Sutter Instrument SOLO Operation Manual

SOLO

Single-Axis Motorized

Micromanipulator System

Operation Manual

With USB Interface for External Control

Rev. 1.01b (20191002)

Voice: 415-883-0128 Web: www.sutter.com

One Digital Drive

Novato, CA 94949

Fax: [phone] Email: [e-mail]

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Copyright © 2019 Sutter Instrument Company. All Rights Reserved.

SOLO SINGLE-AXIS MICROMANIPULATOR SYSTEM OPERATION MANUAL – REV. 1.01B (20191002)

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DISCLAIMER

The SOLO consists of one electromechanical micromanipulator device and one ROE (Rotary
Optical Encoder) with integrated controller. The purpose of the system is for the
manipulation at the micro level of micropipettes and probes used in conjunction with a
microscope. No other use is recommended.

This instrument is designed for use in a laboratory environment. It is not intended nor
should it be used in human experimentation or applied to humans in any way. This is not a
medical device.

Unless otherwise indicated in this manual or by Sutter Instrument Technical Support for
reconfiguration, do not open or attempt to repair the instrument.

Do not allow an unauthorized and/or untrained operative to use this device.

Any misuse will be the sole responsibility of the user/owner and Sutter Instrument Company
assumes no implied or inferred liability for direct or consequential damages from this
instrument if it is operated or used in any way other than for which it is designed.

SAFETY WARNINGS AND PRECAUTIONS

Electrical

 Operate the SOLO using 110 – 240 VAC., 50-60 Hz line voltage. This instrument is

designed for use in a laboratory environment that has low electrical noise and mechanical
vibration. Surge suppression is always recommended

 NOTE: There are no user-replaceable fuses in the SOLO system.

 The SOLO system’s power supply consists of an external AC to DC switching

power adapter. If the external power adapter is damaged due to a mains over- or under­voltage, it must be replaced.

 GROUNDING/EARTHING: Proper grounding protects the ROE/controller

electronics, reduces/eliminates electromagnetic interference, and improves the safety of the
system operator. The ROE/controller provides a socket (labeled GROUND) that accepts a
banana plug attached to a suitably gauged insulated wire, the other end of which (alligator
clip) connects to a solid, proper ground.

Avoiding Electrical Shock and Fire-related Injury

 Always use the grounded power cord provided to connect the system’s power adapter to a

grounded/earthed mains outlet (3-prong). This is required to protect you from injury if an
electrical hazard occurs.

 Do not disassemble the system. Refer servicing to qualified personnel.

 To prevent fire or shock hazard do not expose the unit to rain or moisture.

Electromagnetic Interference

To comply with FDA and CE/EU electromagnetic immunity and interference standards; and
to reduce the electromagnetic coupling between this and other equipment in your lab always
use the type and length of interconnect cables provided for interconnecting the electro­mechanical devices and ROE/controller (refer to Technical Specifications for more details).

Operational

Failure to comply with any of the following precautions may damage this device.

SOLO SINGLE-AXIS MICROMANIPULATOR SYSTEM OPERATION MANUAL – REV. 1.01B (20191002)

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 This instrument is designed for operation in a laboratory environment (Pollution Degree I)

that is free from mechanical vibrations, electrical noise and transients.

 DO NOT CONNECT OR DISCONNECT THE CABLES BETWEEN THE

CONTROLLER AND THE MECHANICAL UNITS WHILE POWER IS ON.
Please allow at least 20 seconds after turning the unit off before disconnecting the
mechanical units. Failure to do so may result in damage to the electronics.

 Operate this instrument only according to the instructions included in this manual.
 Do not operate if there is any obvious damage to any part of the instrument.

 Do not operate this instrument near flammable materials. The use of any hazardous

materials with this instrument is not recommended and, if undertaken, is done so at the
users’ own risk.

 Do not operate if there is any obvious damage to any part of the instrument. Do not

attempt to operate the instrument with the SOLO/M electromechanical manipulator
shipping tape in place or severe motor damage may result. When transporting the
mechanical manipulator, be sure to reinstall the shipping tape (using masking tape or
equivalent only) to the original locations. Failure to do this may result in damage to the
motors.

 Never touch any part of the micromanipulator electromechanical device while it is in

operation and moving. Doing so can result in physical injury (e.g., fingers can be caught
and pinched between the moving parts of the micromanipulator).

