Leica VT100 A - Manuals

7 Leica VT1000 A 2. Safety Warnings – Markings on the instrument itself • Warning labels on the instrument marked with a warning triangle indicate that the correct operating instructions (as defined in this Operating Manual) must be followed when operating or replacing the item marked. Failure to ad...

8 Operating Manual V 1.1 – 01/2010 2. Safety Warnings – Operating the instrument • Take care when handling disposable blades and sapphire blades. The cutting edge is extremely sharp and can cause serious injuries! Always wear work safety shoes and safety gloves! • Always clamp the specimen block BEF...

9 Leica VT1000 A 3. Instrument Components and Specifications 3.1 Overview — instrument components Fig. 3 Fuses Instrument feet Connection Power cable Adjustment knobs for the sectioning window Connection for footswitch Foot switch ON/OFF Drainage valve for liquid from the Vibratome tray Power switch...

10 Operating Manual V 1.1 – 01/2010 3. Instrument Components and Specifications 3.2 Technical data General Approvals: The instrument-specific approval marks are located on the identification label. Operating temperature range: +10 °C to +35 °C Relative humidity: max. 80% non-condensing Operating tem...

11 Leica VT1000 A 4. Setup the Instrument 4.1 Standard delivery The standard equipment of the Leica VT1000 A is available in 3 variants and includes the following parts: 1. STARTER PACKAGE 1 Specimen Tray (includes V-block adapter) ................................... 39053744 1 Specimen Blocks, (3 b...

12 Operating Manual V 1.1 – 01/2010 4. Setup the Instrument 4.2 Installation site requirements • Stable, vibration-free laboratory bench with horizontal, even stage plate; practically vibration-free floor. • No other instruments nearby which might cause vibrations.• Room temperature consistently bet...

13 Leica VT1000 A 4. Setup the Instrument Fig. 6 4.3 Unpacking and setting up the instrument • First check the shipment for external damages upon arrival. • If it is evident that the shipment was damaged during transport, please make a claim to the carrier immediately. • Ensure that the instrument i...

14 Operating Manual V 1.1 – 01/2010 4. Setup the Instrument 4.4.1 Checking the performance requirements The Vibratome VT1000 A is available in different versions for operation with different supply voltage. Before connecting the instrument to the power supply, check to make sure that the product num...

15 Leica VT1000 A 4. Setup the Instrument Severe damage may occur if the in- strument is connected to a power sup- ply voltage other than that to which it was originally set. The power supply voltage for the in- strument is factory preset and CAN- NOT be altered by the user. The Leica VT1000 A MUST ...

16 Operating Manual V 1.1 – 01/2010 Fig. 8 4. Setup the Instrument 4.5 Connecting the foot switch The standard scope of delivery of the "Profes- sional" and "Professional Gold" instrument ver- sions include a foot switch ( 18 , Fig. 8 ) that can be connected to the rear side of the i...

18 Operating Manual V 1.1 – 01/2010 4. Setup the Instrument • Insert the deluxe specimen tray into the in - stalled u-frame bracket so that the slotted cam screw ( 28 ) for fastening the specimen disks is at the front left ( Fig. 13 ). • Then screw the specimen bath securely in place using the clamp...

19 Leica VT1000 A 4. Setup the Instrument Fig. 17 4.7 Assembling the specimen vice assembly • The specimen vice assembly ( 34, Fig. 16 ) is assembled inside the main specimen bath ( 23, Fig. 15 ). • Insert the cheese head screw ( 35 ) into the bore of the specimen stage ( 27 ) and tighten it using a...

20 Operating Manual V 1.1 – 01/2010 4. Setup the Instrument 4.7.1 Inserting the round specimen tray The round specimen tray ( 45 ) can be installed in place of the specimen block. It enables easy separation of buffer solution and ice that can accumulate in the main specimen bath. Always remove the b...

21 Leica VT1000 A 4. Setup the Instrument 43 Fig. 25 4.7.2 Assembling the rotating stage assembly The rotating stage assembly allows for simple position correction of the specimen surface when the specimen is glued in place. • To do so, first remove the specimen vice as - sembly ( 34, Fig. 16 ) by f...

22 Operating Manual V 1.1 – 01/2010 11 Fig. 26 Fig. 27 13 4.8 Assembling the magnifier 4. Setup the Instrument 14 • Move the lamp carrier ( 10, in Fig. 27 ) on the instrument out by pulling it forwards. • The bottom of the lamp carrier has two notches ( 12 ), one each on the left and right. • Instal...

23 Leica VT1000 A 5. Operation 5.1 Operating elements and their functions5.1.1 The control panel 5.1.2 The operating elements Light switch Display Rotary knob SPEED Height adjustment of the specimen stage PAUSE Switch DIRECTIONAL SWITCH Direction of cutting head Section thickness Sectioning switch A...

24 Operating Manual V 1.1 – 01/2010 5. Operation The operating elements (continued) This switch and its three switch positions (upper, center, lower) con- trol the movement direction of the cutting head. • Push the switch upwards to start the sectioning cycle. The sec - tioning blade will advance fo...

