FAQ - Frequently Asked Questions

1. Mounting the Xenon Lamp

  WARNING:

  • When handling the Xenon lamp, be sure to wear protective gears, such as protective mask, long sleeve shirt of bulky material, and gloves. High pressure gas is contained in the Xenon lamp. The lamp, therefore, may burst and fragments of broken glass flying all over the floor, if any strong impact is given to the Xenon lamp, or surface of the glass portion is scratched.

  • When opening the cover of the light source compartment, be sure to turn OFF the power switch and disconnect the power cable. When the lamp comes on, high voltage of approx. 30 kV is applied to + pole of the Xenon lamp and this high voltage is dangerous. In addition, just after turning OFF the power switch, voltage is applied to the Xenon lamp by the electric charge. In order to prevent electric shock, leave the lamp five minutes or more after turning off the power, then open the cover of light source compartment.
  • The Xenon lamp is excessively hot just after it was turned OFF. Cool the lamp completely before it is replaced. It takes about one hour to cool the Xenon lamp after turning off the power to the lamp. Or, it takes about 30 minutes if only the Xenon lamp was put out by using the ON/OFF switch at the right side of the unit when the power to the unit is supplied.

 

 CAUTION: While installing the lamp, do not touch the bulb with bare fingers. If any fingerprints remain on the bulb, remove them with gauze moistened with ethyl alcohol or the special cleaning agent supplied with the lamp. Finger oil remaining on the bulb can become baked onto the bulb when the lamp is lit, possibly causing the lamp to burst.

 

  1) Loosen the two mounting screws on the cover of the lamp housing, and remove the cover.

   

  2) Loosen the fixing screws on the slide plate. Shift the sliding plate to expose the inside of the lamp housing.

   

  3) Insert the screwdriver for fixing the lamp (standard accessory) into the opening provided for that purpose along the guide tube. Loosen the lamp fixing screw by turning it counterclockwise.

   

  4) Remove the Xenon lamp from its shipping case, and remove the knurled screws on the positive and negative sides.

   

  5) Direct the black or red mark on the cement part of the negative side of the lamp toward the lamp fixing screw, and then insert the lamp into the light source compartment.

   

  CAUTION: Do not confuse the positive side of the lamp with the negative side when installing the lamp. If the instrument is powered ON with the lamp installed in the wrong direction, it will be damaged.

  6) Insert the screwdriver into the opening again, and turn the lamp fixing screw clockwise to secure the lamp in position.

   

  CAUTION: 
    Pulling the positive electrode side with the power cord may damage the lamp while it is lighting up.
    When securing the terminal of the positive electrode with the knurled screw, make sure that the power cord at the positive side is a little slack.
    Tighten the knurled screw by hand only. Using a tool such as a wrench may damage the lamp.

  7) Close the sliding plate, and secure it with the fixing screws.

   
  8) Connect the power cord terminal for the positive electrode with the positive end of the cord. Secure the terminal to the lamp with the knurled screw.

  9) Install the cover of the lamp housing. Now the installation of the Xenon lamp is complete.

 

2. Adjusting the Lamp Position

  The lamp position must be adjusted according to the Raman spectrum obtained with distilled water.
  This adjustment must be performed when installing the Xenon lamp for the first time and when replacing a lamp.
  Make sure that the instrument has been powered ON for at least 30 minutes before performing this adjustment.

2.1 Coarse-adjustment of Lamp Position
  1) Click the <Go to WL> button at the bottom of the screen, and select 500 nm (green light) as the excitation wavelength.

   

  2) Open the lid of the sample compartment. Place a sheet of white paper as illustrated. The excitation monochromator should be emitting a green light beam.

   

  3) Adjust the screw for horizontal positioning of the lamp so that the beam spot on the white paper is of maximum brightness.

   

  NOTE: Be sure to adjust the horizontal position of the lamp first. Adjusting the vertical position first may cause the light beam to deviate and make it impossible to correctly position the lamp.

  4) Similarly, adjust the screw for vertical positioning of the lamp.

   

  5) Remove the white paper, and load a cell containing distilled water into a cell holder. Then, close the lid.

 

2.2 Fine-adjustment of Lamp Position
  1) Load a cell containing distilled water into the cell holder, and close the lid.
  2) Select "Instrument" from the Configure menu. The Instrument dialog box will appear. Click the button from the [Lamp Align] option in the dialog box. The Lamp Alignment dialog box will appear.

   

  3) Adjust the screw for horizontal positioning of the lamp until the intensity indication is at maximum.

  4) In the same manner, adjust the screw for vertical positioning of the lamp.

 

3. Resetting the Lamp Time Used

  NOTE: Be sure to always zero the lamp time used after installing the lamp for the first time and when replacing a lamp.

  1) Select "Instrument" from the Configure menu. The Instrument dialog box will appear. Click the <Perform> button of the [Lamp Align] option in the dialog box. The Lamp Align dialog box will appear.

    (This step is not necessary if the resetting procedure immediately follows the procedure described in the previous section.)
  2) Click the <Reset> button in the dialog box.