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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: 415-883-0572 Email: info@sutter.com
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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.
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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
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future, reapply 2 to 3-inch pieces of masking tape to the same locations. Once the tape has
been removed, handle the SOLO/M with care. The mechanisms can be damaged if any of the
axes are inadvertently moved without the tape in place.
1.3 Overview
1.3.1 Features
Three independent axes (X, Y, and Z) each with 25mm travel with a virtual fourth axis
(D) for coaxial pipette movement utilizing a tangent function factoring the holder’s angle
and the X and Z axes.
Sub-micron 100nm resolution
Digital display indicates coordinates in relative or absolute
User-f r i e n d l y, f a nless compact controller with ROE preserves bench space
Push button control of multiple functions – work, home, Lock, pulse and relative
Robotic home- and work-position moves for easy automated pipette exchange
1.3.2 Description
The SOLO, the newest Sutter Instrument motorized manipulator, is easy to use and has
three independent axes. The X, Y, and Z axes provide 25mm range of motion. D-axis
movement is accomplished virtually using a tangent function of the chosen angle of the
holder and simultaneously moving X and Z. The ROE controller has a digital display and
keys for Home, Work, Pulse, Lock, and Relative. The compact, intuitive controller takes up
minimal bench space, is fan-free, and easy to use.
While the axes provide X and Y orthogonal motion typical of most motorized manipulators,
Sutter has introduced a diagonal axis with the
at the exact desired angle of approach.
The SOLO’s ROE provides fine control of electrode position and the rate of rotation of ROE
dials for each axis determines the speed of travel. The finest step size is less than 100nm.
Five conveniently located buttons on the ROE provide control of all the basic functions you
will need in normal operation (Work, Home, Lock, Relative, and Pulse).
Press and hold WORK (for 3 seconds) to quickly store a work position, tap HOME to move all
axes to an initial location that is useful for changing electrodes, or press and hold the HOME
button (for 3 seconds) to memorize a new HOME position.
When ready to record data, the motor drive electronics can be suppressed by pressing the
LOCK button. In the LOCK mode, the display turns red and ROE input is locked out to avoid
any accidental motion.
Pressing and holding the RELATIVE button for three seconds at any location causes the
display coordinates to all zeroes. When activating relative mode, the display turns blue.
To return to viewing the absolute coordinates, tap the RELATIVE button to toggle back.
Finally, tapping the PULSE button causes a 3μm advance in the diagonal. This rapid burst of
forward motion can assist in sharp electrode cell penetration.
All the electronics, except for a small power supply, are housed within the SOLO ROE and no
separate controller or computer is required.
SOLO so one can move the electrode coaxially
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Locking Screws
Locking Screws
In keeping with the compact and simple design, the SOLO has no need of computer
connectors. If the user desires a computer connection, a USB port is provided on the rear of
the SOLO ROE.
2. INSTALLATION
When installing the SOLO system for the first time, it is recommended that the components
of the system be installed in the following order: SOLO/M electromechanical
micromanipulator first, followed by the SOLO/E ROE/Controller.
2.1 Mounting Instructions
The following sections describe how to mount the SOLO/M manipulator to a stand using the
mounting adapter plate, how to adjust the pipette angle and how to mount different
headstages.
2.1.1 Mounting the SOLO/M to the Stand or Platform
The SOLO/M attaches to the mounting adapter plate using four M3X0.5 hex head locking
screws.
Figure 2-1. Side view of SOLO/M showing mounting adapter plate and lock screws.
The SOLO/M is shipped with the adapter plate in place. It is attached using four tapered
pegs, along with four locking screws.
To remove it, first loosen the four hex screws that secure the manipulator to the pegs in the
adapter plate. The rear pair is in a similar location in the back of the manipulator. Once the
locking screws are sufficiently loosened, lift the SOLO/M upwards from the adapter plate.
Before attaching the adapter plate to the SOLO/M, you need to decide where to position the
manipulator on your stand/platform. The stand can be any flat surface carrying ¼-20, 10-32,
or M6 holes on one-inch centers (such as a Sutter Instrument MT-series stand or MD series
platform).
Examine the space of the platform onto which installation is to take place. Attach the control
cable to SOLO/M and move the entire unit around on the platform until the precise desired
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position is determined. A small bag containing the necessary hardware to attach the SOLO
to the stand is included.
Figure 2-2. Mounting the SOLO/M on the Adapter Plate
Once the plate is mounted, align the pegs on top of the plate with the holes in the
manipulator, push the X-axis firmly onto the plate, and re-tighten the locking hex set
screws.
2.2 Headstage Mounting
Sutter IPA headstage, Axon headstages 203B or CV-7, and the Heka EPC-10 headstage have
an integral dovetail that fits directly into the rotary dovetail slide bracket on the SOLO/M.
The dovetail slide bracket on the SOLO/M also supports older Axon and Heka headstages
when using the 4’’ dovetail extension.
Rod-mounted headstages and micro tools are accommodated using a rod clamp that fits into
the dovetail (not shown). All the headstage adapters and mounting hardware are included
with the manipulator and are shipped in a zip lock plastic bag.
2.3 Other Accessories
One or more accessories may have been ordered and received for mounting the SOLO/M
and/or modifying the headstage mount to the manipulator (i.e., rotating base, microscope
stage mount, gantry, dovetail extension, etc.). Setup of these accessories is normally covered
in documentation accompanying the accessory.
2.4 Electrical Connections and Initial Operating Instructions
Initially, you may want to simply connect the SOLO/M micromanipulator and the
ROE/Controller together and try some gross movements in order to get a feel for the controls
and how to make simple movements. It is perfectly acceptable to set the manipulators in the
middle of a bench top, make all electrical connections and then observe each unit’s
movement by eye.