 If the SOLO system is used in a microinjection environment, please observe the

following. As with most micromanipulation devices, sharp micropipettes can fly out of their
holder unexpectedly. Always take precautions to prevent this from happening. Never
loosen the micropipette holder chuck when the tubing is pressurized, and never point
micropipette holders at yourself or others. Always wear safety glasses when using sharp
glass micropipettes with pressure tubing.

 Take care to ensure no cables pass close to the SOLO/M electromechanical

micromanipulator within the spherical movement limits of all its axes combined.

Other

 Retain the original packaging for future transport of the instrument.
 Sutter Instrument reserves the right to change specifications without prior notice.
 Use of this instrument is for research purposes only.

Handling Micropipettes

Failure to comply with any of the following precautions may result in injury to the users

of this device as well as those working in the general area near the device.

 The micropipettes used with this instrument are very sharp and relatively fragile. Avoid

contact with micropipette tips to prevent accidentally impaling oneself.

 Always dispose of micropipettes by placing them into a well-marked, spill-proof “sharps”

container.

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TABLE OF CONTENTS

DISCLAIMER ....................................................................................................................................... 3

SAFETY WARNINGS AND PRECAUTIONS .................................................................................... 3

Electrical .................................................................................................................................................. 3

Avoiding Electrical Shock and Fire-related Injury .............................................................................. 3

Electromagnetic Interference ............................................................................................................ 3

Operational .............................................................................................................................................. 3

Other......................................................................................................................................................... 4

Handling Micropipettes .......................................................................................................................... 4

1. INTRODUCTION ............................................................................................................................. 9

1.1 Structure of the SOLO Documentation Package .......................................................................... 9

1.2 Components of the SOLO System .................................................................................................. 9

1.3 Overview .......................................................................................................................................... 10

1.3.1 Features ..................................................................................................................................... 10

1.3.2 Description ................................................................................................................................ 10

2. INSTALLATION ............................................................................................................................ 11

2.1 Mounting Instructions ................................................................................................................... 11

2.1.1 Mounting the SOLO/M to the Stand or Platform ................................................................ 11

2.2 Headstage Mounting ...................................................................................................................... 12

2.3 Other Accessories ............................................................................................................................ 12

2.4 Electrical Connections and Initial Operating Instructions ........................................................ 12

2.5 ROE/Controller Rear Panel Controls and Configuration........................................................... 13

2.5.1 Power Switch ............................................................................................................................ 13

2.5.2 Configuration Switches ........................................................................................................... 14

3. OPERATIONS ................................................................................................................................ 15

3.1 Main Controls and Indicators on the ROE/Controller ............................................................... 15

3.2 Display .............................................................................................................................................. 15

3.2.1 Initial Startup ........................................................................................................................... 15

3.3 Control Operations ......................................................................................................................... 16

3.3.1 Maximum Positive Position Values: ...................................................................................... 16

3.3.2 Setting Position for HOME or WORK ................................................................................... 16

3.3.3 Moving to the Home Position ................................................................................................. 16

3.3.4 Moving to the Work Position .................................................................................................. 17

3.3.5 Setting Absolute/Relative Coordinates Mode ........................................................................ 17

3.3.6 Mode Indications ...................................................................................................................... 17

3.3.7 Speed Control and ROE Knob Movements (SPEED) .......................................................... 18

3.3.8 Pausing Home Movements ..................................................................................................... 18

3.3.9 Pausing Work Movements ...................................................................................................... 18

3.3.10 Pulse Mode .............................................................................................................................. 18

4. EXTERNAL CONTROL ................................................................................................................ 18

4.1 Virtual COM Port (VCP) Serial Port Settings ............................................................................. 18

4.2 Protocol and Handshaking ............................................................................................................ 19

4.3 Command Sequence Formatting .................................................................................................. 19

4.4 Axis Position Command Parameters ............................................................................................ 19

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4.5 Microsteps and Microns (Micrometers) ........................................................................................ 20

4.6 Ranges and Bounds: ....................................................................................................................... 20

4.7 Command Reference....................................................................................................................... 20

4.8 Notes ................................................................................................................................................. 21

5. MAINTENANCE ............................................................................................................................ 23

APPENDIX A. LIMITED WARRANTY ............................................................................................ 24

