The begins...

Well... this mess here is my garage. It's where I take refuge when things drive me crazy, where I find a little bit of silence when my ears can't take another "daaaadddyyyy J is bothering me," where I indulge in my techno stuff: music, computer science, electronics. About three years ago, I was dedicating myself to one of my favorite activities: aimless searches on eBay. Who knows why I entered "electron microscope." Among the pile of cheap Chinese stuff that the search returned, strangely enough, this little gem popped up:

I can't believe it! I caught a glimpse of this unrivaled marvel when I used to roam the hallways of the Anatomy department as a student. A scanning electron microscope, SEM for friends, JEOL JSM 6400. Us poor students were not allowed to get too close to it; not even the professor. To operate the machine, the institute hired a technician trained solely for that purpose. Only he had the right to fiddle with the controls of what was, at the time, a state-of-the-art instrument. We were allowed, at best, to prepare samples under his strict supervision. Ironically, the same model is now being sold for a thirtieth, maybe even a fiftieth of its original value. What an inglorious fate. The idea of buying an electron microscope seemed ridiculous to me, so I moved on, perhaps I'll go to sleep. A year later, the SEM is still there on its unsold listing. In a fit of impulse, I wrote to the seller asking if the instrument is complete. Unfortunately, it's missing some small parts and two rather vital objects:

A keyboard, you might say, and a thing with knobs...what's the problem? The keyboard, which looks like nothing more than an old IBM keyboard, is actually a diabolical contraption with a proprietary 7-bit protocol and thus practically irreplaceable. It is used to communicate with Sem's onboard computer, an old Intel 8086 system that was already outdated in the '90s! The thing with knobs is identified in the manual by the evocative name of "primary control panel"; by fiddling with it, you adjust focus, magnification, astigmatism...without this little object, Sem is a useless wreck. Needless to say, these two pieces are extremely rare and can be exchanged for a kidney or two! So... it's all very interesting, but considering the price and the fact that the instrument doesn't work without these two pieces, I'm sorry, but Sem remains in a container in the middle of Switzerland.

It would be too much of a hassle... but what a ridiculous idea!!!
And where would I put it in the garage???
No way!!!

Or maybe...

To be continued...

Yours electronically,
DrGab