Requirements

These are suggestions, for people who want numbers…

The microscope should be installed in a room with a closable door that is climate controlled. Room lights should be turned off during microscope operation.

There should be 0.5 m of space on all sides of the air table.

The acquisition computer should be set up on a separate desk next to the air table.

It is recommended to have shelves either above the air table behind the user-facing direction or else underneath the air table for placing the laser, controller, etc.

The room temperature should be controlled within +/- 0.5 °C at all times. If the room deviates from this, 5 hours of stabilization is recommend for every °C of deviation. Having an enclosure around the microscope can mitigate effects of changing room temperature. AC cooling capacity of 1000 W is usually adequate (depends on cameras and laser).

The microscope should be placed away from vents or other sources of air flow.

The microscope should be installed in a quiet room; sounds waves are vibratory and can couple to the instrument and impact image quality. It is recommended to have noise < 50 dB where the instrument is placed.

The microscope should be installed on an air table with at least 90% isolation at 10 Hz (-20 dB). The smallest recommended air table is 750 x 900 mm.

The microscope does not normally require any electromagnetic shielding.

About 10 standard AC plugs are required depending on the specifics of the microscope. It is recommended to have dedicated outlets for the laser launch and computer; other items can be on power strips.