THORLABS KDC101 User Manual

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KDC101 DC Servo Motor Driver

APT User Guide

Original Instructions

Contents

Chapter 1 Safety ............................................................................................. 4

1.1 Safety Information ..................................................................................4

1.2 General Warnings .................................................................................. 4

Chapter 2 Introduction and Overview ..........................................................5

2.1 Introduction .............................................................................................5

2.2 K-Cube Controller Hub ...........................................................................6

2.3 APT PC Software Overview ...................................................................7

2.3.1 Introduction ........................................................... .............................................. 7

2.3.2 APTUser Utility ...................................................................................................8

2.3.3 APT Config Utility ...............................................................................................9

2.3.4 APT Server (ActiveX Controls) .........................................................................10

2.3.5 Software Upgrades ...........................................................................................11

Chapter 3 Getting Started ............................................................................12

3.1 Install The Software ..............................................................................12

3.2 Mechanical Installation ......................................................................... 13

3.2.1 Environmental Conditions ................................................................................ 13

3.2.2 Mounting Options .............................................................................................13

3.2.3 Using the Baseplate .........................................................................................14

3.3 Electrical Installation .............................................................................14

3.3.1 Rear Panel ....................................................................................................... 14

3.3.2 Front Panel ......................................................................................................15

3.4 Connect The Hardware ........................................................................ 16

Chapter 4 Standalone Operation ................................................................19

4.1 Introduction ...........................................................................................19

4.2 Control Panel ........................................................................................ 20

4.2.1 Overview ..........................................................................................................20

4.2.2 Digital Display - Operating Mode ......................................................................20

4.3 Velocity Wheel Operation .....................................................................21

4.3.1 Homing ................................................................. ............................................ 21

4.3.2 Go to Position ................................................................................................... 21

4.3.3 Jogging ....................... ......................................................................................21

4.3.4 Velocity Moves .................................................................................................22

4.4 Settings Menu ............................................. ... ................................. ... ..22

4.4.1 Overview ..........................................................................................................22

4.4.2 Menu Option - Go to position ...........................................................................23

4.4.3 Menu Option - Start homing .............................................................................24

4.4.4 Menu Option - Velocity .....................................................................................24

4.4.5 Menu Option - Joystick Mode ...........................................................................25

4.4.6 Menu Option - Jog Step Size ...........................................................................26

4.4.7 Menu Option - Teach Position ..........................................................................27

4.4.8 Menu Option - Brightness .................................................................................28

4.4.9 Menu Option - Disp.Timeout .............................................................................28

4.4.10 Menu Option - Disable ...................................................................................... 29

4.4.11 Menu Option - Select Stage .............................................................................29

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Chapter 5 PC Operation - Tutorial ............................................................. 30

5.1 Introduction ........................................................................................... 30

5.2 VUsing the APT User Utility ..................................................................30

5.3 Homing Motors .......... ... ................................................................... ... ..32

5.4 Moving to an Absolute Position ............................................................33

5.5 Changing Motor Parameters ................................................................34

5.6 Jogging .................................................................................................35

5.7 Stopping the Stage .............................................. .................................36

5.8 Graphical Control Of Motor Positions (Point and Move) .......................37

5.9 Setting Move Sequences ......................................................................39

5.10 Creating a Simulated Configuration ......................................................42

5.11 Stage/Axis Tab .................................................................. ...................45

Chapter 6 Software Reference .................................................................... 46

6.1 Introduction ........................................................................................... 46

6.2 GUI Panel .............................................................................................46

6.3 Settings Panel ................................. ... ..................................................48

6.3.1 Moves/Jogs Tab ............................................................................................... 48

6.3.2 Stage/Axis Tab ................................................................................................. 51

6.3.3 Servo Loop Tab ............................................................................................... 54

6.3.4 Panel/Triggering Tab ....................................................................................... 56

6.3.5 Defaults Tab ..................................................................................................... 61

6.3.6 Rotation StagesTab ......................................................................................... 62

Appendices

Appendix A Rear Panel Connector Pinout Detail ...................................... 63

Appendix B Preventive Maintenance .........................................................64

Appendix C Specifications and Associated Products ..............................65

Appendix D Motor Control Method Summary ........................................... 67

Appendix E DC Motor Operation - Background ........................................ 71

Appendix F Regulatory ..................................................... ........................... 76

Appendix G Thorlabs Worldwide Contacts ............................................... 79

Chapter 1 Safety

1.1 Safety Information

For the continuing safety of the operators of this equipment, and the protection of the equipment itself, the operator should take note of the Warnings, Cautions and Notes throughout this handbook and, where visible, on the product itself.

The following safety symbols may be used throughout the handbook and on the equipment itself.

Shock Warning

Given when there is a risk of injury from electrical shock.

Warning

Given when there is a risk of injury to users.

Caution

Given when there is a risk of damage to the product.

Note

Clarification of an instruction or additional information.

1.2 General Warnings

Warnings

If this equipment is used in a manner not specified by the manufacturer, the

protection provided by the equipment may be impaired. In particular,

excessive moisture may impair operation.

Spillage of fluid, such as sample solutions, should be avoided. If spillage does occur, clean up immedia tely using ab sorbant tissu e. Do not allow spilled fluid

to enter the internal mechanism.

Caution

If your PC becomes unresponsive (e.g due to an operating system problem,

entering a sleep state condition, or screen saver operation) for a prolonged

period, this will interrupt communication between the APT Software and the

hardware, and a communications error may be generated. To minimize the

possibility of this happening it is strongly recommended that any such modes

that result in prolonged unresponsiveness be disabled before the APT

software is run. Please consult your system administrator or contact Thorlabs

technical support for more details.

Chapter 2 Introduction and Overview

2.1 Introduction

The K-Cube DC Servo Controller (KDC101) is a new very compact single channel controller/driver for easy manual and automatic control of DC Servo motors. This driver has been designed to operate with a variety of lower powered DC brushed motors (up to 15V/2.5W operation) equipped with encoder feedback. The KDC101 has been optimised for 'out of the box' operation with the Thorlabs range of Z8 D C motor equipped opto-mechanical products, however highly flex ible software settin gs and closed loop tuning also supports operation with a wide range of third party DC Servo motors and associated stages/actuators.

Although compact in footprint, this unit offers a fully featured motion control capability including velocity profile settings, limit switch handling, “on the fly” change s in motor speed and direction, control over the closed loop PID parameters and, for more advanced operation, adjustment of settings such as lead screw pitch and g earbox ratio, allowing support for many different actuator configurations.

For convenience the footprint of this unit has been kept to a minimum, measuring only 60 x 60 x 47mm (2.36" x 2.36" x 1.85") and with the facility to directly mount to the optical table close to the motorised device - convenient when manually adjusting motor positions using the top panel controls (velocity control wheel). Table top operation also allows minimal drive cable lengths for easier cable management..

Fig. 2.1 K-Cube DC Servo Motor Driver

USB connectivity provides easy 'Plug and Play' PC controlled operation - multiple units can be connected to a single PC via standard USB hub technology or b y using

Chapter 2

the new K-Cube Controller Hub (see over) for multi-axis motion control applications. Coupling this with the very user friendly apt™ software (suppli ed) allows the user to very quickly get up and running with complex move sequences in a short space of time – for example all relevant operating parameters are set automatically by the software for Thorlabs stage/actuator products. Advanced custom motion control applications and sequences are also possible using the extensive ActiveX® programming environment also supplied. This programming library is compatible with many development tools such as LabView, Visual Basic, Visual C++, C++ Builder, LabWindows/CVI, Matlab and Delphi.

In the remainder of this handbook, operation of the unit is described for both front panel and PC operation. Tutorial sections (Chapter 4 and Chapte r 5) provide a good initial understanding on using the unit and reference section (Chapter 6) covers all operating modes and parameters in detail.

2.2 Power Options

For power, a single way wall plug supply (KPS101) is available for powering a single K-Cube Driver.

As a further level of convenience when using the new K-Cube Controllers Thorlabs also offers the 3-channel and 6-channel K-Cube Controller Hubs (KCH301 and KCH601). These products have been designed specifically with multiple K-Cube operation in mind in order to simplify issues such as cable management, power supply routing, multiple USB device communications and different optical table mounting scenarios.