CAUTION: Unless the SOLO/M micromanipulator electromechanical baseplate is firmly
bolted down to a breadboard or solidly to a firm surface, the SOLO/M is likely to tip over
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POWER
SWITCH
POWER
RECEPTACLE
MANIPULATOR
CONNECTOR
GROUND
POST
when fully extending its axis, especially if it is loaded with a headstage that extends beyond
the SOLO/M’s current center of gravity.
Upon deciding to directly install the SOLO system in your rig, it is useful to follow the initial
setup procedure to learn how to move the units to allow easy access to the mounting screws.
1. With the power switch on the back of the ROE in the OFF (0) position, connect the power
adapter’s 24VDC cable to the POWER receptacle.
Figure 2-3. Rear of SOLO ROE/Controller cabinet
2. With the power OFF (rear panel switch in the “0” position), connect a wellgrounded/earthed wire to the GROUND post/banana plug socket.
3. With the power OFF, connect the male end of the DB-9 cable to the MANIPULATOR
connector on the ROE, the other end of which is connected to the SOLO/M
micromanipulator electromechanical.
(See cautionary note below.)
4. Verify that the four switches on the rear of the ROE are set as desired.
5. Power up the system by moving the power switch on the rear of the ROE to the “1”
position.
* CAUTION: NEVER CONNECT OR DISCONNECT THE ROE/CONTROLLER
FROM THE SOLO/M WHILE THE POWER IS ON!
2.5 ROE/Controller Rear Panel Controls and Configuration
2.5.1 Power Switch
The power switch for the SOLO system is located on the rear panel of the ROE/controller. At
power up, the microprocessor in the ROE/controller scans the attached equipment and
configures the system accordingly.
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Switch #
Function
Setting
Description
1
Knob Rotation Directionality
for Forward (+) Manipulator
Movement
OFF* (UP)*
Clockwise
2
Length of Travel of Connected
Electromechanical Device
OFF* (UP)
25mm
3
Electromechanical device
compatibility
OFF* (UP)
4
Calibration Homing on Power
On
OFF* (UP)
2.5.2 Configuration Switches
Figure 2-4. Configuration switches on rear of SOLO ROE/Controller unit (switch positions shown are factory
defaults).
Switches 1, 2, 3 and 4 set the operating characteristics of the SOLO at power-up.
Table 2-1. Configuration DIP switch settings.
ON (DOWN) Counterclockwise
ON (DOWN) 50mm
SOLO/M
ON (DOWN) MP-285/M series
Enabled. Moves to position 0 (physical
beginning of travel), then advances to 1,000
microns.
ON (DOWN))
Disabled. Point of Origin stays at physical
position of attached eletromechanical. All
positions forward of Point of Origin are
positive, and negative in opposite direction.
* Factory default (typical setting for right-hand-mounted manipulator).
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DISPLAY
AXIS
CONTROL
RELATIVE
POS. RESET
PULSE
FO RWA RD
WORK
POSITION
HOME
POSITION
SPEED
Sutter
Instrument R2.6
(Text in
Green)
Absolute = 1000
Relative = 1000
(Text in
Green)
3. OPERATIONS
3.1 Main Controls and Indicators on the ROE/Controller
Figure 3-1. Front view of the SOLO ROE/Controller
3.2 Display
3.2.1 Initial Startup
Figure 3-1. Startup screen
Figure 3-2. Factory default startup calibrated position
When starting the SOLO system for the first time, the value for the single axis will be 1,000
micrometers (microns) for both
absolute number of microns from beginning of travel (absolute position 0). Relative always
indicates the number of microns away from the last-set absolute position (absolute position 0
on startup).
Absolute
and
Relative
. Absolute always indicates the
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Maximum Position Value (in microns)
25mm
50mm
25,000
50,000
Absolute = 25000
Relative = 25000
(Text in
Green)
Absolute = 2602
Relative = 2602
(Text in
Red)
Absolute = 1000
Relative = 1000
(Text in
Green)
Absolute = 2602
Relative = 2602
(Text in
Green)
3.3 Control Operations
3.3.1 Maximum Positive Position Values:
Move the dial of an axis clockwise until its position value stops incrementing. The following
table lists the maximum position value (in microns) for each axis.
Table 3-1. Maximum positive position value of each axis
Figure 3-3. Maximum positive values
3.3.2 Setting Position for HOME or WORK
To set position, hold down HOME or WORK button for 3 seconds until beep sounds.
3.3.3 Moving to the Home Position
Figure 3-4. Moving to Home position (screen is amber while moving)
If the Home position has not yet been defined and saved, the Home position value for the
single axis will default to 1,000 microns, as shown in the following figure.
Figure 3-5. Factory default Home position
If the Home position has been previously defined (saved), pressing HOME will make a move
to the defined home position (see example in the following figure).
Figure 3-6. Example Home position defined and saved
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Screen Color
Mode
Example
Green
Absolute & relative
Red
Move to Home or Work
Absolute = 2602
Relative = 2602
Absolute = 3264
Relative = 3264
Absolute = 3264
Relative = 3264
(Text in red while
moving, then green)
Absolute = 3321
Relative = 0
(Text in green)
3.3.4 Moving to the Work Position
Figure 3-7. Example Work position
To move to the Work position, press the WORK button.
3.3.5 Setting Absolute/Relative Coordinates Mode
The RELATIVE button toggles between Relative and Absolute coordinate systems. The
default coordinate system on power up is Absolute, with the coordinates on the screen shown
in green. To switch to relative coordinates, press the RELATIVE button once. To reset the
current position to all zeroes, depress the RELATIVE for 3 seconds or until a beep is heard,
and then release the button. This resets the current position to all zeroes.
Depress RELATIVE for 3 sec. or until beep sounds
Figure 3-8. Relative mode
3.3.6 Mode Indications
The SOLO system has two modes of operation: Absolute/relative coordinates status and
while moving with the rotary knob, and when moving to HOME/WORK or when commanded
to move by an external-control command. The display turns color for each specific mode, as
shown in the following table.
