From the big screen to the small screen, we look to moving pictures for new perspectives, entertainment, and even education. In scientific circles, we use videos to show processes, demonstrate products, and even illuminate research.

Cole-Parmer is busy adding titles to our video library as well. Our latest showcases the Masterflex^® L/S^® Analog Console Drive. If you’re wondering if this is the right peristaltic pump for your application, this video will answer many of your questions. Also available for viewing: the recent InnoCal Metrology Lab Tour and several instructional “how-to” videos. Though they are not necessarily epics ala Braveheart, but they may make your job easier.

One advanced option is the Flir T-620 ThermaCAM Advanced Industrial Thermal Imager with Voice Annotation and 4x digital zoom. It’s the industry’s leading high resolution camera with scalable Fusion (PIP) and touch screen display. It offers the highest accuracy of its class at 2% and has admirable features: it copies images and reports them to USB flash drives, offers instant in-camera multipage report generation, and has a Bluetooth^™ transmitter with METERLiNK^® wireless communication.

View the T-620 in this short video:

Take a look to see how these meters might enhance your lab:

When using pH meters or ion meters to measure ion concentration in a solution, it may be beneficial to have multiple standard values to calibrate your ion selective electrode.  Typically, begin with a 1000 parts per million (ppm) standard and dilute this down to a smaller value such as 100 ppm and further to 10 ppm or even further if a lower concentration is required.

This helpful video illustrates a stepwise dilution of a 1000 ppm standard down to 1 ppm.  This procedure is quite common, however overlooking steps in the process, using poor technique, or lacking organization can lead to errors.  It is especially critical to stay organized.

We would love to hear from you.  Tell us your stories of mishaps when performing a serial dilution, or share tips to stay organized when performing this technique.

Either way, you can test your fluoride level with the pocket fluoride tester from Extech, available through Cole-Parmer.  The Extech fluoride pocket tester is handheld  and easy to use. Anyone can use it to measure the concentration of fluoride in household tap water.

The Extech Waterproof FL700 Pocket Fluoride Tester is IP57-rated and designed for quick and accurate measurement of fluoride ions in drinking water and other aqueous samples.   Also, here’s a helpful video to illustrate how to calibrate the pocket fluoride tester and how to perform a quick test of fluoride ions in your water sample.

Let us know what you think.  Do you believe fluoride in tap water is harmful, or beneficial in reducing cavities?

Extech Waterproof FL700 Pocket Fluoride tester

Emissivity is a term representing a material’s ability to emit thermal radiation. Each material has a different emissivity.  A material’s emissivity can range from a theoretical 0.00 (completely not-emitting) to an equally-theoretical 1.00 (completely emitting); the emissivity often varies with temperature.  Silver is an example of a substance with low emissivity (emissivity coefficient of .02), whereas asphalt has a high emissivity coefficient of 0.98. 

To take a temperature measurement of an object, the thermographer will refer to the emissivity table to choose the emissivity value of the object, which is then entered into the camera. The camera’s algorithm will correct the temperature by using the emissivity to calculate a temperature that more closely matches the actual contact temperature of the object.

Advantages of thermography

Flir i3 Entry Level Thermal Imager

• It shows a visual picture so temperatures over a large area can be compared
• It is capable of catching moving targets in real time
• It is able to find deteriorating, i.e., higher temperature components prior to their failure
• It can be used to measure or observe in areas inaccessible or hazardous for other methods
• It is a non-destructive test method
• It can be used to find defects in shafts, pipes, and other metal or plastic parts^[
• It can be used to detect objects in dark areas

Applications

• Condition monitoring
• Digital infrared thermal imaging in health care
• Medical imaging
• Infrared mammography
• Thermology
• Veterinary Thermal Imaging
• Night vision
• Research
• Process control
• Nondestructive testing
• Surveillance in security, law enforcement and defence
• Chemical imaging
• Volcanology
• Building

Thermal imagers are ideal for use in applications where a visual indication of temperature variation may be helpful, such as troubleshooting electrical systems and machinery or doing a home energy audit. Thermal imaging is a non-contact technology that measures infrared wavelengths to determine temperatures from a safe distance. A thermal imager displays an image using different colors to represent different temperatures. Extech and Flir thermal imagers are fully radiometric which means they measure and store temperatures at every point in the image.The data can then be analyzed. With the highest accuracy for this class of thermal imagers at 2%, these imagers are perfect for identifying hot spots or a rise in temperature which often indicates that a problem exists or a failure could be imminent.