The K-Cube Controller Hub comprises a slim base-plate type carrier with electrical connections located on the upper surface to accept the K-Cubes.

Internally the Controller Hub contains a fully compliant USB 2.0 hub circuit to provide communications for all K-Cubes – a single USB connectio n to the Controller Hub is all that is required for PC control. The Controller Hub also provides power distribution for the K-Cubes, requiring only a single power connection.

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2.3 APT PC Software Overview

2.3.1 Introduction

As a member of the APT range of controllers, the K-Cube DC Driver shares many of the associated software benefits. This includes USB conne ctivity (allowing multiple units to be used together on a single PC), fully featured Graphical User Inte rface (GUI) panels, and extensive software function libraries for custom application development.

The APT software suite supplied with all APT controllers, including the DC Driver KCube, provides a flexible and powerful PC based control system both for users of the equipment, and software programmers aiming to automate its operation.

For users, the APTUser (see Section 2.3.2.) and APTConfig (see Section 2.3.3.) utilities allow full control of all settings and operating modes ena bling complete ‘ outof-box’ operation without the need to develop any further custom software. Both utilities are built on top of a sophisticated, multi-threaded ActiveX ‘engine’ (called the APT server) which provides all of the necessary APT system software services such as generation of GUI panels, communications handling for multiple USB units, and logging of all system activity to assist in hardware trouble shooting. It is this APT server ‘engine’ that is used by software developers to allow the creation of advanced automated positioning applications very rapidly and with great ease. The APT server is described in more detail in Section 2.3.4.

Caution

On start up, wait until the top panel display has stopped flashing before

running the APT software.

Aside ActiveX®, a Windows®-based, language-independent technology, allows a use r

to quickly develop custom applications that automate the control of APT system hardware units. Development environments supported by ActiveX® technology include Visual Basic®, LabView™, Borland C++ Builder, Visual C++, Delphi™, and many others. ActiveX® technology is also supported by .NET development environments such as Visual Basic.NET and Visual C#.NET.

ActiveX controls are a specific form of ActiveX technology that provide both a user interface and a programming interface. An ActiveX control is supplied for each type of APT hardware unit to provide specific controller functionality to the software developer. See Section 2.3.4. for further details.

Chapter 2

2.3.2 APTUser Utility

The APTUser application allows the user to interact with a nu mb er of APT ha rdware control units connected to the host PC. This program displays multiple graphical instrument panels to allow multiple APT units to be controlled simultaneously.

All basic operating parameters can be altered and, similarly, all operations (such a s motor moves) can be initiated. Settings and parameter changes can be saved and loaded to allow multiple operating configurations to be created and easily applied.

For many users, the APTUser application provides all of the functionality nece ssary to operate the APT hardware without the need to develop any further custom software. For those who do need to further customize and automate usage of the KCube DC Driver (e.g. to implement a positioning algorithm), this application illustrates how the rich functionality provided by the APT ActiveX server is exposed by a client application.

Use of the APT User utility is covered in the PC tutorial (Chapter 5) and in the APTUser online help file, accessed via the F1 key when using the APTUser utility.

Caution

On start up, wait until the top panel POWER led is lit bright green before

running the APT software.

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2.3.3 APT Config Utility

There are many system parameters and configuration settings associated with the operation of the APT Server. Most can be directly accessed using the various graphical panels, however there are several system wide settings that can be made 'off-line' before running the APT software. These settings have global effect; such as switching between simulator and real operating mode, associating mechanical stages to specific motor actuators and incorporation of calibration data.

The APTConfig utility is provided as a convenient means for making these system wide settings and adjustments. Full details on using APTConfig are p rovided in the online help supplied with the utility.

Use of the APT Config utility is covered in the PC tutorial (Chapter 5) and in the APTConfig online help file, accessed via the F1 key when using the APTConfig utility.

Chapter 2

2.3.4 APT Server (ActiveX Controls)

ActiveX Controls are re-usable compiled software components that supply both a graphical user interface and a programmable interface. Many such Controls are available for Windows applications development, providing a large range of re-usable functionality. For example, there are Controls available that can be used to manipulate image files, connect to the internet or simply provide user interface components such as buttons and list boxes.

With the APT system, ActiveX Controls are deployed to allow direct control over (and also reflect the status of) the range of electronic controller units, including the DC Driver K-Cube. Software applications that use ActiveX Controls are often referred to as 'client applications'. Based on ActiveX interfacing technology, an ActiveX Control is a language independent software component. Consequently ActiveX Controls can be incorporated into a wide range of software development environments for use by client application developers. Development environments supported include Vi sual Basic, Labview, Visual C++, C++ Builder, HPVEE, Matlab, VB.NET, C#.NET VBA, Microsoft Office applications such as Excel and Word.

Consider the ActiveX Control supplied for the KDC101 DC servo driver unit.

and, via

This Control provides a complete user graphical instrument panel to all ow the mo tor unit to be manually operated, as well as a complete set of software function s (often called methods) to allow all parameters to be set and motor operations to be automated by a client application. The instrument panel reflects the current operating state of the controller unit to which it is associated (e.g. such as motor position). Updates to the panel take place automatically when a user (client) application is making software calls into the same Control. For example, if a client application instructs the associated DC servo motor Control to move a motor, the progress of that move is reflected automatically by changing position readouts on the graphical interface, without the need for further programming intervention.

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The APT ActiveX Controls collection provides a rich set of graphical user panels and programmable interfaces allowing users and client a pplication devel opers to interact seamlessly with the APT hardware. Each of the APT controllers has an associated ActiveX Control and these are described fully in system online help or the handbooks associated with the controllers. Note that the APTUser and APTConfig uti lities take advantage of and are built on top of the powerful functionality provided by the APT ActiveX Server (as shown in Fig. 2.2).

Fig. 2.2 System Architecture Diagram

Refer to the main APT Software online help file, for a complete programmers guide and reference material on using the APT ActiveX Controls collection. This is available either by pressing the F1 key when running the APT server, or via the Start menu, Start\Programs\Thorlabs\APT\APT Help.

2.3.5 Software Upgrades

Thorlabs operate a policy of continuous product development and may issue software upgrades as necessary.

Chapter 3 Getting Started

3.1 Install The Software

Caution

If your PC becomes unresponsive (e.g due to an operating system problem,

entering a sleep state condition, or screen saver operation) for a prolonged

period, this will interrupt communication between the APT Software and the

hardware, and a communications error may be generated. To minimize the

possibility of this happening it is strongly recommended that any such modes

that result in prolonged unresponsiveness be disabled before the APT

software is run. Please consult your system administrator or contact Thorlabs

technical support for more details.

Caution

Some PCs may have been configured to restrict the users ability to load

software, and on these systems the software may not install/run. If you are in any doubt about your rights to install/run software, please consult your system administrator before attempting to install. If you experience

any problems when installing software, contact Thorlabs on +44 (0)1353

654440 and ask for Technical Support.

DO NOT CONNECT THE STAGE TO YOUR PC YET

1) Download the software from www.thorlabs.com.

2) Locate the downloaded setup.exe file and move to a suitable file location.

3) Double-click the setup.exe file and follow the on-screen instructions.

K-Cube Brushed DC Servo Motor Driver

3.2 Mechanical Installation

3.2.1 Environmental Conditions

Warning

Operation outside the following environmental limits may adversely affect

operator safety.

Location Indoor use only Maximum altitude 2000 m Temperature range 5 Maximum Humidity Less than 80% RH (non-condensing) at 31°C To ensure reliable operation the unit should not be exposed to corrosive ag ents or

excessive moisture, heat or dust. If the unit has been stored at a low temperature or in an environment of high humidity,

it must be allowed to reach ambient conditions before being powered up.

3.2.2 Mounting Options

The K-Cube DC Driver is shipped with a baseplate, for use when fitting the unit to a breadboard, optical table or similar surface.