Table 3-2. Screen colors and modes
coordinates and while moving
with the rotary knob.
position, or when commanded
by external computer control
(knob is disabled during the
move)
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Property
Setting
3.3.7 Speed Control and ROE Knob Movements (SPEED)
The rate at which the ROE axis knob moves the manipulator can be adjusted with the
SPEED button. Each press of the button cycles through four speeds: 0 (normal) through 3
(fastest).
3.3.8 Pausing Home Movements
After Move to Home has been initiated, and while the move is in progress, pressing HOME a
second time pauses the manipulator. Pressing HOME again resumes movement.
3.3.9 Pausing Work Movements
After Move to Work has been initiated, and while the move is in progress, pressing WORK a
second time pauses the manipulator. Pressing WORK again resumes movement.
3.3.10 Pulse Mode
Pulse mode advances the single axis in 2.85 µm steps. Each press of the PULSE button
increments by one 2.85-µm step beyond the current position. This feature can be used to
penetrate tough or resistant tissue.
4. EXTERNAL CONTROL
Controlling the SOLO externally via computer is accomplished by sending commands over
the USB interface between the computer and the USB connector on the rear panel of the
SOLO controller/ROE. The USB device driver for Windows is downloadable from Sutter
Instrument’s web site (www.sutter.com
). The SOLO requires Sutter Instrument’s USB CDM
(Combined Driver Model) Version 2.10.00 or higher. The CDM device driver consists of two
device drivers: 1) USB device driver, and 2) VCP (Virtual COM Port) device driver. Install the
USB device driver first, followed by the VCP device driver. The VCP device driver provides a
serial RS-232 I/O interface between a Windows application and the SOLO. Although the VCP
device driver is optional, its installation is recommended even if it is not going to be used.
Once installed, the VCP can be enabled or disabled.
The CDM device driver package provides two I/O methodologies over which communications
with the controller over USB can be conducted: 1) USB Direct (D2XX mode), or 2) Serial RS232 asynchronous via the VCP device driver (VCP mode). The first method requires that the
VCP device driver not be installed, or if installed, that it be disabled. The second method
requires that the VCP be installed and enabled.
4.1 Virtual COM Port (VCP) Serial Port Settings
The following table lists the required RS-232 serial settings for the COM port (COM3,
COM5, etc.) generated by the installation or enabling of the VCP device driver.
Table 4-1. USB-VCP interface serial port settings.
Data (“Baud”) Rate (bits per second (bps)) 57600
Data Bits 8
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19
Property
Setting
Stop Bits 1
Parit y None
Flow Control None
The settings shown in the above table can be set in the device driver’s properties (via the
Device Manager if in Windows) and/or programmatically in your application.
4.2 Protocol and Handshaking
Command sequences do not have terminators. All commands return an ASCII CR (Carriage
Return; 13 decimal, 0D hexadecimal) to indicate that the task associated with the command
has completed. When the controller completes the task associated with a command, it sends
ASCII CR back to the host computer indicating that it is ready to receive a new command. If
a command returns data, the last byte returned is the task-completed indicator.
4.3 Command Sequence Formatting
Each command sequence consists of at least one byte, the first of which is the “command
byte”. Those commands that have parameters or arguments require a sequence of bytes that
follow the command byte. No delimiters are used between command sequence arguments,
and command sequence terminators are not used. Although most command bytes can be
expressed as ASCII displayable/printable characters, the rest of a command sequence must
generally be expressed as a sequence of unsigned byte values (0-255 decimal; 00 – FF
hexadecimal, or 00000000 – 11111111 binary). Each byte in a command sequence
transmitted to the controller must contain an unsigned binary value. Attempting to code
command sequences as “strings” is not advisable. Any command data returned by the
controller should be initially treated as a sequence of unsigned byte values upon reception.
Groups of contiguous bytes can later be combined to form larger values, as appropriate (e.g.,
2 bytes into 16-bit “word”, or 4 bytes into a 32-bit “long” or “double word”). For the SOLO,
all axis position values (number of microsteps) are stored as “unsigned long” 32-bit positiveonly values, and each is transmitted and received to and from the controller as four
contiguous bytes.
4.4 Axis Position Command Parameters
All axis positional information is exchanged between the controller and the host computer in
terms of microsteps. Conversion between microsteps and microns (micrometers) is the
responsibility of the software running on the host computer (see
conversion
table for conversion factors).
Microsteps are stored as positive 32-bit values (“long” (or optionally, “signed long”), or
“unsigned long” for C/C++; “I32” or “U32” for LabVIEW). “Unsigned” means the value is
always positive; negative values are not allowed. The positive-only values can also be stored
in signed type variables, in which case care must be taken to ensure that only positive values
are exchanged with the controller.
The 32-bit value consists of four contiguous bytes, with a byte/bit-ordering format of Little
Endian (“Intel”) (most significant byte (MSB) in the first byte and least significant (LSB) in
the last byte). If the platform on which your application is running is Little Endian, then no
SOLO SINGLE-AXIS MICROMANIPULATOR SYSTEM OPERATION MANUAL – REV. 1.01B (20191002)
Microns/microsteps
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20
Controller with Device
From/To Units
Conversion Factor
(multiplier)
SOLO-25/M or SOLO-50/M
single
TRIO
QUAD
electromechanical
S
MP-285/M
derived
Device
Axis
Len.
(mm)
Origin
Microns
Microsteps
SOLO-25/M
(any)
SOLO-50/M
(any)
byte order reversal of axis position values is necessary. Examples of platforms using Little
Endian formatting include any system using an Intel/AMD processor (including Microsoft
Windows and Apple Mac OS X).
If the platform on which your application is running is Big Endian (e.g., Motorola PowerPC
CPU), then these 32-bit position values must have their bytes reverse-ordered after receiving
from, or before sending to, the controller. Examples of Big-Endian platforms include many
non-Intel-based systems, LabVIEW (regardless of operating system & CPU), and Java
(programming language/environment). MATLAB and Python (script programming language)
are examples of environments that adapt to the system on which each is running, so LittleEndian enforcement may be needed if running on a Big-Endian system. Some processors
(e.g., ARM) can be configured for specific endianess.
