thanks to all who sent us ideas for fixing our sticking bellows. Every
nook and cranny of the mechanical system is now clean and lubricated, a
worthwhile effort. However, the problem turned out to be electronics; an
intermittantly poor connection on the BMG board to a perfectly functioning
IC chip. The stepping motor was sometimes only receiving part of the wave
form it needed to open, but usually all of the signals required for
closing the bellows were being sent; a real pain to find.

thanks again,

David Wilbur              206-685-9288
Stable Isotope Lab        206-685-2366
School of Oceanography    206-685-3351 fax
Box 357940                [log in to unmask]
Univ. of Washington
Seattle, WA 98195-7940 USA
http://www.ocean.washington.edu/research/sil/index.html