For multiple cube systems, a 3-channel and 6-channel K-Cube Controller Hub (KCH301 and KCH601). ) are also available - see Section 2.2. for further details. Full instructions on the fitting and use of the controller hub are contained in the handbook available at www.thorlabs.com

C to 40oC

Caution

When siting the unit, it should be positioned so as not to impede the

operation of the controls on the top panel.

Chapter 3

3.2.3 Using the Baseplate

The baseplate must be bolted to the worksurface before the K-Cube is fitted, as shown below. The K-cube is then located on two dowels in the baseplate and secured by two clips.

Fig. 3.1 Using The Baseplate

3.3 Electrical Installation

3.3.1 Rear Panel

Fig. 3.2 Rear Panel Connections

The rear panel of the unit is fitted with a 15 pin D-type connector as shown above, which is compatible with Thorlabs DC servo motor actuators (refer to Appendix A for details of pin outs).

Caution

DO NOT connect a motor actuator while the K-Cube is powered up.

Only use motor drive cables supplied by Thorlabs, other cables may have

incompatible wiring.

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TRIG 1

TRIG 2

USB

POWER

DC 15V 1A

+5V TTL +5V TTL

KDC101

3.3.2 Front Panel

Fig. 3.3 Front Panel Connections

Shock Warning

The unit must be connected only to a DC supply of 15V, 1A regulated.

Connection to a supply of a different rating may cause damage to the unit

and could result in injury to the operator.

POWER - A Standard 3.5 mm front panel jack connector for connecting the unit to a

regulated DC power supply of 15 V, 1A. Thorlabs offers a compact, multi-way power supply unit (TPS008 ), allowing up to

eight Driver K-Cubes to be powered from a single mains outlet. A single way wall plug supply (KPS101) for powering a single Driver K-Cube is also available.

USB - USB port for system communications.

Note

The USB cable length should be no more than 3 metres unless a powered

USB hub is being used.

ON - Power ON/Standby switch. When in the ON position, the unit is fully powered

up. When the switch is turned to the Standby position, the unit initiates a controlled power down sequence, saving all user-adjustable parameters to non-volatile memory before turning off the power. For the first few seconds, the shutdown can be cancelled by turning the switch on again, in which case the unit will save the parameters but will remain powered up. In a powered down (Standby) state, the logic circuits are powered off and the unit will draw only a small quiescent curre nt. The switch should always be used to power down the unit.

TRIG 1 and TRIG 2 - SMA connectors for use with external trigger input and output signals (5V TTL levels). The function is set to trigger IN or OUT via the settings panel

- see Section 6.3.4.

Chapter 3

Thorlabs KDC101 SwRev 10002

Stage Connected: Z812

At 0.0000 mm Stopped V

3.4 Connect The Hardware

1) Perform the mechanical installation as detailed in Section 3.2.

2) Install the APT Software.

Caution

During items (3) to (6) the instructions should be followed strictly in the order stated. Problems may occur if the process is not performed in the

correct sequence. DO NOT connect a motor actuator while the K-Cube is

powered up.

3) Connect the Controller unit to your PC. (Note. The USB cable should be no more than 3 metres in length. Communication lengths in excess of 3 metres can be achieved by using a powered USB hub).

4) Connect the DC servo motor actuator to the Controller unit - see Section 3.3.1.

Caution

During item (5) ensure the power switch on the front panel of the unit is

switched off before connecting power to the K-Cube. Always power up

the K-Cube unit by its ON switch. DO NOT connect the K-Cube unit to a

'live' external power supply . Doing so (i.e. “hot plugging”) carri es the risk

of PERMANENT damage to the unit. Similarly, to power down the unit,

turn the power switch off before disconnecting the power supply.

5) Connect the Controller unit to the power supply - see Section 3.3.2.

6) Connect the PSU to the main supply.

7) Switch ‘ON’ the unit using the switch on the front panel.

The unit takes about 5 seconds from power application until warm up is finished, during which time the following screens are displayed.

Fig. 3.4 Start up display

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Thorlabs KDC101 SwRev 020004

Stage persisted: Z825 <no ID>

At 0.0000 mm Stopped V

8) WindowsTM should detect the new hardware. Wait while WindowsTM installs the

drivers for the new hardware.

Note

If any problems are encountered during the connection and power up

process, power cycle the unit, which should clear the error.

3.5 Stage identification

Most of the stages compatible with the KDC101 controller are fitted with an identification device. On power-up the KDC101 reads the stage identifica tion and loads the correct operating parameters associated with the stage. When the controller is used with APT software, the type of stage is also reported to the GUI. However, some legacy stages are not fitted with an identification device. For correct operation these must be selected manually after power up.

If, on power-up, the controller is able to determine the type of the stage connected, it will load the operating parameters associated with that stage and the OL ED display will show "Stage connected: <type of stage>", as shown in Fig. 3.4. In this scenario, no further action needs to be taken.

If, however, the stage is not fitted with an ID (e.g. Z825V, CR 1-Z7) the user can manually select the correct stage and persist the setting. To facilitate this, the OLED display menu contains a menu option called "Select stage". For stages that are not fitted with an ID resistor, the user needs to use the "Select stage" menu option and manually identify the stage connected to the controller - see Section 4.4.11. for further details. This only needs to be done once: on subsequent power-ups the controller will assume that the stage type has not changed, unless it de tects a stage that is fitted with an ID resistor. To indicate that the stage type is assumed rather than identified, the OLED power-up display screen will show "Stage persisted: <stage type> (No ID)" to warn the user that the type of the stage is only assumed and may not be correct..

Fig. 3.5 Start up display - no stage ID

Chapter 3

3.6 Verifying Software Operation

3.6.1 Initial Setup

1) Ensure power is applied to the unit, then switch the unit ON using the switch on the front panel.

2) Wait until the power up sequence is complete, then run the APTUser utility and check that the Graphical User Interface (GUI) panel appears and is active.

Fig. 3.6 Gui panel showing jog and ident buttons

3) Click the ‘Ident’ button. The digital display on the top panel of the a ssociated controller flashes. This is useful in multi-channel systems for identifying which channel is associated with which GUI.

4) Click the jog buttons on the GUI panel and check that the motor or axis connected to the DC Driver K-Cube moves. The position display for the associated GUI should increment and decrement accordingly.

Follow the tutorial steps described in Chapter 4 for further verification of operation.

Note

The 'APT Config' utility can be used to set up simulated hardware configurations and place the APT Server into simulator mode. In this way it is possible to create

any number and type of simulated (virtual) hardware units in order to emulate a

set of real hardware. This is a particularly useful feature, designed as an aid to

application program development and testing. Any number of 'virtual' control

units are combined to build a model of the real system, which can then be used

to test the application software offline.

If using real hardware, ensure that Simulator Mode is disabled. If using a

simulated setup, enable Simulator Mode and set up a ‘Simulated Configuration’ -

see Section 5.8. or the APTConfig helpfile for detailed instructions.

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Chapter 4 Standalone Operation

Brushed Motor Controller

4.1 Introduction

The DC Driver K-Cube has been designed specifically to operate wi th the extensi ve range of Thorlabs DC motorised opto-mechanical products. The unit offers a fully featured motion control capability including velocity profile settings, limit switch handling, homing sequences and, for more advanced operation, adjustment of settings such as lead screw pitch and gearbox ratio, allowing support for many different actuator configurations. These parameters can be set via the APT Server software - see Chapter 5. Furthermore, many of these parameters are automatically set to allow “out of the box” operation with no further “tuning” required.

The following brief overview explains how the front panel controls can be used to perform a typical series of motor moves. It is assumed that the unit has already been installed and configured for the particular actuator or stage to which it is associated see Chapter 3 for more details.

4.2 Control Panel

4.2.1 Overview

Fig. 4.1 Panel Controls and Indicators

MOVE Controls - These controls allow all motor moves to be initiated.

Velocity Wheel - Used to drive the motor at a varying speed in either forward or reverse directions for full and easy motor control - see Section 4.3.

Digital Display - The display shows the menu options and settings, accessed via the menu button - see Section 4.4. When the Ident button on the associated GUI panel is clicked, the display will flash for a short period.

MENU - used to access the settings menu - see Section 4.4. Also used to stop a move when the stage is in motion.