4.5 Microsteps and Microns (Micrometers)
All coordinates sent to and received from the controller are in microsteps. To convert
between microsteps and microns (micrometers), use the following conversion factors
(multipliers):
Table 4-2. Microns/microsteps conversion
axis of a
ingle axis of an
electromechanical
micromanipulator, or
series or
micromanipulator or
µsteps µm 0.09375
µm µsteps 10.66666666667
µsteps µm 0.125
µm µsteps 8
For accuracy in your application, type these conversion factors as “double” (avoid using the
“float” type as it lacks precision with large values). When converting to microsteps, type the
result as a 32-bit “long”, “signed long”, or “I32” integer. When converting to microns, type
the result as “double” (64-bit double-precision floating-point values).
4.6 Ranges and Bounds:
Table 4-3. Ranges and bounds
25 BOT 0 – 25,000 0 – 266,667
50 BOT 0 – 50,000 0 – 533,334
4.7 Command Reference
The following table lists all the external-control commands for the SOLO.
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Command
Tx/-
Delay/-
Rx
Ver. Total
Bytes
Byte
Offset
(Len.)
Value
Alt-
key-
pad #
Ctrlchar
ASCII
def./char.
Description
Dec.
Hex.
Binary
Get Current
Position and
Angle (‘c’ or
‘C’)
Tx
All
1 0 99
63
0110 0011
0100 0011
0099
‘c’
Returns the current
position (µsteps) of the
single axis
Rx
All
5
0-3
One 4-byte (32-bit) value (current position in µsteps of single axis), + 1
byte for completion indicator.
4 13
0D
0000 1101
^M
<CR>
Completion indicator
Move to
HOME
Position (‘h’)
Tx
1 0
104
68
0110 1000
0104
‘h’
Moves to the position saved
for the
button..
Rx
1 0
13
0D
0000 1101
^M
<CR>
Completion indicator
Move to
WORK
Position (‘w’)
Tx
1 0
119
77
0111 0111
0119
‘w’
Moves to the position saved
f
button..
Rx
1 0
13
0D
0000 1101
^M
<CR>
Completion indicator
Move to
Specified
“Home”
Position (‘H’)
Tx
All
5 0 72
48
0100 1000
0072
‘H’
Move single axis to
specif
Ranges
table)
1-4
µsteps
Rx
All
1 0 13
0D
0000 1101
^M
<CR>
Completion indicator
Move to
Specified
“Work”
Position (‘W’)
Tx
All
5 0 87
57
0101 0111
0087
‘W’
Move single axis to
specified position
Ranges
table)
1-4
µsteps
Rx
All
1 0 13
0D
0000 1101
^M
<CR>
Completion indicator
Move to
specified X
axis Position
(‘x’ or ‘X’)
Tx
5 0
120
90
78
5A
0111 1000
0101 1010
0120
0090
‘x’
‘X’
Move X axis to specified
position
1 - 4
µsteps
Rx
1 0
13
0D
0000 1101
^M
<CR>
Completion indicator
Table 4-4. SOLO external control commands
or
67
or
43
or
or
0043
or
‘C’
controller’s HOME
or the controller’s WORK
ied position (see
(see
or
or
or
or
or
(see
Ranges
4.8 Notes
1. Task-Complete Indicator: All commands will send back to the computer the “Task-
Complete Indicator” to signal the command and its associated function in controller is
complete. The indicator consists of one (1) byte containing a value of 13 decimal (0D
hexadecimal), and which represents an ASCII CR (Carriage Return).
table)
2. Intercommand Delay: A short delay (usually around 2 ms) is recommended between
commands (after sending a command sequence and before sending the next command).
3. Clearing Send/Receive Buffers: Clearing (purging) the transmit and receive buffers of the
I/O port immediately before sending any command is recommended.
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4. Positions in Microsteps: All positions sent to and received from the controller are in
microsteps (µsteps). See Microns/-microsteps conversion table) for conversion between
µsteps and microns (micrometers (µm)).
5. Ranges and Bounds: See Ranges and Bounds table for exact minimum and maximum
values for each axis of each compatible device that can be connected. All move commands
must include positive values only for positions – negative positions must never be
specified. All positions are absolute as measured from the physical beginning of travel of a
device’s axis. In application programming, it is important that positional values be
checked (>= 0 and <= max.) to ensure that a negative absolute position is never sent to
the controller and that end of travel is not exceeded. All computational relative
positioning must always resolve to accurate absolute positions.
6. Absolute Positioning System Origin: The Origin is set to a physical position of travel to
define absolute position 0. The physical Origin position is fixed at beginning of travel
(BOT). This means that all higher positions (towards end of travel (EOT)) are positive
values; there are no lower positions and therefore no negative values are allowed.
7. Absolute vs. Relative Positioning: Current position (‘c’) and move commands always use
absolute positions. All positions can be considered “relative” to the Origin (Position 0),
but all are in fact absolute positions. Any position that’s considered to be “relative” to the
current position, whatever that might be, can be handled synthetically by external
programming. However, care should be taken to ensure that all relative positions are
accurately translated to correct absolute positions before initiating a move command.
8. Position Value Typing: All positions sent and received to and from the controller are in
microsteps and consist of 32-bit integer values (four contiguous bytes). Position values
can be either positive or negative, so type must be “signed”. Although each positional
value is transmitted to, or received from, the controller as a sequence of four (4)
contiguous bytes, for computer application computational and storage purposes each
should be typed as a signed integer (“long” or “signed long” in C/C++; “I32” in
LabVIEW, etc.). Note that in Python, incorporating the optional NumPy package brings
robust data typing like that used in C/C++ to your program, simplifying coding and
adding positioning accuracy to the application.