Cole-Parmer offers a wide assortment of thermal imaging cameras with a variety of features depending on your particular application or budget.

Flir i3 Entry Level Thermal Imagers

Timeline:

• Astronomer Sir William Herschel discovered infrared in 1800
• 1950-1960 Single Element Detectors (Line Images)
• 1970 Philips and English Electronic Valve (EEV) developed Pryo-Electric tube. First Naval Thermal Imager used by the Royal Navy for shipboard firefighting.
• 1978 Raytheon patented ferroelectric infrared detectors using on Barium Strontium Titanate (BST)
• Late 1980’s Microbolometer technology developed.

How it works:

Thermal imaging cameras convert the energy in the infrared wavelength (9,000 to 14,000 nanometers) into a visible light display, making it possible to view the environment without visible illumination. The thermal imaging camera performs a series of mathematical algorithms and builds a visible picture, usually in a JPG format. The image shows the viewer an approximation of the temperature at which the object is operating rather than detecting the actual temperature.

All objects above absolute zero emit thermal infrared energy, so thermal cameras can passively see all objects, regardless of ambient light. However, most thermal cameras only see objects warmer than -50°C.  The amount of radiation emitted by an object increases with temperature; therefore, thermography allows one to see variations in temperature.

If the object is radiating at a higher temperature than its surroundings, then power transfer will be taking place and power will be radiating from warm to cold following the principle stated in the Second Law of Thermodynamics. So if there is a cool area in the thermogram, that object will be absorbing the radiation emitted by the warm object. The ability of both objects to emit or absorb this radiation is called emissivity.

Thermal imagers are ideal for use in applications where a visual indication of temperature variation may be helpful, such as troubleshooting electrical systems and machinery or doing a home energy audit. Thermal imaging is a non-contact technology that measures infrared wavelengths to determine temperatures from a safe distance. A thermal imager displays an image using different colors to represent different temperatures. Extech and Flir thermal imagers are fully radiometric which means they measure and store temperatures at every point in the image.The data can then be analyzed. With the highest accuracy for this class of thermal imagers at 2%, these imagers are perfect for identifying hot spots or a rise in temperature which often indicates that a problem exists or a failure could be imminent.

Cole-Parmer offers a wide assortment of thermal imaging cameras with a variety of features depending on your particular application or budget.

To be continued…

However, there are alternatives to the traditional caviar or fish eggs. The method of producing these alternatives is much more cost-effective and certainly less taxing on the sturgeon.  One company uses kelp, a marine plant filled with nutrients, which is fat free, cholesterol free, and has zero calories.  Plus, because kelp caviar is a plant, this “caviar” may appeal to vegetarians.

The kelp is ground into a thick gelatinous solution and, with the help of a Masterflex® pump, the solution is pumped through a separator which outputs tiny kelp “pearls.”  This brief video shows how kelp caviar is made with a Masterflex pump, and raises the question, what can’t you do with a Masterflex pump?

Masterflex Peristaltic pump helps manufacture kelp caviar

Ok, our latest videos may not be this summer’s blockbuster movie or the latest viral video on Youtube, but they are informative.     

Our popular line of Masterflex peristaltic pumps offer tremendous advantages in applications requiring liquid handling or pumping precise volumes of fluids at consistent flow rates.  Now, our latest videos illustrate how to quickly and easily load tubing into our Masterflex L/S® Standard Pump Heads and Masterflex I/P® High-Performance Tubing pump heads.  These videos offer time-saving tips and address questions we commonly receive from customers.      

Masterflex L/S Tubing Pumps

Masterflex L/S pumps include fixed- and variable-speed pumps. Masterflex L/S tubing pumps feature high-accuracy drives for precise flow control and are ideal for laboratory, field, or process applications.      

Masterflex I/P Tubing Pumps

Masterflex I/P peristaltic tubing pumps offer flow ranges from 0.012 to 17 liters per minute. Masterflex I/P pumps are characterized by heavier motors and better protection from the hazards of industry such as dust and water. Use these pumps in your manufacturing process or for quick fluid transfer in your lab.      

