Guidelines for use of DaMBIC equipment

New users

All users, even experienced ones, must be trained by DaMBIC staff before using any microscope for the first time. A new user will always start with full support. New users should place their sessions within normal working hours due to access to support.

General conduct

No kinds of food are allowed inside the microscope rooms or labs.

The red lights in the hallway can be activated just inside the door in each room. A red light means that you should not enter the room directly without first communicating with the person inside. Knock on the door and ask if you can enter. The red lights cannot be used as a means to e.g. keeping your experiment in the dark overnight.

Do you best to leave the microscopes, laboratory and other spaces at DaMBIC clean and ready for the next user. Please notify DaMBIC staff if you see any irregularities.

Fill out the log book before and after your session.

Microscope objectives

The objective is the most crucial (and most expensive) part of a microscope. It is also the one most easily damaged, so take extra good care of the objectives! This means:

Pay close attention to how the stage moves in relation to the objective. Do not work with the microscope if you are in a hurry as this increases the risk of accidents with damage to the objective and/or microscope.

After use, you must carefully clean any oil/water objectives according to the instructions in the DaMBIC training. This is important as residues from e.g. old oil can harden and be difficult to remove. Inform DaMBIC staff if you spill something or find hard-to-remove residues on any objective.

As a general advice, use the escape button (often labeled "ESC" and typically located on the microscope front) when changing sample or sample holder or when changing the type of objective. This moves the objective further away and reduces risks of collision.

Support

If you have any doubts on how to use the microscope and you cannot find the answer in the microscope instructions of use, please contact the center manager.