[Histonet] Repair of ultramicrotome

[Lee & Peggy Wenk]

Could someone recommend, or vendors reply to, my need for someone able to
repair a Sorvall Dupont MT 5000 ultramicrotome.

The Visutrac and the action of the block arm to coordinate is way off. In
other words, instead of slowing down during the interval where the diamond
knife edge is, the block arm will:
- sometimes slow down, 
- sometimes continue at the same speed, 
- sometimes slow down in the area above or below the knife edge but go at
the fast speed at the knife edge, 
and, to make it even more fun
- sometimes the block arm will reverse direction - go UP instead of
continuing down, but just right around the knife edge.

Sort of fascinating to watch, as you never know what it is going to do. But
this makes it impossible to cut sections. 

We've tried turning the ultramicrotome on and off, and changed the Visutrac
setting, and altered the nanometer thickness (600 angstroms and 1 um) -
nothing seems to make a difference. I'm guessing it's a "computer glitch" in
the machine, and I'm not about it try to open up the ultramicrome to fix it
(coward, I know).

If you could email it to my work address (pwenk <@t> beaumont.edu), instead of
just replying to this email (home), I would get your reply faster.

Thanks in advance. I'm hoping the Histonetters can come through for me on
this, as you have on other of my requests. Don't you just love this
community?

Peggy A. Wenk, HTL(ASCP)SLS
William Beaumont Hospital
Royal Oak, MI 48073