[sudo-discuss] scanning electron microscope

[Chris Murphy]

Everything Jake said is correct but I would add that Noisebridge has licked the vibration problem by building the cantilevered shelf. Our latest problem is that we need a sputter coater and that we have a lot of bad apples degenerating the tools and burdening the community with problems. If we could solve this latter problem, there would be a lot more incentive to pour human energy into the SEM room. I haven't given up on building out our SEM room, I've just had to prioritize my life around the ambitions that I think will be most successful or productive.  We need to solve some big problems with Noisebridge before getting entangled in the minutia of building a science lab among the chaos. In some ways, solving the social problems at Noisebridge are a more challenging and interesting problem set than the science lab. 

I will be happy to help with the sudo room SEM, especially if they get a sputter coater. In fact, we only need one sputter coater to share between hacker spaces. I guess we could just have a bake sale and buy one for $1500 to $3k. 

Chris

Sent from my iPhone

On Jun 11, 2013, at 13:15, Jake <jake at spaz.org> wrote:

> I'm sure that Dr. X would be very pleased if it went to Counter Culture Labs.  He just wants it to be understood and appreciated, rather than sitting neglected.  CCL should hurry up and buy the church building before the price goes up on it, and I can help transport it.
> 
> It is basically an equipment rack and a cart of accessories, so it doesn't take up a ton of room.  But it's good to be able to set the microscope and vacuum pump on different structures so that the vibration of the pump doesn't shake the scope.  Also, to take higher resolution pictures it will be necessary to construct an analog data importer but that will likely just be a computer with a slightly modified sound card and some software.
> 
> keep in mind that to view organic (nonmetallic) things you will need a gold sputterer.
> 
> -jake
> 
> On Tue, 11 Jun 2013, Ryan Bethencourt wrote:
> 
>> Hi Jake,
>> I'd be very happy to help transport the scanning electron microscope and if
>> it can't fit into Sudo Room, I'd also love to float the idea of potentially
>> housing it at Counter Culture Labs (the Sudo room DIY Bio offshoot) when we
>> eventually open up. Any thoughts?
>> How big is the SEM (I know some of them can be huge which might prohibit
>> location)?
>> All the best,
>> Ryan
>> Best,
>> Ryan
>> On Sun, Jun 9, 2013 at 6:33 PM, Jake <jake at spaz.org> wrote:
>>      sudoroom is being offered a scanning electron microscope (by Dr.
>>      X).
>> 
>>      it comes with all the stuff and actually works, but it requires
>>      a bit of knowledge to operate it.  unfortunately Mr. X is not
>>      available to train us how to operate it, however Chris Murphy
>>      may be available and knows how it works.
>> 
>>      It would take up about 30 square feet of space including the
>>      place where the operators sit or stand.  It is not computerized
>>      like the one at Pumping Station One, it is an analog machine.
>>       Pictures can be taken at high resolution by long-exposure photo
>>      of the CRT on the front of the machine, or we can build an
>>      analog data importer to reconstruct images at much higher
>>      resolution if we desire.
>> 
>>      The cash price of this SEM is $10 in gas and tolls, I will
>>      provide the vehicle and movement.  The rest of the price of the
>>      machine in blood and sacrifice is in the time and energy to
>>      learn its intricicies and idiosynchracies while learning about
>>      vacuum pumps and vacuum oil, and how not to let vacuum oil
>>      contaminate your vacuum and get all over your filament.
>> 
>>      https://noisebridge.net/wiki/SEM
>> 
>>      ironically, one of the reasons it doesn't work as well at
>>      noisebridge is because the whole place shakes when the city
>>      buses ride by.  and sudoroom is apparently directly over the
>>      bart tunnel so i wonder how different it will be.
>> 
>>      -jake
>>      _______________________________________________
>>      sudo-discuss mailing list
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>> --
>> Ryan Bethencourt
>> Tel: (415) 825 2705
>> ryan.bethencourt at gmail.com
>> www.bamh1.com
>> www.linkedin.com/in/bethencourt
>> www.logos-press.com/books/biotechnology_business_development.php