9. Position Value Bit Ordering: All 32-bit position values transmitted to, and received from,
the controller must be bit/byte-ordered in “Little Endian” format. This means that the
least significant bit/byte is last (last to send and last to receive). Byte-order reversal may
be required on some platforms. Microsoft Windows, Intel-based Apple Macintosh systems
running Mac OS X, and most Intel/AMD processor-based Linux distributions handle byte
storage in Little-Endian byte order so byte reordering is not necessary before converting
to/from 32-bit “long” values. LabVIEW always handles “byte strings” in “Big Endian”
byte order irrespective of operating system and CPU, requiring that the four bytes
containing a microsteps value be reverse ordered before/after conversion to/from a
multibyte type value (I32, U32, etc.). MATLAB automatically adjusts the endianess of
multibyte storage entities to that of the system on which it is running, so explicit byte
reordering is generally unnecessary unless the underlying platform is Big Endian. If your
development platform does not have built-in Little/Big Endian conversion functions, bit
reordering can be accomplished by first swapping positions of the two bytes in each 16-bit
half of the 32-bit value, and then swap positions of the two halves. This method efficiently
and quickly changes the bit ordering of any multibyte value between the two Endian
SOLO SINGLE-AXIS MICROMANIPULATOR SYSTEM OPERATION MANUAL – REV. 1.01B (20191002)
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formats (if Big Endian, it becomes Little Endian, and if Little Endian, it becomes then
Big Endian).
10. Travel Lengths and Durations: “Move” commands might have short to long distances of
travel. If not polling for return data, an appropriate delay should be inserted between the
sending of the command sequence and reception of return data so that the next command
is sent only after the move is complete. This delay can be auto calculated by determining
the distance of travel (difference between current and target positions) and rate of travel.
This delay is not needed if polling for return data. In either case, however, an appropriate
timeout must be set for the reception of data so that the I/O does not time out before the
move is made and/or the delay expires.
5. MAINTENANCE
Routine cleaning of the SOLO system is required to prevent excessive dust accumulations.
Wipe all exterior surfaces with a dry, soft, cotton cloth.
Periodically inspect all cables and connections to make sure that all connections are made
well and that all connectors are well and evenly seated.
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APPENDIX A. LIMITED WARRANTY
Sutter Instrument Company, a division of Sutter Instrument Corporation, limits the
warranty on this instrument to repair and replacement of defective components for two
years from date of shipment, provided the instrument has been operated in accordance
with the instructions outlined in this manual.
Abuse, misuse, or unauthorized repairs will void this warranty.
Warranty work will be performed only at the factory.
The cost of shipment both ways is paid for by Sutter Instrument during the first three
months this warranty is in effect, after which the cost is the responsibility of the
customer.
The limited warranty is as stated above and no implied or inferred liability for direct or
consequential damages is intended.
An extended warranty for up to three additional years can be purchased at the time of
ordering, or until the original warranty expires. For pricing and other information, please
contact Sutter Instrument.
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25
W621 150
Ground cable
285204
4-inch dovetail extension
285210
Mounting adapter plate
225RBI
Rotating base
221165
Z-axis vertical extension
BR-AW
Rod holding clamp for 4mm OD rods and Sutter Instrument XenoWorks
injectors
MP-ROD
Rod holder (for rod OD 6.25mm or larger)
MD Series
Micromanipulator platform
MT-78-FS
Large fixed-stage platform
MT-78-FS/M6
Large fixed-stage platform with M6 tapped holes
MT-75
Standard gantry-stand 8.7 to 13.4 in (22.1 to 33.9 cm)
MT-75S
Short gantry-stand 6.7 to 9.6 in (16.9 to 24.4 cm)
APPENDIX B. ACCESSORIES
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APPENDIX C. TECHNICAL SPECIFICATIONS
C.1. SOLO/M
Travel 25mm (SOLO-25/M) or 50mm (SOLO-50/M)
C.2. SOLO ROE/Controller
Electrical:
Power Adapter: Meanwell GS60A24-P1J
Input (Mains) 100 - 240 VAC, 50/60 Hz, 1.4A
Output (fixed cable 24V DC, 2.5A, 60W Max.
to ROE/Controller’s (see following table for cable specs)
POWER receptacle)
SOLO System Power consumption 60-Watts maximum
Mains fuses None replaceable (power protection built into the
Power Adapter)
Cables (Refer to the following tables for a description of
all possible cables.)
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Controller Rear Panel
Port
Connector/Receptacle
Cable Connector
Types
Connects to ...
Cable Type
Cable
Max.
Length
Power Adapter
3-pin male connector
◄─3-pin power
dependent)
Mains power source.
10A, 250V, with
safety ground
plug
3 meters
(approx.
10 feet)
ROE/Controller Cabinet:
MANIPULATOR
(9-Pin DSUB female
receptacle)
DB-9 male
(Straight-through)
SOLO/M series
Minimum of 26
awg stranded
wire with 500
Volt.
3 meters
(approx.
10 feet)
Power Adapter
(fixed)
Barrel Plug (male)─►
ROE/Controller
Cabinet:
POWER receptacle
(center pin positive)
UL1185 18AWG
1.8 meters
(approx. 6
feet)
ROE/Controller Cabinet:
GROUND
(1-pin Banana-style
female receptacle)
Banana male
(hooded)
a ground/earth source
(user determined)
ROE/Controller Cabinet:
USB
A
─►B
Computer USB port
Table C-1. SOLO cables and receptacles/connectors.
standard (female)
│
3-pin male─►
(Geographical region
◄─
│
DB-9 female─►
◄─
│
ID 2.1 x OD 5.5 mm
◄─
│
─►Alligator clip
◄─
│
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HOME:
WORK:
PULSE:
RELATIVE:
SPEED:
Axis Movement
Setting Home/Work Pos. & Relative Mode Origin Pos.:
Screen-color mode indications:
Movement Knob Disabling:
D-1
Sw #
Definition
State
Setting
Position
1
Knob Rotation for
Forward (+) Movement
Counter
OFF
UP
Clockwise
ON*
DOWN*
2
Single axis travel length
(25 or 50 mm)
50mm
OFF
UP
25mm
ON*
DOWN*
3
Electromechanical device
compatibility
MP-285/M
OFF
UP
SOLO/M
ON*
DOWN*
4
Calibration Homing on
Power On
Disabled: **
OFF
UP
Enabled.
