FAQ on the Leica CM1950
Clinical cryostat family for high quality sectioning, user safety, and efficient workflow

Please refer also to the other FAQ categories on Cryosectioning.
   
01.   What is the CryoZone™?
   
  1. The CryoZone™ system ensures that uniformly cold air flows continuously over critical areas of the cryochamber.
  2. Cold air flows directly from the evaporator onto the blade/ knife holder ensuring that the set temperature read more ...
02.   Is it possible to retrofit a second compressor or motor drive?
   
  1. No, it is not possible to retrofit a second compressor or motor drive.
  2. The desired instrument configuration must be specified when ordered.
03.   Is there a way to tell how many hours a UVC bulb has been used?
   
  1. There is no visible indication of how many hours the UVC bulb has been used.
  2. When the bulb needs to be replaced/exchanged the two LEDs on the UVC activation button will blink/flash.
04.   How long is the recommended lifetime of the UVC bulb?
   
  1. The expected lifetime of a UVC bulb is approximately 12,000 hours.
  2. The two LEDs on the UVC activation button will blink/flash after 9,000 hours of bulb use. This built in safety margin ensures that the stated maximum germic read more ...
05.   How often must the HEPA filter be exchanged?
   
  • The HEPA filter must be exchanged every 3 months.
  • There is no visible indicator on the instrument alerting the user to exchange the filter.
06.   What are the advantages of the Leica CM1950?
   
  1. The CryoZone™ system ensures that a zone of uniformly cold air flows continuously over critical areas of the cryochamber. The cold air flows directly from the evaporator onto the blade/knife holder and anti-roll guide, maintain read more ...
07.   How long does it take to cool down a CM1950?
   
  1. To ensure the optimum cutting environment it is recommended to cool the CM1950 at least 5 hours from ambient to -25 °C or 8 hours from ambient to -35 °C prior to use.
  2. It is important that all accessories are pre-cooled befor read more ...
08.   Why does the compressor for the object cooling not start simultaneously with the compressor for the cabinet cooling when switching on the Leica CM1950?
   
  1. After turning on the cryostat, the compressor for the cabinet cooling will cool the cabinet down to -5 °C before the second compressor, for object cooling, can be activated.
  2. Activation of object cooling is delayed to ensure read more ...
09.   Why is the operating time of the Peltier element limited to 10 minutes only?
   
  1. A Peltier element (electrical cooling) always has two sides – a cold and a warm side.
  2. The cold side is used to quickly freeze the specimens.
  3. The heat produced on the warm side has to be dissipated.
  4. The longer read more ...
10.   Can the UVC disinfection system be used to inactivate RNase in the cryostat cabinet?
   
  1. UVC does not inactivate RNase, a protein.
  2. RNA, a nucleic acid, strongly absorbs UVC and is rapidly degraded (this is the reason why the germicidal activity of UVC is so effective against RNA viruses).
  3. The only way t read more ...