Date: 28 Nov 1995
From: "Richard Lee" (richard_lee@QMGATE.ANL.GOV)
Any suggestions on a quick and easy way to isolate light microscopes from
vibration?
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From: "Wil Bigelow" (Wil_Bigelow@mse.engin.umich.edu)
We had reasonably good success isolating a SEM from building traffic
vibrations by setting it on a platform that was suported by four inflated
inner tubes from garden tractor tires. You could probably work out a similar
scheme for a light microscope for very little cost and effort, using
inflatable cushions or smaller inner tubes. Our problem, over the long run,
was that after about six months the inner tubes would begin to leak, and it
was a difficult matter to keep replacing them because the SEM was so heavy
and unwieldy. For a light microscope, which is smaller and lighter, this
should not be such a problem, and so this system might work out quite well
for you. Good luck, W. C. Bigelow (bigelow@umich.edu)
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From: Richard Thrift (Richard_Thrift@depotech.com)
Autoquant (518) 276-2138 sells sheets of 1/2" plexiglass with
"sorbothane" feet (which they say can be stacked for even better
isolation). $200 for a single 24x24" square. I'm curious how well they
work. Also curious how to do a reasonable comparison of different
products: how do you quantitate the effects of vibration in this
application?
What's sorbothane, & can I find it elsewhere?
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From: William Tivol (tivol@wadsworth.org)
Best is to absorb the vibrations, next best is to mount the LM on a
platform which has no resonances near the frequencies of the vibrations.
A quick method is to mount some styrofoam on a heavy material on another
piece of styrofoam, or use tires or springs instead of the styrofoam. In
either case, the properties of the set-up need to be matched to the prevalent
frequencies. The directionality of the vibrations (if any) is also important.
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From: m.dickson@unsw.edu.au (melvyn dickson)
A slab of cement, marble etc. about 24 inches square and 2 inches thick for
mass. The heavier the better. Your local paving store will oblige. Four
tennis balls under the slab for air springs. OR the inner tube of a tire
with the valve relocated to the outside for easy re-inflation is a more
compliant isolation spring.
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From:rgwhite@vaxc.cc.monash.edu.au
The Zeiss confocal has some sort of airbag/tyre system for vibration
isolation, like the suggested tractor inner tubes. We've used a bicycle
inner tube about 3/4 filled with water under a heavy terrazzo (fake marble)
slab - seems to work OK.
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From: dianavd@eye.usyd.edu.au (Diana van Driel)
Tennis balls under a wooden frame, on which the LM sits. We have had 6
under a large Zeiss Universal for years and we are right next to a busy
road on the 2nd floor. Works like a dream!
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From: ScottE57@aol.com
Try A.Q.Sorbothane feet - avaiable at 800-229-0644 for about $60.00 these set
of four hockey puck style "rubber" feet should cut vibration on most scopes.
if not try a Kinetica air table at $3500.00
Subject: Re: Vibration isolation -Reply
Richard, you can find Sorbothane or other vibration absorbing products in any
audiophile magazine - a big mail order company that would have it is Audio
Advisor at 800-942-0220 4 sorbothane big feet should run ~$50.00 and for
heavier scopes ther are Sims Navacom silencers for about $75.00. Or try The
Needle Doctor 800-229-0644
Scott E. Berman
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From: DDKJoe@aol.com Date: Wed, 29 Nov 1995 07:35:45 -0500
Date: Wed, 29 Nov 1995 07:35:45 -0500
As you can imagine, we have a lot of situations where high mag light
microscopes are close to or mounted on rotating machinery. We've been using
corrugated rubber matting very successfully. The pieces of matting are the
same size as the base of the scope.
Unfortunately I don't know of sources of this material. We bought it so many
years ago that that information is long gone. You might venture down to your
friendly machine shop guys and look through their tool distributor catalogs
(MSC, McMaster-Carr, etc.).
Joe Tabeling
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From: M. Coombs OptoMech@aol.com
Mouse pads, tennis balls cut in half, heavy metal plates with neoprene feet.
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