ON*
DOWN*
** Switch 4 OFF (up) to retain power-off position.
APPENDIX D. QUICK REFERENCE
Manual Operation
Move to defined home position. Press again to pause/resume.
Move to defined work position. Press again to pause/resume.
Advances forward 2.85 µm steps.
Hold 3-sec. to set the relative mode origin to the current absolute
position.
Cycles through Speed 0 (normal) through 3 (for manual movement).
buttons for 3 seconds until beep sounds.
Green = Position status; Red = Movement in progress (knob disabled).
Movement knob is disabled during movement to Home, Work, or when initiated by
external movement command.
Configuration
To set position, hold down HOME, WORK, & RELATIVE
External Control
Controlling the SOLO externally via computer is
accomplished by sending commands over the USB
interface between the computer and the USB
connector on the rear panel of the SOLO
controller/ROE. The USB device driver for Windows
is downloadable from Sutter Instrument’s web site
(www.sutter.com
(Combined Driver Model) Version 2.10.00 or higher.
The CDM device driver for the SOLO consists of two
device drivers: 1) USB device driver, and 2) VCP
(Virtual COM Port) device driver. Install the USB
device driver first, followed by the VCP device
driver. The VCP device driver provides a serial RS232 I/O interface between a Windows application
and the SOLO. Although the VCP device driver is
optional, its installation is recommended even if it is
not going to be used. Once installed, the VCP can be
enabled or disabled.
). The SOLO requires USB CDM
Table
* Normal operation (factory default).
. Configuration Switches 1 – 4.
The CDM device driver package provides two I/O
methodologies over which communications with the
controller over USB can be conducted: 1) USB
Direct (D2XX mode), or 2) Serial RS-232
asynchronous via the VCP device driver (VCP
mode). The first method requires that the VCP
device driver not be installed, or if installed, that it
be disabled. The second method requires that the
VCP be installed and enabled.
Virtual COM Port (VCP) Serial Port Settings: The
following table lists the required RS-232 serial
settings for the COM port (COM3, COM5, etc.)
generated by the installation or enabling of the VCP
device driver.
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Property
Setting
Data (“Baud”) Rate (bits per second (bps))
57600
Data Bits
8
Stop Bits
1
Parity
None
Flow Control
None
Controller with Device
From/To
Units
Conversion Factor
(multiplier)
SOLO
SOLO-xx-M
µsteps µm
0.09375
µm µsteps
10.66666666667
SOLO with a single axis of an
MP-285-M
MP-225-M
micromanipulator
Table D-2. USB-VCP interface serial port settings.
The settings shown in the above table can be set in
the device driver’s properties (via the Device
Manager if in Windows) and/or programmatically in
your application.
Protocol and Handshaking: Command sequences do
not have terminators. All commands return an
ASCII CR (Carriage Return; 13 decimal, 0D
hexadecimal) to indicate that the task associated
with the command has completed. When the
controller completes the task associated with a
command, it sends ASCII CR back to the host
computer indicating that it is ready to receive a new
command. If a command returns data, the last byte
returned is the task-completed indicator.
Command Sequence Formatting: Each command
sequence consists of at least one byte, the first of
which is the “command byte”. Those commands
that have parameters or arguments require a
sequence of bytes that follow the command byte. No
delimiters are used between command sequence
arguments, and command sequence terminators are
not used. Although most command bytes can be
expressed as ASCII displayable/printable characters,
the rest of a command sequence must generally be
expressed as a sequence of unsigned byte values (0255 decimal; 00 – FF hexadecimal, or 00000000 –
11111111 binary). Each byte in a command
sequence being transmitted to the controller must
contain an unsigned binary value. Attempting to
code command sequences as “strings” is not
advisable. Any command data being returned from
the controller must also be received and initially
treated as a sequence of unsigned byte values.
Groups of contiguous bytes can later be combined to
form larger values, as appropriate (e.g., 2 bytes into
16-bit “word”, or 4 bytes into a 32-bit “long” or
“double word”). For the SOLO, all axis position
values (number of microsteps) are stored as
“unsigned long” (32-bit) values, and each is
transmitted and received to and from the controller
as four contiguous bytes.
Axis Position Command Parameters: All axis
positional information is exchanged between the
controller and the host computer in terms of
microsteps. Conversion between microsteps and
microns (micrometers) is the responsibility of the
software running on the host computer (see
Microns/microsteps conversion
table for conversion
factors).
Microsteps are stored as positive 32-bit values
(“long” (or optionally, “signed long”), or “unsigned
long” for C/C++; “I32” or “U32” for LabVIEW).
“Unsigned” means the value is always positive;
negative values are not allowed. The positive-only
values can also be stored in signed type variables, in
which case care must be taken to ensure that only
positive values are exchanged with the controller.
The 32-bit value consists of four contiguous bytes,
with a byte/bit-ordering format of Little Endian
(“Intel”) (most significant byte (MSB) in the first
byte and least significant (LSB) in the last byte). If
the platform on which your application is running is
Little Endian, then no byte order reversal of axis
position values is necessary. Examples of platforms
using Little Endian formatting include any system
using an Intel processor (including Microsoft
Windows and Apple Mac OS X).
If the platform on which your application is running
is Big Endian (e.g., Motorola PowerPC CPU), then
these 32-bit position values must have their bytes
reverse-ordered after receiving from, or before
sending to, the controller. Examples of Big-Endian
platforms include many non-Intel-based systems,
LabVIEW (regardless of operating system & CPU),
and Java (programming language/environment).
