This week we will move the Leica SPE2 to labspace O.101 to prepare for the maintenance on the aircos next week. We will try to minimize inconvenience for users by clustering the restructuring of CCI spaces for the new scopes that will arrive. The cryostate has been moved to the lab O.102. Watch this space…

We now have a workstation that runs Imaris 8 (full licence) at the CCI. Experienced users are welcome to use it, it can be booked in the on-line reservation system. We will be trained by Imaris application specialists in the coming months to offer best support for this excellent image analysis package.

Due to the renewal of  equipment, we will reoganize the CCI drastically. First, the space that will host the multiphoton system is being prepared. This is a collaboration with the WKZ, see earlier posts about this. This system will be placed in room O122. The co-ordinator of work on this machine will initially be Nienke Vrisekoop….

A new objective for the SPE2 system has arrived (HC PL APO CS2 NA1.3, oil immersion). It is  installed but not fully funtional yet, fluorescence transmission is way better than the old 40x. However, optimal DIC imaging with this objective is not possible yet, we are waiting for the correct condensor prism for this.

An unfortunate accident forced the move of the Olympus/Leica system to the corridor next to our offices (Room O123A). The old room (O122) needs a good (airco) cleaning session before new equipment can be placed.  The imaging system is fully serviced and functional at its new location.  

We are pleased to tell about the new equipment that is ordered and on its way to the CCI. Thanks to the generous funding of the Utrecht University Board to support facilities in the Utrecht Science community, we are able to upgrade the CCI with an OMX-V4 blaze. It again is the collaboration between the Stoorvogel…

The LEICA SPEII system has serious PC issues with regular crashes (system freeze while scanning, panel box loss and the never ending story on the 561 nm laser that starts ever so slowly) . Make sure you save often and report to us when it happens. We are in the process of replacing the PC,…

The Atomic Force microscope has been moved to the chemistry department. The group of Igmar Swart who works on the chemistry and physics of 2D materials (www) is dedicated to AFM imaging assuring frequent operation  and service of the system. Contact Igmar, Joost van der Lit or Bart Gadella if you have imaging questions for this microscope.

Last Thursday, the 30th of October, the PC of the Leica SPE-II confocal crashed, this is already the second crash of the PC this year (we had the HD replaced just a half a year ago). We are trying to get the system running again in the next few days, but rely on ICT support…

We bought a new shutter to rapidly block halogen light in time recordings using the EM-CCD camera of the NIKON imaging station. Previously, intervals between fluorescent observation and DIC recording required warming up the halogen lamp for at least 4 seconds. Now the light path is rapidly switchable in milliseconds and is incorporated into the…