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Andor Getting Started Guide

Thank you for purchasing or demoing one of our products, we want to support you to get the best out of your product from day one. Please use the Pre-Arrival guide to get your laboratory or workstation prepared for the arrival of your camera or spectrograph product and get up and running as quickly as possible on delivery.

The post-arrival sections outline what you can expect to receive with your product and offer useful links for getting started and accessing resources and support.

Pre-Arrival

Prepare your laboratory or workstation

  • Check that your table, workstation, and laboratory set up will be able to support the weight of the product. Product weights are provided in the specifications and user guides.
  • Check that you have enough space on your table or laboratory work bench for the product; product dimensions are supplied in the specifications and user guides.
  • Check that the location has a suitable power source located nearby. It is recommended to use power supplies with separate Ground connection for your Andor equipment when working in environments with high power pulsed instrumentation / sources.
  • Consider how far your cables will need to reach (avoiding strain on cable connectors or tight bends).
  • For microscopy cameras please consider how the camera will be mounted to the microscope. If you are unsure, please contact your Andor sales representative,

Check your Windows Operating system version

Check the Windows Operating system version on the PC on which you intend to run the product on, Andor currently support Windows 8, 8,1 and 10.

Which version of Windows operating system am I running? (microsoft.com).

Administration rights

Ensure you have administration rights on the PC you would like to use your Andor camera or spectrograph product on. Administration rights are required to install software such as Solis, SDK2 or SDK3.

Check your PC connection ports

Check the ports on your PC match with what is required for the camera or spectrograph. Mechanical drawings are supplied in the product specifications, and supplied components, including cables, are listed on the quick start guide or in the user guide available online at Andor Downloads - Oxford Instruments (oxinst.com).

Access Documentation

Access documentation ahead of the arrival of your product. Product Documentation is available online at Andor Downloads - Oxford Instruments (oxinst.com). Select from the Product dropdown, to filter and show relevant documentation. A full list of assets available in our downloads area with a brief description is shown below in Getting Started.

Post-Arrival

Unpacking and Set Up

  • Unpack your product and carefully check that everything has been supplied against items listed in your sales order.
  • Check the environmental conditions of your laboratory. If the laboratory is temperature and humidity controlled, ensure that the air conditioning is working and switched on from the time of reception of the equipment.
  • Ensure to use the power supply provided.
  • For spectrographs, ensure that the system is first placed in the experimental area at least a few hours prior to final setup (including calibration checks) to allow acclimatisation. If you have ordered an Andor instrument with interchangeable optics (e.g. spectrograph with multiple grating turrets), please ensure that you have access to an area suitable for safely storing optics.

Documentation Supplied with your Product

 Quick Start guide (if applicable to your product), printed copy in box and available online at Andor Downloads - Oxford Instruments (oxinst.com)

  • Performance sheet for your specific product is supplied.

Getting Started

The Quick Start Guide (if applicable to your product) will provide step by step instructions and guidance to get you started using your product. The QR code on the Quick Start Guide will link you to our welcome pages, which give a great overview of the range of resources we have available to help you get started with your Andor or Imaris product.

Welcome - Andor - Oxford Instruments (oxinst.com)

Welcome - Imaris - Oxford Instruments (oxinst.com)

Select your product from the Andor Welcome page to view all assets applicable to your product in our Downloads area including, User Guides, Specifications, Compliance Documentation, Software and Software Drivers.

User Guides – Product guide, covering relevant safety information, installation instructions, product use, troubleshooting and advice on support. Ensure you read the safety and warning information provided in this document before beginning to use your product.

Specifications – Access up to date specification sheets for your product.

Quick Start Guide (if applicable for your product) – Provides a series of installation instructions to get you up and running as quickly as possible.

Compliance Documentation – Documentation including our Reach statement, WEEE policy, Product Declaration of Conformity, and other compliance related documentation,

Software Driver – A driver provides a software interface to our hardware devices, for example Andor’s driver packs are available to freely download.

Software – Control software, available to purchase for your camera or spectrograph such as Solis or Fusion. Please note to download such software, you will need to create an account and provide your serial number as proof of purchase.

Troubleshooting and Support

Troubleshooting support is in the user guide for your product available at Andor Downloads - Oxford Instruments (oxinst.com)

Additionally, a range of technical articles, case studies, application notes and webinars offering support on your product and application are available in our Learning centre Andor Learning Centre - Oxford Instruments (oxinst.com).

If you still need support, please contact our customer support team who will be happy to help with your request, Support - Andor - Oxford Instruments (oxinst.com)

Date: May 2022

Author: Dr Alan Mullan & Dr Aleksandra Marsh

Category: Technical Article

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