MATLAB adapts to the system on which it is
running, so Little Endian may need to be enforced if
running on a Big-Endian system.
Microsteps and Microns (Micrometers): All
coordinates sent to and received from the controller
are in microsteps. To convert between microsteps
and microns (micrometers), use the following
conversion factors (multipliers):
Table D-3. Microns Microns/microsteps conversion.
with
series micromanipulator
or
µsteps µm 0.125
µm µsteps 8
For accuracy in your application, these conversion
factors should be typed as double precision
(“double”); “float” is not recommended. If the result
is in microsteps, it can be typed as a 32-bit “long”
integer; otherwise, it should be typed as floating
point, preferably as double precision (“double”).
Ranges and Bounds:
SOLO SINGLE-AXIS MICROMANIPULATOR SYSTEM OPERATION MANUAL – REV. 1.01B (20191002)
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30
Device
Axis
Len.
(mm)
Origin
Microns
Microsteps
SOLO-25/M
(any)
SOLO-50/M
(any)
Command
Tx/-
Delay/-
Rx
Ver. Total
Bytes
Byte
Offset
(Len.)
Value
Alt-
key-
pad #
Ctrlchar
ASCII
def./char.
Description
Dec.
Hex.
Binary
Get Current
Position and
Angle (‘c’ or
‘C’)
Tx
All
1 0 99
67
63
43
0110 0011
0100 0011
0099
0043
‘c’
‘C’
Returns the current position
(µsteps) of the single axis
Rx
All
5
0-3
One 4-byte (32-bit) value (current position in µsteps of single axis), + 1 byte for
completion indicator.
4 13
0D
0000 1101
^M
<CR>
Completion indicator
Move to
HOME
Position (‘h’)
Tx
1 0
104
68
0110 1000
Alt-
‘h’
Moves to the position saved for the
controller’s HOME button..
Rx
1 0
13
0D
0000 1101
^M
<CR>
Completion indicator
Move to
WORK
Position (‘w’)
Tx
1 0
119
77
0111 0111
Alt-
‘w’
Moves to the position saved for the
controller’s WORK button..
Rx
1 0
13
0D
0000 1101
^M
<CR>
Completion indicator
Move to
Specified
“Home”
Position (‘H’)
Tx
All
5 0 72
48
0100 1000
Alt-
‘H’
Move single axis to specified position
(see
Ranges
table)
1-4
µsteps
Rx
All
1 0 13
0D
0000 1101
^M
<CR>
Completion indicator
Move to
Specified
“Work”
Position (‘W’)
Tx
All
5 0 87
57
0101 0111
Alt0087
‘W’
Move single axis to specified position
(see
Ranges
table)
1-4
µsteps
Rx
All
1 0 13
0D
0000 1101
^M
<CR>
Completion indicator
Move to
specified X
axis Position
(‘x’ or ‘X’)
Tx
5 0
120
90
78
5A
0111 1000
0101 1010
0120
0090
‘x’
‘X’
Move X axis to specified position (see
Ranges
1 - 4
µsteps
Rx
1 0
13
0D
0000 1101
^M
<CR>
Completion indicator
Table D-4. Ranges and bounds
Command Reference: The following table lists all
the external-control commands for the SOLO.
25 BOT 0 – 25,000 0 – 266,667
50 BOT 0 – 50,000 0 – 533,334
Table D-5. SOLO external control commands.
or
or
or
or
0104
0119
or
or
or
NOTES:
1. Task-Complete Indicator: All commands will send back to
the computer the “Task-Complete Indicator” to signal the
command and its associated function in controller is
complete. The indicator consists of one (1) byte containing
a value of 13 decimal (0D hexadecimal), and which
represents an ASCII CR (Carriage Return).
2. Intercommand Delay: A short delay (usually around 2 ms)
is recommended between commands (after sending a
command sequence and before sending the next
command).
SOLO SINGLE-AXIS MICROMANIPULATOR SYSTEM OPERATION MANUAL – REV. 1.01B (20191002)
or
0072
or
3. Clearing Send/Receive Buffers: Clearing (purging) the
transmit and receive buffers of the I/O port immediately
before sending any command is recommended.
4. Positions in Microsteps: All positions sent to and received
from the controller are in microsteps (µsteps). See
Microns/-microsteps conversion table) for conversion
between µsteps and microns (micrometers (µm)).
5. Ranges and Bounds: See Ranges and Bounds table for
exact minimum and maximum values for each axis of each
compatible device that can be connected. All move
commands must include positive values only for positions
or
table)
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– negative positions must never be specified. All positions
are absolute as measured from the physical beginning of
travel of a device’s axis. In application programming, it is
important that positional values be checked (>= 0 and
<= max.) to ensure that a negative absolute position is
never sent to the controller and that end of travel is not
exceeded. All computational relative positioning must
always resolve to accurate absolute positions.
6. Absolute Positioning System Origin: The Origin is set to a
physical position of travel to define absolute position 0.
The physical Origin position is fixed at beginning of travel
(BOT). This means that all higher positions (towards end
of travel (EOT)) are positive values; there are no lower
positions and therefore no negative values are allowed.
7. Absolute vs. Relative Positioning: Current position (‘c’)
and move commands always use absolute positions. All
positions can be considered “relative” to the Origin
(Position 0), but all are in fact absolute positions. Any
position that’s considered to be “relative” to the current
position, whatever that might be, can be handled
synthetically by external programming. However, care
should be taken to ensure that all relative positions are
accurately translated to correct absolute positions before
initiating a move command.