25 Leica VT1000 A 5. Operation The operating elements (continued) Fig. 32 AMPLITUDE rotary knob This knob controls the relative amplitude of the lateral excursion of the sectioning blade vibratory movements. • In the zero position (‘ 0 ‘) or during the retraction movement of the cutting head, the bl...

26 Operating Manual V 1.1 – 01/2010 5. Operation 53 The operating elements (continued) THICKNESS switch The THICKNESS switch defines the desired section thickness for au- tomatic mode in microns. • The parameter selected for this value is indicated in the LED dis - play above the switch, the display...

27 Leica VT1000 A 5. Operation The operating elements (continued) MODE switch The MODE switch serves to toggle between the manual, single and automatic modes. Switch position: MANUAL • The instrument works in manual mode only; the LED display is not illuminated. The section thickness must be adjuste...

28 Operating Manual V 1.1 – 01/2010 5. Operation 5.2.1 Adjusting the blade presentation angle • The accessories include a blade angle indi - cator ( 46 ) for this purpose. • To read the blade angle using this indicator, hold the angle indicator against the left side of the blade holder. The notch ( ...

29 Leica VT1000 A 5. Operation Fig. 42 5.2.2 Adjusting the specimen and blade Positioning the specimen in the specimen holder You can adjust the lateral position of the speci- men in order to attain an approximate centering of the specimen in the specimen tray. Since one of the jaws of the specimen ...

30 Operating Manual V 1.1 – 01/2010 5. Operation In some cases, e.g. for large specimens, it is necessary to move the blade holder ( 50 ) on the mounting bar.When the width of a large specimen is approxi- mately the same as the sectioning blade edge length, the lateral positioning of the sectioning ...

32 Operating Manual V 1.1 – 01/2010 Fig. 47 Adjustable sectioning window (continued) • First, adjust the front limit switch that is on the front side of the instrument. • To do so, release the knob ( 57. 1 ) with the blade fully retracted and move it into the de- sired position. • As soon as the swi...

35 Leica VT1000 A When the instrument is switched on for the first time, the blade is automatically moved back in operating state "B" and stopped in state "C".Each sectioning cycle needs only to be initiated by the operator. Once state "A" is activated, the sectioning blade w...

38 Operating Manual V 1.1 – 01/2010 5. Operation The surfaces onto which the specimens are attached must be clean, dry and free of adhesive residue from previous applications. The specimen mounting blocks specimen tray, and deluxe specimen bath have a hard sur- face coating that should not be impair...

39 Leica VT1000 A 5. Operation If the specimen requires a larger surface, you can use specimen tray (39053744) or the deluxe specimen bath (39053745). Specimens small enough to fit on a surface of a specimen mounting block can be affixed directly. The specimen mounting block is then clamped i n t o ...

40 Operating Manual V 1.1 – 01/2010 Be careful when handling the dispos- able blades or sapphire knife. The cutting edge is extremely sharp and can cause serious injuries. Before inserting a blade, the specimen to be section should be attached to the specimen plate (clamped into place or affixed) to...

41 Leica VT1000 A 5. Operation The speed and amplitude should be set to "0" initially. Then, advance the blade until it almost touches the specimen. For this purpose, briefly push the direction switch upwards. With the sectioning blade close to the specimen, their relative heights may be gau...

42 Operating Manual V 1.1 – 01/2010 5.5 Preparing the specimen bath The purpose of the specimen bath is four-fold: to lubricate the blade dur- ing the sectioning operation, to prevent the specimen from heating up or drying out, to increase or maintain desired features of the specimen and to allow ef...

43 Leica VT1000 A After the specimen has been trimmed to create a flat specimen surface, the preparations for actual sectioning can be carried out. The procedure consists of generating a few sections at the final parameter settings and section thickness. This is intended to compensate for the effect...

44 Operating Manual V 1.1 – 01/2010 Sections generated may be retrieved from the specimen bath by various means. For microscopic applications, the section may be delivered to a glass slide by aspirating the section with a small glass dropper if doing so does not damage the specimen. In some cases, u...

45 Operating Manual V 1.1 – 01/2010 6. Cleaning and Maintenance 6.1 Cleaning the instrument • Always remove the blade before detaching the blade holder from the instrument! • Always keep the sapphire blades in the box when not in use! • Never place used blades on the laboratory table - dispose of th...

46 Operating Manual V 1.1 – 01/2010 Specimen bath area After sectioning is completed, the specimen bath, specimen holder and sectioning blade holder should be cleansed of any bath solution residue. Any water-soluble solvent may be used unless it corrodes parts made of polypropylene or nitrile rubber...

47 Leica VT1000 A 6. Cleaning and Maintenance When used normally, the Vibratome VT1000 A requires only standard maintenance. To ensure trouble-free operation of the instrument over a long period of time, the following is recommended by Leica: • Thoroughly clean the instrument on a daily basis.• From...

48 Operating Manual V 1.1 – 01/2010 6.3 Replacing components6.3.1 Fuse If the instrument fails to function completely, first check for power avail- ability at the power outlet. The instrument fuse(s) located at the rear of the instrument should be checked next. Before removing the fuse, pull the POW...

49 Leica VT1000 A 7. Optional Accessories 7.1 Ordering information Specimen mounting block, 3 per package .......................................... 39053747Specimen adhesive ................................................................................. 39053986LED light ............................