I second this opinion. At the end of next week our Pilatus 200K will be delivered. Soon after that I will be able to report on its characteristics.
But really, Boaz nailed it: reliability and service are very important. It does not matter how good something is on paper if you cannot keep it running. And with this e-mail I think it is clear what my recommendation was to our department and I am pleased that the recommendation was followed. Exactly as Boaz suggests, it was based in significant part on consideration of reliability and quality of service. It is to be noted that reliability of instruments and quality of service could vary from region to region, that is, good service in the US may and may not translate to good service elsewhere. It would be good to do a "regional poll" for this.
Having said all this, it is my impression that the newer technology has fewer moving parts and therefore should be expected to be more reliable. But I don't know that for sure, please ask again in 3-5 years. :-)
Mark
-----Original Message-----
From: Boaz Shaanan <[log in to unmask]>
To: CCP4BB <[log in to unmask]>
Sent: Tue, Apr 30, 2013 2:53 pm
Subject: Re: [ccp4bb] detectors on home sources
One of the main things (if not THE main thing) to worry about when investing in such expensive equipment is long-time reliability and quality of service in your place. Nothing is more frustrating than seeing your wonderful and expensive equipment standing idle for long periods because of lack of service. This may mean quite often taking compromises and going perhaps not for the front-line state-of-art piece of equipment but rather for the sturdy, hard-working equipment. It worked for us very well.
My 2p advice.
Boaz
Boaz Shaanan, Ph.D.
Dept. of Life Sciences
Ben-Gurion University of the Negev
Beer-Sheva 84105
Israel
E-mail: [log in to unmask]
Phone: 972-8-647-2220 Skype: boaz.shaanan
Fax: 972-8-647-2992 or 972-8-646-1710
From: CCP4 bulletin board [[log in to unmask]] on behalf of Fareed Aboul-Ela [[log in to unmask]]
Sent: Tuesday, April 30, 2013 10:00 PM
To: [log in to unmask]
Subject: [ccp4bb] detectors on home sources
I'm involved in advising my institute on an X-ray home source for a core facility. The vendors are offering some new configurations. Whatever the claimed advantages/disadvantages, I'm hesitant to make a decision without consulting someone with direct experience with them. In particular, has anyone had any experience with using the "photon100" CMOS detector being offered by Bruker, or the "pilatus 200K" detector being offered by Rigaku? I'd also appreciate hearing from anyone with experience with the latest Bruker microfocus rotating anode generator (called the Turbo or TXS)?
Many thanks for sharing your experiences.
Fareed Aboul-ela
Associate Professor
Zewail University
Zewail City of Science and Technology
Giza, Egypt
[log in to unmask]
