To become members of the BMCU affinity userclub and to gain access to the instruments within our the platform, the PI of your group will have to read the BMCU policy and sign a userclub agreement. The agreement is then valid until the end of the year.
All active members will receive a new contract by the end of each year, with the option of signing for another year, or to pause the membership. The membership itself is free of charge, but introductions to the instruments and booked running time will be invoiced twice a year.
The prices on the machines are based on the annual service costs and the number of users, so prices may change from year to year based on usage. BMCU is non-profit and all the earnings go back into the instruments in the form of upgrades, softwares, annual services and repairs.
You can read more about the individual costs of each instrument in their respective sections.
How to become a member?
Write an email to Johan Olofsson to receive the contract to sign.
We will then send a copy of the BMCU policy and a user contract to be signed by the PI of the group applying.
Once the agreement is signed by the PI and sent back to us you are free to start booking introductions.
Introductions and access
Before using any instrument within the BMCU platform you will have to acquire a ”driver’s license” for each of the machines that you want to use.
The introductions are given to every new user regardless of previous experience. This is to make sure that everyone has the minimum knowledge required to run the instrument properly and in a safe manner, for both you and the machine.
We allow a maximum number of 2 people per introduction. This is partly due to the limited space around the instruments, but mainly to ensure that everyone gets enough "hands-on" training.
To obtain your driver’s licence, you can either contact Johan Olofsson or get in touch directly with the main contact person listed under the instrument.
When having booked a driver’s licence training, please show up at the agreed time as the person giving you the introduction may have a busy schedule. If you do not show up or are late by more than 15 minutes, you will be charged for the introduction and will need to book a new introduction.
Once the introduction is completed, send your casID to the person that gave you the introduction and they will grant you access to the booking system. If needed, they will also give you access to the rooms and corridors where the instrument is located.
Book the instrument as needed and remember to sign the logbooks on site when using them.
Technical questions & experimental support
Our staff will be able to help you getting started and setting up your first experiments, provided they are reasonably simple.
We will also do our best to also provide more advanced help with experimental setups and data analysis. We might not be able to answer all your questions, but will do our best to direct you to other users working on similar problems, to relevant literature, or even to external connections with expertise in the right field.
Please note that all our contact persons have other obligations outside BMCU. Thus, make sure to schedule a meeting in good time!
When errors occur hard/software issues
Don't panic, some of the machines are a bit old and their computers might lose connection once in a while.
If you notice something strange or if an error message appears, take a picture!
Contact Johan (or the machine responsible) via email or call +46738010659 and describe the problem.
Most often issues are minor and be handled within a short time. Some errors are reoccurring and can be solved over the phone.
Whatever you do, DO NOT tamper with the machine yourselves. Doing so will void eventual service contracts and you/your group might become financially responsible.
