception that vibration is a problem is > > overdone......pick the corner lab, with the best view and go for it... > > > > Paul Robinson > > (Committee for prevention of cruelty to flow lab people) > > > > > > > > > > > > Date sent: Wed, 23 May 2001 17:12:27 +0100 > > From: Richard Grenfell <rlg@mrc-lmb.cam.ac.uk> > > To: cyto-inbox > > Subject: How much vibration is a problem? > > > > > > Hi everyone > > > > I'm new to the list and new to cytometry. > > > > We have a Cytomation MoFlo and are considering moving it to > > another > > lab (larger hopefully!) > > > > The question of vibration has come up. Now, not being used to > > these > > instruments, I wondered if anyone here could help. > > > > How would I go about measuring vibration in a lab and how much is > > 'too > > much'. > > > > Also, as a general rule of thumb, is it best siting these instruments > > as low down in a building as possible, though fairly near a road, or > > higher up in the building? > > > > Any help would be appreciated. > > > > Thanks > > > > Richard Grenfell > > > > -- > > Richard Grenfell > > Laboratory of Molecular Biology > > Medical Research Council > > Cambridge > > rlg@mrc-lmb.cam.ac.uk > > J.Paul Robinson, PhD PH:(765)4940757 > > Professor of Immunopharmacology > > Professor of Biomedical Engineering > > Purdue University FAX:(765)4940517 > > EMAIL:jpr@flowcyt.cyto.purdue.edu > > WEB: http://www.cyto.purdue.edu > > > > >
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