Chapter 4

Brushed Motor Controller

At 0.0000 mm Stopped V

4.2.2 Digital Display - Operating Mode

During normal operation, the digital display shows the current position (in millimeters or degrees) and the current state of the motor (Stopped or Moving). If the stage being driven has been homed, the display will also show ‘Homed’.

Fig. 4.2 Digital Display - Normal Operation

For rotation stages, the position display will be restricted to the "Eq uivalent Angle" display mode (see Section 6.3.6. for more details), so the position displayed will always be a positive number between 0 and 360 degrees. If set to Total Angle in the settings panel, the LED display will still show the equivalent 0 to 360° value but the GUI screen will show the total rotation.

4.3 Velocity Wheel Operation

The velocity wheel is a sprung potentiometer, such that when released it returns to its central position. In this central position the motor is stationary. Different types of move can be initiated by the wheel, depending on its mode setting. The mode can be set either via the GUI Settings panel, see Section 6.3.4. or via the top panel display menu, see Section 4.4. The various operating modes are described in Section 4.3.1. to Section 4.3.3.

4.3.1 Homing

A ‘Home’ move is performed to establish a datum from which subsequent absolute position moves can be measured (see Section 5.3. and Section E.2.2. for further information on the home position).

To initiate a ‘Home’ see Section 4. 4.3.

4.3.2 Go to Position

In ‘Go To Position’ mode, two preset position values can be specified, such that the motor moves to position 1 when the wheel is moved down, and to position 2 when it is moved up. These ‘taught’ positions can be set through th e software GUI - see Section 6.3.4. or via the display menu, see Section 4.4.7.

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This mode of operation is enabled by setting the ‘Wheel Mode’ to ‘Go To Position’ through the software GUI - see Secti on 6.3.4. or via the displa y menu, see Section

4.4.5.

Note for Rotation Stage Users

If the current absolute position is outside the 0 to 360 degree range, then "go

to position" will result in a move to the correct angular position within the same 0..360 degree full turn "segment". This means that the move will always stay in the current full turn segment, and from this point of view it is not always

the quickest position move. For example, if you are at 350 degrees and you

enter a "go to" position of 10 degrees, the stage will rotate anticlockwise 340

degrees and not clockwise 20 degrees.

4.3.3 Jogging

The top panel wheel can also be configured to ‘jog’ the motor. This mode of operation is enabled by setting the ‘Wheel Mode’ parameter to ‘Jogging’ through the software GUI - see Section 6.3.4. or via the display menu, see Section 4.4.5.

Once set to this mode, the jogging parameters for the wheels are taken from the ‘Jog’ parameters on the ‘Move/Jogs’ settings tab - see Section 6 .3.1. or via the display menu, see Section 4.4.6.

4.3.4 Velocity Moves

The wheel can also be used to initiate a move at a specified velocity. As the wheel is moved away from the centre, the motor begins to move. Bidirectional control of the motor is possible by moving the wheel in both directions. The speed of the motor increases by discrete amounts as a function of wheel deflection, up to a maximum as set in through the software GUI - see Section 6.3.4. or via the display menu, see Section 4.4.4. The move stops when the wheel is returned to its centre position.

Chapter 4

At 0.0000 mm Stopped V

Menu options Use wheel

Menu options 1 Go to position

Menu options 2 Start homing

Menu options 3 Velocity

Menu options 4 Joystick mode

Menu options 5 Jog step size

Menu options 6 Teach position

Menu options 7 Brightness

Menu options 8 Disp.Timeout

Menu options 9 Disable

Menu options 10 Select stage

4.4 Settings Menu

4.4.1 Overview

Press the MENU button

Use the wheel to scroll through the menu options Press the MENU button to enter a particular option

Move the stage to an absolute position - see Section 4.4.2.

Move the stage to the Home position - see Section 4.4.3.

Set the Max Velocity - see Section 4.4.4.

Set the joystick wheel mode - see Section 4.4.5.

Set the Jog Step Size - see Section 4.4.6.

Set the teach positions - see Section 4.4.7.

Set the display brightness - see Section 4.4.8.

Set the display timeout - see Section 4.4.9.

Disable the wheel - see Section 4.4.10.

Select the stage type connected - see Section 4.4.11.

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4.4.2 Menu Option - Go to position

At 0.0000 mm Stopped V

At 2.0000 mm Stopped V

Menu options Use wheel

Menu options 1 Go to position

P = 0.00 mm adjust Pos

This mode is used to move to an absolute position.

Press the MENU button, then use the wheel to scroll through the menu options.

Press the MENU button to enter the Go to positions option.

Use the wheel to adjust the position value, (within the travel range for linear stages, or 0 to 360 ° for rotation stages) then press the MENU button to store the selection.

Note for rotation stages. If the current absolute position is outside the 0 to 360 degree range, then "go to position" will result in a move to the correct angular position within the same 0..360 degree full turn "segment". This means that the move will always stay in the current full turn segment, and from this point of view it is not always the quickest position move. For example, if the stage is at 350 degrees and you enter a "go to" position of 10 degrees, the stage will rotate anticlockwise 340 degrees and not clockwise 20 degrees.

K-Cube Brushed DC Servo Motor Driver

The stage moves to the position entered, and the display shows the change in position.

To stop the move, press the MENU button.

Chapter 4

Menu options 2 Start homing

At 2.0000 mm Stopped V

Menu options Use wheel

At 2.0000 mm Homing V

At 0.0000 mm Homed Stopped V

Menu options Use wheel

Menu options 3 Velocity

1.680 mm/s adjust MaxVel

At 0.0000 mm Homed Stopped V

4.4.3 Menu Option - Start homing

This mode is used to home the stage.

Press the MENU button, then use the wheel to scroll through the menu options.

Press the MENU button to enter the Start Homing option.

The display shows a decreasing position count while the stage is homing.

Once homing is complete, the display shows the position at 0.0000 mm and ‘Homed’ is displayed.

To stop the move, press the MENU button.

4.4.4 Menu Option - Velocity

This mode is used to move to set the max velocity.

Press the MENU button, then use the wheel to scroll through the menu options.

Press the MENU button to enter the Velocity option.

Use the wheel to adjust the max velocity, e.g. 0.168 mm/ s, then press the MENU button to store the setting.

Subsequent moves will be performed at the velocity entered.

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At 0.0000 mm Homed Stopped V

Menu options Use wheel

Menu options 4 Joystick Mode

Velocity control to select

Jog to positions to select

Jogging in steps to select

At 0.0000 mm Homed Stopped V

Homed Stopped P

Homed Stopped J

4.4.5 Menu Option - Joystick Mode

This mode is used to set the operating mode of the joystick wheel.

Press the MENU button, then use the wheel to scroll through the menu options

Press the MENU button to enter the Joystick mode option. Use the wheel to scroll through the options, then press MENU when the required option is displayed.

In Velocity control mode, deflecting the wheel starts a move with the velocity proportional to the deflection. The maximum velocity (i.e. velocity corresponding to the full deflection of the joystick wheel) is set in the preceding 3 Velocity option. The move will stop when the wheel is released.

In Jog to positions mode, deflecting the wheel starts a move from the current position to one of the two predefined “teach” positions. The teach positions are specified in option 6 Teach Position.

In Jog in steps mode, deflecting the wheel initi ates a jog move, using the parameters specified by the 3 Velocity and 5 Jog step size options. Keeping the wheel deflected repeats the move automatically after the current move has completed.

Use the wheel to display the required option, then press MENU to store the selection and return to the main display.

The selected mode is indicated at the right hand side of the bottom line:

V = Velocity mode P = Jog to position mode J = Jog in steps mode

Chapter 4

At 0.0000 mm Homed Stopped V

Menu options Use wheel

Menu options 5 Jog step size

S = 0.10 mm adjust JogStep

At 0.0000 mm Homed Stopped V

4.4.6 Menu Option - Jog Step Size

This mode is used to set the jog step size.

Press the MENU button, then use the wheel to scroll through the menu options.

Press the MENU button to enter the Jog step size option.

Use the wheel to adjust the step size, e.g. 0.10 mm, then press the MENU button to store the selection.