Original post

Oakton IR Thermometer Mini-InfraPro 6 (39641-06)

Cole-Parmer’s products hit the big screen again on CBS’s CSI: Crime Scene Investigation – “Sin City Blue,” which aired on January 14th, 2010.  The show featured the Oakton IR Thermometer Mini-InfraPro 6 (39641-06) between minutes 8:24 and 8:35.  The infrared thermometer was used to determine post-mortem body temperature in the morgue. 

Infrared thermometers are ideal for use when objects are extremely hot, moving quickly, difficult to reach or vulnerable to contamination.  Noncontact infrared thermometers use infrared technology to quickly and conveniently measure an objects surface temperature.  They provide fast, accurate, repeatable readings without ever touching the target.  Just aim, pull the trigger, and read the temperature on the LCD.

You can make inexpensive vodka taste as smooth as a top-shelf brand with a few easy maneuvers.

You Will Need

A mesh colander

Step 1
Pour vodka into a water filter pitcher to remove impurities, just as you would with water.

Step 2
When all the vodka has dripped through the filter, pour it into a clean pitcher and then put it through the filtering process again. Repeat at least three more times, for a total of five. Then chill and enjoy.

Step 3
If you don’t have a water-filter pitcher, put two inches of food-grade activated charcoal into a three-quarters-full bottle of vodka. Put the cap back on.

Find food-grade activated charcoal at home-brew supply shops or online.

Step 4
Shake the bottle for a few minutes every day for a week. Store it in the freezer at night and at room temperature during the day.

Step 5
After a week, separate the charcoal from the vodka by pouring it through the colander. Chill the filtered vodka in your freezer for several hours before drinking. Even the least expensive vodka tastes better when it’s cold.

We can offer you some of the products needed to pimp your vodka:
Mesh colander (strainer): http://bit.ly/A2kzC
Bottle: http://bit.ly/2NmjKd

How To Turn Cheap Vodka Into the Good Stuff. Shared by Howcast

Posted in Cool Tools, Videos Tagged: alcohol, bottle, charcoal, home brew, strainer, vodka ]]> http://blog.coleparmer.com/2009/11/20/how-to-turn-cheap-vodka-into-the-good-stuff/feed/ 3 Cole-Parmer http://blog.coleparmer.com/2009/10/16/pump-up-the-volume-for-this-h1n1-rap-video-by-john-d-clarke-md/ http://blog.coleparmer.com/2009/10/16/pump-up-the-volume-for-this-h1n1-rap-video-by-john-d-clarke-md/#comments Fri, 16 Oct 2009 22:13:49 +0000 Cole-Parmer http://coleparmer.wordpress.com/?p=45 ]]> Check out the H1N1 Rap, written, composed, produced and performed by John D. Clarke, MD, FAAFP.  This music video is a fun, highly educational and entertaining way to learn about prevention of the H1N1 virus.

youtube video: http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=_gwUdmPl0bU

pandemic preparedness:  http://bit.ly/2SeJmk

from flu.gov: http://www.flu.gov/psa/contest/2009/index.html

Posted in Videos Tagged: bird flu, h1n1, h1n1 rap, h1n1 virus, influenza, rap video, swine flu ]]> http://blog.coleparmer.com/2009/10/16/pump-up-the-volume-for-this-h1n1-rap-video-by-john-d-clarke-md/feed/ 0 Cole-Parmer http://blog.coleparmer.com/2009/10/07/bioconnection-the-sexy-side-of-sterile-biopharm-processing/ http://blog.coleparmer.com/2009/10/07/bioconnection-the-sexy-side-of-sterile-biopharm-processing/#comments Wed, 07 Oct 2009 22:52:55 +0000 Cole-Parmer http://coleparmer.wordpress.com/?p=20 ]]> At the 2009 Cole-Parmer talent show, a new comedy boy band called BioConnection brought the house down. We hope the scientist in you enjoys the sexy side of sterile biopharm processing.

YouTube video:http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=umNJHSlNIZc

Posted in Videos Tagged: biopharm sterile processing, boy band, Custom Disposable Sterile Bioprocess Assemblies, masterflex tubing ]]> http://blog.coleparmer.com/2009/10/07/bioconnection-the-sexy-side-of-sterile-biopharm-processing/feed/ 0 Cole-Parmer