APPENDIX B. ACCESSORIES ......................................................................................................... 25

APPENDIX C. TECHNICAL SPECIFICATIONS ........................................................................... 26

C.1. SOLO/M .......................................................................................................................................... 26

C.2. SOLO ROE/Controller .................................................................................................................. 26

APPENDIX D. QUICK REFERENCE .............................................................................................. 28

Manual Operation ............................................................................................................................... 28

Configuration ...................................................................................................................................... 28

External Control ................................................................................................................................. 28

INDEX ................................................................................................................................................. 32

TABLE OF FIGURES

Figure 1-1. The SOLO system ................................................................................................................... 9

Figure 2-1. Side view of SOLO/M showing mounting adapter plate and lock screws....................... 11

Figure 2-2. Mounting the SOLO/M on the Adapter Plate ................................................................... 12

Figure 2-3. Rear of SOLO ROE/Controller cabinet .............................................................................. 13

Figure 2-4. Configuration switches on rear of SOLO ROE/Controller unit (switch positions shown

are factory defaults). ............................................................................................................... 14

Figure 3-1. Startup screen ....................................................................................................................... 15

Figure 3-2. Factory default startup calibrated position ....................................................................... 15

Figure 3-3. Maximum positive values..................................................................................................... 16

Figure 3-4. Moving to Home position (screen is amber while moving) .............................................. 16

Figure 3-5. Factory default Home position ............................................................................................ 16

Figure 3-6. Example Home position defined and saved ....................................................................... 16

Figure 3-7. Example Work position ........................................................................................................ 17

Figure 3-8. Relative mode ........................................................................................................................ 17

TABLE OF TABLES

Table 2-1. Configuration DIP switch settings. ...................................................................................... 14

Table 3-1. Maximum positive position value of each axis .................................................................... 16

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Table 3-2. Screen colors and modes ........................................................................................................ 17

Table 4-1. USB-VCP interface serial port settings. .............................................................................. 18

Table 4-2. Microns/microsteps conversion ............................................................................................. 20

Table 4-3. Ranges and bounds ................................................................................................................. 20

Table 4-4. SOLO external control commands ....................................................................................... 21

Table C-1. SOLO cables and receptacles/connectors. ........................................................................... 27

Table D-1. Configuration Switches 1 – 4. ............................................................................................... 28

Table D-2. USB-VCP interface serial port settings............................................................................... 29

Table D-3. Microns Microns/microsteps conversion. ............................................................................ 29

Table D-4. Ranges and bounds ................................................................................................................ 30

Table D-5. SOLO external control commands. ..................................................................................... 30

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SOLO/E ROE/CONTROLLER

SOLO/M

1. INTRODUCTION

1.1 Structure of the SOLO Documentation Package

The SOLO 1-Axis Micromanipulator System is comprised of a ROE/controller, a power
adapter, and a SOLO-25 or SOLO-50 stepper-motor-based electromechanical
micromanipulator. This manual consists of four parts: This chapter, Introduction, which
provides an overview and general description of the SOLO system; Chapter 2, Installation,
which describes how to install, set up, and configure all components of the system; Chapter 3,
Operations, which describes how to operate the SOLO; Chapter 4, Maintenance, describes
how to perform routine and other maintenance of the SOLO; and Chapter 5,
Reconfiguration, describes the reconfiguration possibilities of the SOLO system.

ELECTROMECHANICAL
MICROMANIPULATOR

Figure 1-1. The SOLO system

1.2 Components of the SOLO System

Carefully remove all components from the shipping container. In addition to this manual, the
following should be included:

 SOLO ROE Rotary Optical Encoder input device with built-in controller and external

power adapter.

 SOLO-25 or SOLO-50 electromechanical micromanipulator
 9-pin DSUB cable (connects the ROE/controller to the SOLO/M electromechanical

micromanipulator).

 Power adapter
 Power adapter AC mains cable appropriate for your location
 Ground/Earth cable
 USB Cable

IMPORTANT

Once the SOLO system has been unpacked, remove the shipping tape from the various
locations on the SOLO/M electromechanical micromanipulator. The shipping tape must be
removed before operating the SOLO system. If you need to transport the SOLO/M in the

SOLO SINGLE-AXIS MICROMANIPULATOR SYSTEM OPERATION MANUAL – REV. 1.01B (20191002)