Static Electricity Precautions; Maintaining Detector Dewars - Thermo Scientific Nicolet Series User Manual

Static Electricity Precautions

Maintaining Detector Dewars

Thermo Scientific
Critical components in your instrument can be permanently damaged by static electricity. To
help prevent such damage, follow these recommendations:
NOTICE
• Before you disconnect the power supply, always discharge any static electricity you
may have accumulated by touching the metal base of your instrument.
• Do not touch any printed circuit board in the instrument (such as the circuit board
on the detector).
• Do not remove replacement components from their protective packaging until you
are ready to install that component in the instrument.
If your instrument has a cooled detector, it will include a detector dewar. With proper care, a
detector dewar should maintain its insulating vacuum for many years. If the vacuum leaks, the
insulation will lose effectiveness and the following symptoms may occur:
• Liquid nitrogen boils off much faster than usual.
• The outside of the dewar stays cold more than 30 minutes after filling and may feel damp
or become frosted.
• Water and atmospheric contaminants condensing on the detector window show up in
spectra as unwanted peaks.
NOTICE If your instrument shows any of these symptoms, the detector dewar may have
a vacuum leak. Contact us immediately for assistance. Leaving internal detector elements
exposed to atmospheric pressure can permanently damage them.
Note You can restore the vacuum in a detector dewar if you have the proper equipment.
The vacuum must be pumped to approximately 5x10
pumping out dewars is available from us. To order a dewar evacuation valve, contact us.
Maintaining Your Instrument
Static Electricity Precautions
-8
torr. A special evacuation valve for
Nicolet iS20 User Guide 21