When Jog in steps mode is selected in the Joystick mode option (see Section 4.4.5.), subsequent moves will be performed at the step size entered.

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4.4.7 Menu Option - Teach Position

At 10.0000 mm Homed Stopped V

Menu options Use wheel

Menu options 6 Teach position

P1 = 10.0000 mm num store

At 10.0000 mm Homed Stopped V

At 5.0000 mm Homed Stopped V

Menu options Use wheel

Menu options 6 Teach position

P2 = 5.0000 mm num store

This mode is used to set the teach positions, used when the Joystick mode optio n is set to Jog to positions mode - see Section 4.4.5.

To set Teach Position 1... Move the stage to the position to use as teach position 1.

Press the MENU button, then use the wheel to scroll through the menu options.

Press the MENU button to enter the Teach position option.

Use the wheel to select P1, then press the MENU button to store the current position as teach position 1 and ret urn to the main display.

To set Teach Position 2... Move the stage to the position to use as teach position 2.

Press the MENU button, then use the wheel to scroll through the menu options.

Press the MENU button to enter the Teach position option.

K-Cube Brushed DC Servo Motor Driver

Use the wheel to select P2, then press the MENU button to store the current position as teach position 2 and ret urn to the main display.

When Jog to position mode is selected in the Joystick mode option (see Section 4.4.5.), a downwards deflection of the wheel moves the stage to position 1, and an upwards deflection moves to position 2.

Chapter 4

At 0.0000 mm Homed Stopped V

Menu options Use wheel

Menu options 7 Brightness

Brightness = 67 to adjust

At 0.0000 mm Homed Stopped V

Menu options Use wheel

Menu options 8 Disp.Timeout

At 0.0000 mm Homed Stopped V

After 2 min to adjust

4.4.8 Menu Option - Brightness

In certain applications, it may be necessary to adjust the brightness of the LED display. The brightness is set as a value from 0 (Off) to 100 (brightest). The display can be turned off completely by entering a setting of zero, however, pressing the MENU button on the top panel will temporarily illuminate the display at its lowest brightness setting to allow adjustments. When the display returns to its default position display mode, it will turn off again.

Press the MENU button, then use the wheel to scroll through the menu options.

Press the MENU button to enter the Brightness option.

Use the wheel to adjust the brightness, then press the MENU button to store the selection and return to the main display.

4.4.9 Menu Option - Disp.Timeout

'Burn In' of the display can occur if it remains static for a long time. To prevent this, the display is automatically dimmed after a specified time interval.

Press the MENU button, then use the wheel to scroll through the menu options.

Press the MENU button to enter the Disp.Timeout option.

The time out interval is specified in minute s in the range 1 to 480.

The adjustment is done in steps of 1 minute if the timeout is between 1 to 10 minutes, 10 minute steps between 10 minutes and 1 hour, and 30 minute steps above, up to a maximum of 480 minutes. After 480 minutes there is an option for Never.

The dim level can only be adjusted via the Settings panel

- see Section 6.3.4.

Press the MENU button to store the se lection and return to the main display.

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At 0.0000 mm Homed Stopped V

Menu options Use wheel

Menu options 9 Disable

At 0.0000 mm Homed Stopped V

Menu options Use wheel

Menu options 10 Select stage

CR1-Z7 to select

4.4.10 Menu Option - Disable

In certain applications, it may be advantageous to disable the wheel to remove the possibility of unwanted motion due to accidental movement of the wheel.

Press the MENU button, then use the wheel to scroll through the menu options.

Press the MENU button to enter the Disable option.

Press the MENU button to store the se lection and return to the main display.

4.4.11 Menu Option - Select Stage

Most of the stages compatible with the KDC101 controller are fitted with an identification device. On power-up the KDC101 reads the stage identifica tion and loads the correct operating parameters associated with the stage. However, some legacy stages are not fitted with an identification device. For correct operation these must be selected manually after power up.

Press the MENU button, then use the wheel to scroll through the menu options.

Press the MENU button to enter the Select stage option.

Use the wheel to scroll to the required option: CR1-Z7, Z806, Z812, Z825, MTS50-Z8, MTS25-Z8,

PRM1-Z8, CR1-Z6, Z625, Z612 and Z606.

Press MENU to store the selection and return to the main display.

Chapter 5 PC Operation - Tutorial

5.1 Introduction

The following brief tutorial guides the u ser through a typical series of moves and parameter adjustments performed using the PC based APT software. It assumes that the unit is electrically connected as shown in Section 3.3.1. and that the APT Software is already installed - see Section 3.1. For illustration purposes, it also assumes that a Z812 motor is connected to the ‘Motor’ connector on the rear panel

Caution

If your PC becomes unresponsive (e.g due to an operating system problem,

entering a sleep state condition, or screen saver operation) for a prolonged

period, this will interrupt communication between the APT Software and the

hardware, and a communications error may be generated. To minimize the

possibility of this happening it is strongly recommended that any such modes

that result in prolonged unresponsiveness be disabled before the APT

software is run. Please consult your system administrator or contact Thorlabs

technical support for more details.

5.2 Using the APT User Utility

The APT User.exe application allows the user to interact with any number of APT hardware control units connected to the PC USB Bus (or simulated via the APTConfig utility). This program allows multiple graphical instrument panels to be di splayed so that multiple APT units can be controlled. All basic operating parameters can be set through this program, and all basic operations (such as motor moves) can be initiated. Hardware configurations and parameter settings can be saved, which simplifies system set up whenever APT User is run up.

Fig. 5.1 Typical APT User Screen

1) Wait until the KDC101 has started, then run the APT User program - Start/ Programs/Thorlabs/APT/APT User.

K-Cube Brushed DC Servo Motor Driver

2) Notice how the actuator type is displayed in the ‘Settings’ window. Se e Section

5.11. and Section 6.3. for further details on the parameter values shown in the ‘Settings’ display.

Fig. 5.2 DC Driver K-CubeSoftware GUI

The APT User utility will be used throughout the rest of this tutorial to interface with the DC servo motor controller.

Chapter 5

5.3 Homing Motors

Homing the motor moves the actuator to the home limit switch and resets the internal position counter to zero. The limit switch provides a fixed datum that can be found after the system has been powered up.

Fig. 5.3 DC Driver K-Cube Software GUI

1) Click the ‘Home’ button. Notice that the led in the button lights to indicate that homing is in progress and the displayed position counts down to 000.000, i.e the home position.

Note

After homing, shaft relaxation may cause a small position offset to be

displayed. This relates only to one or two encoder counts and is not

significant in terms of ‘real world’ positioning.

2) When homing is complete, the ‘Homed’ LED is lit as shown above.

See Appendix E Section E.2.2. for background information on the home position.

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5.4 Moving to an Absolute Position

Absolute moves are measured in real world units (e.g. millimetres), relative to the Home position.

1) Click the position display.

Fig. 5.4 Absolute Position Popup Window

2) Enter 8.0 into the pop up window

3) Click ‘OK’. Notice that the position display counts up to 8.000 to indicate a move

to the absolute position 8.00mm.

Chapter 5

5.5 Changing Motor Parameters

Moves are performed using a trapezoidal velocity profile (see Appendix E , Section E.1.3.). The velocity settings relate to the maximum velocities at which a move is performed, and the acceleration at which the motor speeds up from zero to maximum velocity.

1) On the GUI panel, click the ‘Settings’ button (bottom right hand corner of the display) to show the Settings panel.

Fig. 5.5 Settings Panel - Move/Jogs Tab

2) Select the Move/Jogs tab as shown in Fig. 5.5.

3) In the ‘Moves’ field, enter parameter valu es as follows: ‘Max. Vel’ - ‘0.25’ ‘Accn/Dec’ - ‘0.1’

Note

In current versions of software, the ‘Min Vel’ parameter is locked at zero

and cannot be adjusted.

4) Click ‘OK’ to save the settings and close the window.

5) Any further moves initiated will now be performed at a maximum velocity of

0.25mm per second, with an acceleration of 0.1mm/sec/sec.