8. Position Value Typing: All positions sent and received to
and from the controller are in microsteps and consist of
32-bit integer values (four contiguous bytes). Position
values can be either positive or negative, so type must be
“signed”. Although each positional value is transmitted
to, or received from, the controller as a sequence of four
(4) contiguous bytes, for computer application
computational and storage purposes each should be typed
as a signed integer (“long” or “signed long” in C/C++;
“I32” in LabVIEW, etc.). Note that in Python,
incorporating the optional NumPy package brings robust
data typing like that used in C/C++ to your program,
simplifying coding and adding positioning accuracy to the
application.
9. Position Value Bit Ordering: All 32-bit position values
transmitted to, and received from, the controller must be
bit/byte-ordered in “Little Endian” format. This means
that the least significant bit/byte is last (last to send and
last to receive). Byte-order reversal may be required on
some platforms. Microsoft Windows, Intel-based Apple
Macintosh systems running Mac OS X, and most
Intel/AMD processor-based Linux distributions handle
byte storage in Little-Endian byte order so byte
reordering is not necessary before converting to/from 32bit “long” values. LabVIEW always handles “byte strings”
in “Big Endian” byte order irrespective of operating
system and CPU, requiring that the four bytes containing
a microsteps value be reverse ordered before/after
conversion to/from a multibyte type value (I32, U32, etc.).
MATLAB automatically adjusts the endianess of
multibyte storage entities to that of the system on which
it is running, so explicit byte reordering is generally
unnecessary unless the underlying platform is Big
Endian. If your development platform does not have builtin Little/Big Endian conversion functions, bit reordering
can be accomplished by first swapping positions of the two
bytes in each 16-bit half of the 32-bit value, and then
swap positions of the two halves. This method efficiently
and quickly changes the bit ordering of any multibyte
value between the two Endian formats (if Big Endian, it
becomes Little Endian, and if Little Endian, it becomes
then Big Endian).
10. Travel Lengths and Durations: “Move” commands might
have short to long distances of travel. If not polling for
return data, an appropriate delay should be inserted
between the sending of the command sequence and
reception of return data so that the next command is sent
only after the move is complete. This delay can be auto
calculated by determining the distance of travel
(difference between current and target positions) and rate
of travel. This delay is not needed if polling for return
data. In either case, however, an appropriate timeout
must be set for the reception of data so that the I/O does
not time out before the move is made and/or the delay
expires.
NOTES:
SOLO SINGLE-AXIS MICROMANIPULATOR SYSTEM OPERATION MANUAL – REV. 1.01B (20191002)
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INDEX
A
accessories ............................................................. 25
C
cleaning .................................................................. 23
configuration ......................................................... 28
Configuration ........................................................ 13
Configuration switches ........................................ 14
controller
cable specs ......................................................... 27
Controls
SOLO ................................................................. 13
Power switch ................................................. 13
D
disclaimer ................................................................. 3
E
Electrical Connections ......................................... 12
external control ..................................................... 28
absolute positioning system origin ............ 22, 31
absolute vs. relative positioning ................ 22, 31
axis position command parameters ................ 19
clearing send/receive buffers ..................... 21, 30
command reference .......................................... 20
intercommand delay ................................... 21, 30
microsteps and microns (micrometers) .......... 20
position value bit ordering ......................... 22, 31
position value typing .................................. 22, 31
positions in microsteps ............................... 22, 30
protocol and handshaking................................ 19
ranges and bounds .......................... 20, 22, 29, 30
task-complete indicator .............................. 21, 30
travel lengths and durations...................... 23, 31
Virtual COM Port (VCP) serial port settings 18
F
fuses, mains ........................................................... 26
fuses, replacement
mains ..................................................................... 3
G
glassware
precautions ........................................................... 4
I
input
voltage ................................................................ 26
Installation
electrical connections ....................................... 12
General .............................................................. 11
headstage mounting ......................................... 12
initial operating instructions ........................... 12
other accessories ............................................... 12
ROE/Controller rear panel controls and
configuration ................................................. 13
configuration switches ................................. 14
calibration at power up ............................ 14
connected device length of travel ............ 14
scaling factor ............................................. 14
setting axis directionality ......................... 14
power switch ................................................. 13
SOLO/M mounting ........................................... 11
Installation ............................................................ 11
Introduction
Components ......................................................... 9
Overview
Description .................................................... 10
Features ......................................................... 10
Overview ............................................................ 10
Introduction ............................................................. 9
M
mains
fuses ............................................................... 3, 26
voltage ................................................................ 26
Maintenance .......................................................... 23
manual operation.................................................. 28
Mounting
headstage ........................................................... 12
N
notes
user ............................................................... 33, 34
O
Operations
control operations ............................................. 16
maximum positive position values .............. 16
mode indications ........................................... 17
moving to the Home Position ...................... 16
moving to the Work Position ....................... 17
pausing Home movements .......................... 18
pausing Work movements ........................... 18
Pulse Mode and diagonal movement .......... 18
ROE axis knob movement speed control ... 18
setting Absolute/Relative coordinates mode
.................................................................... 17
setting position for HOME and WORK ...... 16
SOLO SINGLE-AXIS MICROMANIPULATOR SYSTEM OPERATION MANUAL – REV. 1.01B (20191002)
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display ................................................................ 15
initial startup ................................................ 15
S
safety warnings
mains fuse............................................................. 3
safety warnings & precautions
operational ............................................................ 3
SAFETY WARNINGS & PRECAUTIONS .......... 3
electrical ................................................................ 3
Setting axis directionality .................................... 14
SPEED button ...................................................... 18
NOTES
T
technical specifications ......................................... 26
electrical ............................................................. 26
SOLO ROE/Controller ..................................... 26
V
voltage
input ................................................................... 26
mains .................................................................. 26
W
warranty ................................................................ 24
SOLO SINGLE-AXIS MICROMANIPULATOR SYSTEM OPERATION MANUAL – REV. 1.01B (20191002)
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NOTES
SOLO SINGLE-AXIS MICROMANIPULATOR SYSTEM OPERATION MANUAL – REV. 1.01B (20191002)
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