[apt4ssx8] Re: [OT] reminiscences, was Re: Re: APT4 documentation
- From: dave <dengvall@xxxxxxxxxxx>
- To: apt4ssx8@xxxxxxxxxxxxx
- Date: Mon, 4 Jun 2012 22:19:02 -0700
On Mon, 04 Jun 2012 23:20:34 -0400
"Kent A. Reed" <kentallanreed@xxxxxxxxx> wrote:
> On 6/4/2012 5:41 PM, dave wrote:
> > I was working on a similar project with a Cary 16 (UV-Vis) high
> > accuracy spectrophotometer. Very low drift really nice for enzyme
> > kinetics.
> Well, my first project at Argonne National Laboratory (that's -ory,
> not -ories like I typed last time; my fingers were at it again), even
> before I was actually being paid but just going out as a favor for a
> friend, was to make total spectral reflectance measurements on
> coupons of various candidate solar-energy collector materials. I
> lashed up a Beckman DK-something-or-other Spectrophotometer with a
> large (10-12 inch, can't recall) Gier Dunkle integrating sphere to
> get the data. Unfortunately, they wouldn't let me try to automate the
> data collection, so I had to spend weekends taking off data from the
> plots.
>
> When I came to NBS, the lab across the hall from my temporary office
> had a Cary-14 Spectrophotometer. It was a joy to me. Built like a
> battleship with the faint whir of meshed gear trains and spinning
> dials---almost like a WWII-vintage fire control computer.
> > This was supposed rescue
> > the Cary and keep us from spending 25K on a new machine. However,
> > the powers that be wanted more control so we dumped the machine and
> > bought a new machine.
>
> The same fate befell the Cary-14 I'm talking about. It was too
> mechanical, too gray, didn't have enough blinky lights! Never mind
> its specs, its reliability, the years of experience learning its
> quirks and hidden charms. Out it went to be replaced by an automated
> P-E spectrophotometer with attached P-E microcomputer. The repairman
> was in that lab at least once a month....
and it was by comparison a piece of junk.
Yuk! P-E's were OK if want approximate answers. 0.005 to -.01 A.
For years I would follow the PE repairman around to the hop labs and
check their instruments after calibration. They were not too bad short
term but ... well...
The reason we did the 11 for the 303 was that we were paying $1K/yr in
maintenance. We operated the next 10 years without any calls. I do
think it paid for itself both in maintenance and it the reliability of
the results.
Since I was about to retire I finally relented and bought a Varian AA
with attached microcomputer. Klutzy compared to what we had. I should
have hung on and just walked out the door, especially after what they
did to my lab information system.
The past is past, well almost.
>
> > Very few years after that it got wimpy about the same
> > time my SRM-2031 (#6) got loaned out so there was no way to
> > evaluate the new machine.
> > NIST was really helpful; we sent it back for
> > recalibration every year or two and they would calibrate at the
> > specific wavelengths we needed.
>
> We prided ourselves in being helpful, and not just with SRMs. Not
> only was it good for the reputation of the institution and the pride
> of the staff, but we often shaped good research agendas out of the
> recurring problems real folks were having.
The folks I dealt with were Bob ... Baldwin(?) ... retired to cut his
alfalfa. :-) and his successor ... Violet ..... Both were good.
The Varian-Cary service guy told about having to repair a Cary-14 that
was being loaded on a battleship when something broke and dumped it in
the drink. What a headache. They were nice wide range UV-Vis_nearIR
machines but not as accurate as the 16.
>
> >
> > Well it was fun while it lasted.
> >
> > Dave
> >
> > ps. I never did play politics well.
>
> Who of us did?
>
> Regards,
> Kent
>
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