My Collection

From: Dave McGuire <mcguire_at_neurotica.com>
Date: Fri Apr 13 14:42:57 2001

On April 13, John Foust wrote:
> Isn't it a bit finicky when it comes to vacuum pumps,
> cryogenics, etc.? After hanging out on the microscopy list,
> I get the impression that even though people seem to be
> giving away old electron microscopes as often as people
> give away old mainframes, they'd be a bit hard to
> maintain for home use.

  Not at all. Cryo setups are almost never really needed, unless
you're running a cold trap on your vacuum system or an Xray detector.
And there's nothing finicky about vacuum pumps...get a decent one,
turn it on, and it just works.

  I'd say taht, for the adventurous hobbyist, an SEM at home is a very
doable thing. I've had mine for about a year and have learned a great
deal and had a huge amount of fun.

  What microscopy list are you talking about? Sounds like something I
ought to be on.

    -Dave McGuire
Received on Fri Apr 13 2001 - 14:42:57 BST