Zeiss LSM 880 Operating Manual page 84

ZEISS
Fig. 88 Laser menu with Diode 405-30
activated
Fig. 89 Mode pull down menu
Argon laser
The Argon laser is a gas laser that is operated in a slightly different way compared to the other lasers. It
needs some minutes to ignite and warm up and, being air cooled, needs also some minutes to cool down
after it has been switched off. The lifetime is dependent on the the operation mode and messages are
provided to help you run it in its optimal mode for maximum lifetime. The laser is integrated in the SW
similar to other lasers. Until the laser is in standby mode it does not produce a constant power output.
The current status of the laser is indicated at any time during the operation of the system in the Laser
Properties panel of the Laser tool window.
Operation of the Argon laser:
1. The laser power supply is linked to the main power switch: Upon switching on the main power of
the system, the laser is supplied with electrical power which is linked to the permanent cooling of
the laser. The power switch on the laser module itself has to be switched on. The key switch of
the laser has to be set to 1 to be able to control the laser via SW.
2. When starting the Software and opening the Laser tool window the laser can be in three states:
a. In case the laser is set to Off via the power switch on the laser power supply, the system SW
provides a time out error with the message: "Hardware Argon Laser not found. Please check
the main switch on the laser electronics." The status report in the Laser Properties panel of
the Laser tool window shows the status Not connected.
-> In this case turn the power switch of the laser power supply to On.
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CHAPTER 1 - SYSTEM OPERATION
Left Tool Area and Hardware Control Tools
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Diode lasers
The LSM 880 can be equipped with Diode 440
and / or Diode 405 lasers that can be used in
continuous wavelength (cw) mode or in pulsed (ps)
mode (Fig. 88).
Selection of the mode is available in the Mode
pull down menu in the Laser properties menu
(Fig. 89).
You can select between Continuous Wave or
Pulsed - 20 MHz, Pulsed - 50 MHz and Pulsed -
80 MHz mode.
The diode lasers are directly modulated. They can
be further attenuated once a pulse frequency is
selected by ticking the ND04 check box, which will
place a neutral density filter in front of the lasers.
Please note that pulsed modes were specifically
designed for Fluorescence Lifetime Microscopy
(FLIM) and should be preferentially used for this
application. Since laser powers in the pulsed mode
are substantially less than in the cw mode, the
pulsed mode is not suitable for bleaching
experiments. Also signal-to-noise ratios in intensity
imaging are less in the pulsed mode compared to
cw operation, hence the cw mode should be
chosen for high quality imaging.
LSM 880
10/2014 V_01