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5.6 Jogging

During PC operation, the motor actuators are jogged using the GUI panel arrow keys. There are two jogging modes available, ‘Single Step’ and ‘Continuous’. In ‘Single Step’ mode, the motor moves by the step size specified in the Step Distance parameter. If the velocity wheel is turned and held , single step jogging is re peated until the wheel is released - see Fig. 6.3. In ‘Continuous’ mode, the motor actuator will accelerate and move at the jog velocity while the wheel is turned.

1) On the GUI panel, click the ‘Settings’ button to display the Settings panel.

Fig. 5.6 Settings Panel - Move/Jogs Tab

2) Select the Move/Jogs tab as shown in Fig. 5.6.

3) In the ‘Jogs’ field, enter parameter values as follows:

Velocity Profile

‘Max. Vel’ - ‘0.25’ ‘Accn/Dec’ - ‘0.1’

Note

In current versions of softwar e, th e ‘Min Vel’ parameter i s locked at zero

and cannot be adjusted.

Operating Modes

‘Jogging’ - ‘Single Step’ ‘Stopping’ - ‘Profiled’

‘Step Distance’ - ‘0.1’

4) Click ‘OK’ to save the settings and close the window.

5) Click the Jog Arrows on the GUI panel to jog the motor. Notice that the position

display increments 0.1 every time the button is clicked.

Chapter 5

5.7 Stopping the Stage

The drive channel is enabled and disabled by clicking the ‘Enable’ button on the GUI panel. The green indicator in the button center is lit when the drive channel is enabled. Disabling the channel removes the drive power.

During operation, the stage can be stopped at any time by clicking the ‘Stop’ button on the GUI panel. Using this button does not remove power to the drive channel.

Fig. 5.7 APTUser GUI screen

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5.8 Graphical Control Of Motor Positions (Point and Move)

The GUI panel display can be changed to a graphical display, showing the position of the motor channel(s). Moves to absolute positions can then be initiated by positioning the mouse within the display and clicking.

To change the panel view to graphical view, right click in the screen and select ‘Graphical View’.

Fig. 5.8 DC Driver K-Cube GUI Panel - Graphical View

Consider the display shown above for a DC Driver K-Cube. The right hand display shows the channel and motor unit pa rameters; i.e. controller

unit type and serial number, associated stage and actuator type, minimum and maximum positions, current position, units per grid division and cursor po sition. All units are displayed in real world units, either millimetres or degrees.

Note

For single channel units such as the DC Driver K-Cube, the Channel 2

parameters are greyed out.

The left hand display shows a circle, which represents the current position of the motor associated with the specified controller (absolute posi tion data is displayed in the 'Chan Pos' field).

The vertical divisions relate to the travel of the stage/actuator associated with the DC Driver K-Cube (the stage/actuator is selected in the ‘APT Config’ utility). For example, the screen shot above shows the parameters for a 50 mm travel MTS50-Z8 stage. The graph shows 10 divisions in the X axis, which relates to 5 mm of travel per division (50 mm in total).

The graphical panel has two modes of operation, ‘Jog’ and ‘Move’, which are selected by clicking the buttons at the bottom right of the screen.

Chapter 5

Move Mode

When ‘Move’ is selected, the motors move to an absolute position which corresponds to the position of the cursor within the screen.

To specify a move:

1) Position the mouse within the window. For reference, the absolute motor position value associated with the mouse position is displayed in the 'Cursor Position field.

2) Click the left hand mouse button to initiate the move.

Jog Mode

When ‘Jogging’ mode is selected, the motors are jogged each time the left mouse button is clicked.

The Jog direction corresponds to the position of the cursor relative to the circle (current motor position), e.g. if the cursor is to the left of the circle the motor will jog left. The Jog Step size is that selected in the Settings panel - see Section 6.3.

Stop

To stop the move at any time, click the ‘Stop’ button.

Returning to Panel View

To return to panel view, right click in the graphical panel and select ‘Panel View’.

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5.9 Setting Move Sequences

This section explains how to set move sequences, allowing several positions to be visited without user intervention.

For details on moving to absolute positions initiated by a mouse click – see Section 5.8.

1) From the Motor GUI Panel, select 'Move Sequencer' tab to display the Move

Sequencer window.

Fig. 5.9 Move Sequencer Window

2) Right click, in the move data field to display the pop up menu.

Fig. 5.10 Move Sequencer Pop Up Menu

Chapter 5

3) Select 'New' to display the 'Move Editor' panel.

Fig. 5.11 Move Editor Window

Move data is entered/displayed as fol low s: Dist/Pos: - the distance to move from the current position (if 'Relative' is selected) or the position to move to (if 'Absolute' is selected). Dwell Time: - after the move is performed, the system can be set to wait for a

specified time before performing the next move in the sequence. The Dwell time is the time to wait (in milliseconds).

Return - if checked, the system will move to the position specified in the Dist/Pos field, wait for the specified Dwell time, and then return to the original position.

4) Min Vel: Acc: and Max Vel: - the velocity profile parameters for the move.

Note

In current versions of software, the ‘Min Vel’ parameter is locked at zero

and cannot be adjusted.

The motor accelerates at the rate set in the Acc field up to the speed set in the Max Vel field. As the destination approaches, the motor decelerates again to ensure that there is no overshoot of the position.

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5) Enter the required move data into the Move Editor and click OK. The move data

is displayed in the main window as shown below.

Fig. 5.12 Main Window with Move Data

6) Repeat step 4 as necessary to build a sequence of moves. Move data can be

copied, deleted, cut/pasted and edited by right clicking the data line(s) and selecting the appropriate option in the pop up menu (shown below).

Fig. 5.13 Pop Up Options

7) To run a single line of data, right click the appropriate data and select 'Run' from

the pop up menu (shown above).

8) To run the entire sequence, click the 'Run' button (shown below). A Home move

can also be performed from this panel by clicking the ‘Home’ button.

Fig. 5.14 Home and Run Buttons

9) To save data to a file, or load data from a previously saved file, click the ‘Save’ or

‘Load’ button and browse to the required location.

Chapter 5

5.10 Creating a Simulated Configuration

The 'APT Config' utility can be used to set up simulated hardware configurations and place the APT Server into simulator mode. In this way it is possible to create any number and type of simulated (virtual) hardware units in order to emulate a set of real hardware. This is a particularly useful feature, designed as an aid learning how to use the APT software and as an aid to developing custom software applications ‘offline’.

Any number of 'virtual' control units can be combined to emulate a colection of physical hardware units For example, an application program can be written, then tested and debugged remotely, before running with the hardware.

To create a simulated configuration proceed as follows:

1) Run the APT Config utility - Start/Programs/Thorlabs/APT/APT Config.

2) Click the 'Simulator Configuration' tab.

Fig. 5.15 APT Configuration Utility - Simulator Configuration Tab

3) Enter ‘LAB 1’ in the Configuration Names field.

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4) In the 'Simulator' field, check the ‘Enable Simulator Mode’ box. The name of the

most recently used configuration file is displayed in the 'Current Configura tion' window.

5) In the ‘Control Unit’ field, se le ct ‘ 1 Ch DC Driver K-Cube (KDC101)’.

Chapter 5

6) In the ‘Enter 6 digit serial number’ field, enter a serial number for your KDC101 unit.

Note

Each physical APT hardware unit is factory programmed with a unique 8

digit serial number. In order to simulate a set of ‘real’ hardware the Config

utility allows an 8 digit serial number to be associated with each

simulated unit. It is good practice when creating simulated

configurations for software development purposes to use the same serial

numbers as any real hardware units that will be used. Although serial numbers are 8 digits (as displayed in the ‘Load Configuration Details’

window), the first two digits are added automatically and identify the type

of control unit.

The prefixed digits relating to the DC Servo Driver K-Cube are:

27xxxxxx - 1 Ch DC Driver K-Cube

7) Click the 'Add' button.

8) Repeat items (1) to (7) as required. (A unit can be removed from the configuration by selecting it in the 'Loaded Configuration Details' window and clicking the 'Remove' button or by right clicking it and selecting the ' Remove' option from the pop up window).

9) Click 'Save'.

10)Click 'Set As Current' to use the configuration.

