user meeting

[leidich at mbcl.rutgers.edu]

So far we have 26 votes for a users meeting most wanting to meet immediately
before or immediately after the ACA meeting.  After the meeting is bad, 
everyone want to get back home.  Before sounds good to me.  Of those 
speaking against the meeting I have been told they learn all the things
I spoke of during the informal meetings over dinner etc.  I know that is a 
good way to pick up tricks but a formal written report is more powerful.  For 
example busy labs are saving thousands of dollars on the rebuilt filaments
I found 4 years ago.  I asked to have a message about them published in 
the ACA Newsletter and was refused.  

If a formal meeting does not materialize would the users support a nuts and 
bolts newsletter that might help others.  We could use the ACA mailing list.
It would have to be very informal with no required references or format 
but rather a short writeup on a subject with the name of the author to whom
one might respond.  

Is this a solution to the meeting?


Here are a other money saving tips:

Water seals for RU 200 for under $5
Keep you vacuum system supper clean by use special roughing pump oil
Purge the machine with dry air during filament changes.
Anode drive belts under $4.00  
shutter lights how to eliminate taking the machine apart to change a bulb.

Interlocks to prevent goniostat collisions

why use stainless steel screws inside a vacuum system when steel screws can be
picked up with a magnet if dropped.

rebuilding anodes by vacuum depositions

vibration isolation  

software upgrade to SDMS area detectors