[Histonet] Repair of ultramicrotome

[Philip Oshel]

Peggy,

This is the same microtome as the RMC MT-5000. RMC bought the 
DuPont/Sorvall line in the middle of the MT-5000 production run. 
There were some minor changes, but nothing RMC can't handle. (RMC was 
then bought by Boeckler Instruments. They also distribute Bal-Tec.)
http://www.baltec-rmc.com/cms/index.cfm/path/17933/26003/
This should get you to the service contact page. You can also call 
(520) 745-0001 -- ask for Dave Roberts, he runs the EM products group.
I've always found RMC to be very helpful and good with their customer support.
I've opened and worked on a RMC MT-5000. And gave up. It's not a 
great machine. If you can it would be better to buy one of their new 
PowerTomes. If you can't ... the problem isn't likely to be a 
computer glitch. Unless yours is very different, there isn't a 
computer, just mechanical parts and sensors, some integrated 
circuits, but no software or the like. Might be a fried IC at that ...

Phil

>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

-- 
Philip Oshel
Microscopy Facility Supervisor
Biology Department
024C Brooks Hall
Central Michigan University
Mt. Pleasant, MI 48859