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5.11 Stage/Axis Tab

This tab contains a number of parameters which are related to the physical characteristics of the particular stage or actuator being driven. They need to be set accordingly such that a particular stage is driven properly by the system.

Fig. 5.16 Stage/Axis Tab

These parameters were set automatically when the actuator was connected. The APT server automatically applied suitable defaults for the parameters on this tab during boot up of APTUser. These parameters should not be altered for pre-defined Thorlabs stages and actuators selected using APT Config, as it may adversely affect the performance of the stage.

For third party stage types not available using the APT Config utility, these stage details must be entered manually.

Individual parameters are described in Section 6.3.

Chapter 6 Software Reference

6.1 Introduction

This chapter gives an explanation of the parameters and settings accessed from the APT software running on a PC. For information on the methods and properties which can be called via a programming interface, see Appendix D .

6.2 GUI Panel

The following screen shot shows the graphical user interface (GUI) displayed when accessing the DC Driver K-Cube using the APTUser utility.

Fig. 6.1 DC Driver K-Cube Software GUI

Note

The serial number of the DC Driver K-Cube associated with the GUI panel,

the APT server version number, and the version number (in brackets) of

the embedded software running on the unit, are displayed in the top right

hand corner. This information should always be provided when

requesting customer support.

Jog - used to increment or decrement the motor position. When the button is clicked,

the motor is driven in the selected direction at the jog velocity one step per click. The step size and jog velocity parameters are set in the 'Settings' panel (see Section 6.3.).

K-Cube Brushed DC Servo Motor Driver

Travel - displays the range of travel (in millimeters or degrees) of the motor. Moving - lit when the motor is in motion. Enable - applies power to the motor. With the motor enabled, the LED in the button

is lit. Digital display - shows the position (in millimetres or degrees) of the motor. The motor must be 'Homed' before the display will show a meaningful value, (i.e. the displayed position is relative to a physical datum, the limit switch).

Home - sends the motor to its 'Home' position - see Appendix E Section E.2.2. The LED in the button is lit while the motor is homing.

Homed - lit when the motor has previously been 'Homed' (since power up). Stop - halts the movement of the motor. Limit switches - the LEDs are lit when the associated limit switch has been activated

- see Appendix E Section E.2.3. for further details on limit switches. Settings display - shows the following user specified settings:

Driver - the type of control unit associated with the specified channel. Stage - the stage type and axis associated with the specified channel. Calib File - the calibration file associated with the specified channel. See the

APTConfig utility helpfile for more details on assigning and using calibration files. Min/Max V - the minimum velocity at which a mo ve is initiated, and the maximum

velocity at which the move is performed. Values are displayed in real world units (mm/ s or degrees/s), and can be set via the 'Settings' panel (see Section 6.3.).

Accn - the rate at which the velocity climbs to, and slows from, maximum velocity, displayed in real world units (mm/s/s or degrees/s/s). The acceleration can be set via the 'Settings' panel (see Section 6.3.) and is used in conjunction with the Min/Max velocity settings to determine the velocity profile of a motor move . See Appendix E

Section E.1.3. for more information on velocity profiles.

Jog Step Size - the size of step (in mm or degrees) taken when the jog signal is initiated. The step size can be set either via the Settings panel or by calling the SetJogStepSize method.

Settings button - Displays the 'Settings' panel, which allows the operating parameters to be entered for the motor drive - see Section 6.3.

Ident - when this button is pressed, the di splay on the front panel of the associated hardware unit will flash for a short period.

Active - lit when the unit is operating normally and no error condition exists. Error - lit when a fault condition occurs. The Error LED is lit if the difference between

the trajectory generator position (i.e. the demanded motor position) and the actual position, exceeds 10000 encoder pulses. Typically this can occur transiently if the maximum velocity specified for the move exceeds the maximum drive velocity of the motor being controlled.

Chapter 6

6.3 Settings Panel

When the 'Settings' button on the GUI panel is clicked, the 'Settings' window is displayed. This panel allows motor operation parameters such as move/jog velocities, and stage/axis information to be modified. Note that all of these parameters have programmable equivalents accessible through the ActiveX methods and propertie s on this Control (refer to the Programming Guide in the APT helpfile for further details and to Section 2.3.4. for an overview of the APT ActiveX controls).

6.3.1 Moves/Jogs Tab

Fig. 6.2 DC Driver K-Cube - Move/Jog Settings

Moves - Velocity Profile

Moves can be initiated via the GUI panel, by using the velocity wheel (see Section

4.3.) or by entering a position value after clicking on the posi tion display box (see

Section 5.4.). The following settings determine the velocity profile of such moves, and are specified in real world units, millimetres or degrees.

Note

The minimum velocity is locked at zero and cannot be adjusted.

MaxVel - the maximum velocity at which to perform a move. Accn/Dec - the rate at which the velocity climbs from minimum to maximum, and

slows from maximum to minimum.

Note

Under certain velocity parameter and move distance conditions, the

maximum velocity may never be reached (i.e. the move comprises an

acceleration and deceleration phase only).

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Jogs Jogs are initiated by using the ‘Jog’ keys on the GUI panel (see Section 5.6.), or the

Velocity Wheel on the top panel of the unit.

Velocity Profile (specified in real world units, millimetres or degrees) MaxVel - the maximum velocity at which to perform a jog Accn/Dec - the rate at which the velocity climbs from minimum to maximum, and

slows from maximum to minimum.

Operating Modes

Jogging - The way in which the motor moves when a jog command is received (i.e. front panel button pressed or GUI panel button clicked).

There are two jogging modes available, ‘Single Step’ and ‘Continuous’. In ‘Single Step’ mode, the motor moves by the step size specified in the Step Distance parameter. If the jog key is held down, single step jogging is repeated until the button is released - see Fig. 6.3. In ‘Continuous’ mode, the motor actuator will accelerate and move at the jog velocity while the button is held down..

Fig. 6.3 Jog Modes

Single Step - the motor moves by the step size specified in the Step Distance parameter.

Continuous - the motor continues to move until the jog signal is removed (i.e. jog button is released).

Stopping - the way in which the jog motion stops when the demand is removed.

Immediate - the motor stops quickly, in a non-profiled manner Profiled - the motor stops in a profiled manner using the jog Velocity Profile

parameters set above.

Chapter 6

Step Distance - The distance to move when a jog command is initiated. The step size

is specified in real world units (mm or degrees dependent upon the stage).

Backlash Correction - The system compensates for lead screw backlash during reverse direction moves, by moving passed the demanded position by a specified amount, and then reversing. This ensures that positions are always approached in a forward direction. The Backlash Correction Distance is specified in real world units (millimeters or degrees). To remove backlash correction, this value should be set to zero.

Persist Settings to Hardware - Many of the parameters that can be set for the DC Driver K-Cube can be stored (persisted) within the unit itself, such that whe n the unit is next powered up these settings are applied automatically. This is particularly important when the driver is being used manually in the absence of a PC and USB link. The Velocity Profile and Jogging parameters described previously are good examples of settings that can be altered and then persisted in the driver for use in absence of a PC. To save the settings to hardware, check the ‘Persist Settings to Hardware’ checkbox before clicking the ‘OK button.

Caution

The ‘Persist Settings’ functionality is provided to simplify use of the unit

in the absence of a PC. When the unit is connected to a PC and is

operated via APTUser, the default APTServer settings will be loaded at

boot up, even if the ‘Persist Settings’ option has been checked.

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6.3.2 Stage/Axis Tab

Fig. 6.4 DC Driver K-Cube - Stage/Axis Settings

Note

This tab contains a number of parameters which are related to the

physical characteristics of the particular stage being driven. They need to

be set accordingly such that a particular stage is driven properly by the

system.

For Thorlabs stages, the system will recognise the stage and the APT

server will automatically apply suitable defaults for the parameters on this tab during boot up of the software. These paramete rs should not be altered for pre-defined Thorlabs stages selecte d usi ng APT Config , as it

may adversely affect the performance of the stage.

For third party stage types not av ailabl e usin g the APT Con fig u tility, t he

stage details must be entered manually. Individual parameters are

described in the following paragraphs.

Caution

Extreme care must be taken when modifying the stage related settings

that follow. Some settings are self consistent with respect to each other,

and illegal combinations of settings can result in incorrect o peration of the physical motor/stage combination being driven. Consult Thorlabs for advice on settings for stage/actuator types that are not selectable via the

APTConfig utility.

Chapter 6

Stage and Axis Type - For Thorlabs stages, the stage type is displayed automatically once the axis has been associated using the APTConfig utility. For third party stages, the display shows ‘Unknown’.

Min Pos - the stage/actuator minimum position (typically zero). Max Pos - the stage/actuator maximum position. Pitch - the pitch of the motor lead screw (i.e. the distance travelled (in mm or degrees)

per revolution of the leadscrew). Units - the ‘real world’ positioning units (mm or degrees).

Homing

When homing, a stage typically moves in the reverse di rection, (i.e. towards the reverse limit switch). The following settings allow support for stages with both Forward and Reverse limits.

Note

Typically, the following two parameters are set the same, i.e. both

Forward or both Reverse.

Direction - the direction sense to move when homing, either Forward or Reverse. Limit Switch - The hardware limit switch associated with the home position, either

Forward HW or Reverse HW. Zero Offset - the distance offset (in mm or degrees) from the limit switch to the Home

position. Velocity - the maximum velocity at which the motors move when Homing. For further information on the home position, see Section E.2.2.

Hardware Limit Switches

Note

The minimum velocity and acceleration/deceleration parameters for a

home move are taken from the existing move velocity profile parameters.

The operation of the limit switches is inherent in the design of the associated stage or actuator. The following parameters notify the system to the action of the switches when contact is made. Select Rev Switch or Fwd Switch as required, then select the relevant operation.

Switch Makes - The switch closes on contact Switch Breaks - The switch opens on contact Ignore/Absent - The switch is missing, or should be ignored.

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Motor

These parameters are used to set the 'resolution' characteristics of the DC servo motor connected to the selected channel. The resolution of the motor, combined with other characteristics (such as lead screw pitch) of the associated actuator, determines the overall resolution.

Steps Per Rev - The number of encoder counts per revolution of the DC servo motor (minimum '1', maximum '1000').

Note

The Gearbox Ratio parameter is applicable only to motors fitted with a

gearbox.

Gearbox Ratio - The ratio of the gearbox. For example, if the gearbox has a reduction ratio of X:1 (i.e. every 1 turn at the output of the gearbox requires X turns of the motor shaft) then the Gearbox Ratio value is set to X. (minimum '1', maximum '1000').

Note

The ‘Steps Per Rev’ and ‘Gearbox Ratio’ parameters, together with the

‘Pitch’ and ‘Units’ parameters are used to calculate the calibration factor

for use when converting real world units to encoder co un ts .

The Z800 series of DC servo motors have an encoder with 512 counts per

rev and a 67:1 reduction gearbox. In this case, the Steps Per Rev and

Gearbox Ratio should be set to '512' and '67' respectively. The equivalent

calibration constant is calculated as:

512 x 67 = 34,304 (encoder counts/mm)

512 counts per revolution

67:1 reduction gearbox

1.0 mm lead screw pitch

The correct default values for Steps Per Rev and Gearbox Ratio are

applied automatically at start up.

Chapter 6

Persist Settings to Hardware - Many of the parameters that can be set for the DC Driver K-Cube can be stored (persisted) within the unit itself, such that whe n the unit is next powered up these settings are applied automatically. This is particularly important when the driver is being used manually in the absence of a PC and USB link. The Stage and Homing parameters de scribed previously are go od examples of settings that can be altered and then persiste d in the driver for use in absence of a PC. To save the settings to hardware, check the ‘Persist Settings to Hardware’ checkbox before clicking the ‘OK button.

Caution

The ‘Persist Settings’ functionality is provided to simplify use of the unit

in the absence of a PC. When the unit is connected to a PC and is

operated via APTUser, the default APTServer settings will be loaded at

boot up, even if the ‘Persist Settings’ option has been checked.

6.3.3 Servo Loop Tab

Fig. 6.5 DC Driver K-Cube - Advanced Settings

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Servo Loop (PID) Control Settings

The DC Driver K-Cube implements a full servo control loop for motor velocity and position control. The loop response to demanded position moves is determined via Proportional, Integration and Derivative settings. These settings can be altered using the ‘Servo Loop (PID) Control Settings’ parameters.

Proportional – This parameter makes a change to the output which is proportional to the positional error value. A high proportional gain results in a l arge change in the output for a given error. It accepts values in the range 0 to 32767.

Integral – This parameter accelerates the process towards the demanded position, ensuring that the positional error is eventually reduced to zero. If set too high, the output can overshoot the demand value. Under a constant torqu e loading, the static position error is zero. It accepts values in the range 0 to 32767.

Derivative – This term provides the ‘damping’ force proportional to the rate of change of the position error, thereby decreasing the overshoot which may be caused by the integral term. However, the differential term also slows down system response.

It accepts values in the range 0 to 32767. Integral Limit – This term sets a maximum limit for the integration te rm to p revent an

excessive build up over time of the restoring force. It accepts values in the range 0 to

32767.

Note

The default values programmed into the APT software will give

acceptable motor performance in most cases. These PID parameters are

set according to the stage or actuator type associated with the driver

using the APTConfig utility (see APTConfig helpfile or the handbook

supplied with the unit). However, under extreme loading conditions it may

be necessary to alter these factory default values.

Chapter 6

6.3.4 Panel/Triggering Tab

Fig. 6.6 DC Driver K-Cube - Panel/Triggering Settings

Adjustment Wheel Settings

The velocity wheel is sprung such that when released it returns to it’s central position. In this central position the motor is stationary. As the wheel is moved away from the center, the motor begins to move; the speed of this movement increases as the wheel deflection is increased. Bidirectional control of motor moves is possible by moving the wheel in both directions.

Wheel Mode

Velocity Control - Deflecting the wheel starts a move with the velocity proportional

to the deflection. The maximum velocity (i.e. velocity corresponding to the full deflection of the joystick wheel) and acceleration are set in the Max W heel Vel. and Wheel Accn. parameters.

Position Jogging - Deflecting the wheel initiates a jog move, using the parameters specified by the Move/Jogs tab. Keeping the wheel deflected repeats the move automatically after the current move has completed.

Go To Position - Deflecting the wheel starts a move from the current position to one of the two predefined “teach” positions. The teach po sitions are specified in the Preset Pos. 1 and Preset Pos. 2 parameters, and are measured in number of steps from the home position.

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Wheel Direction

The direction of a move initiated by the velocity wheel is specified as follows: Disabled - The wheel is disabled to remove any unwanted motion due to

accidental movement of the wheel. Direction Sense Positive - Upwards rotation of the wheel results in a positive

motion (i.e. increased position count). Note. The following option applies only when the Wheel Mode is set to Velocity

Control. If set to Position Jogging or Go to Position Mode, the followin g option is ignored.

Direction Sense Negative - Upwards rotation of the wheel results in a negati ve motion (i.e. decreased position count).

Display Brightness

In certain applications, it may be necessary to adjust the brightness of the LED display on the top of the unit. The brightness is set in the Active Level parameter, as a value from 0 (Off) to 100 (brightest). The display can be turned off completely by entering a setting of zero, however, pressing the MENU button on the top panel will temporarily illuminate the display at its lowest brightness setting to allow ad justments. When the display returns to its default position display mode, it will turn off again.

Furthermore, 'Burn In' of the display can occur if it remains static for a long time. To prevent this, the display is automatically dimmed after the time interval specified in the Timeout (min) parameter has elapsed. The time interval is specified in minutes in the range 0 (never dimmed) to 480. The dim level is set in the Idle Level parameter, as a value from 0 (Off) to 10 (brightest) but is also limited by the Active Value paramet er if this is lower.

Persist Settings to Hardware - Many of the parameters that can be set for the DC Driver K-Cube can be stored (persisted) within the unit itself, such that when the unit is next powered up these settings are applied automatically. This is particularly important when the driver is being used manually in the absence of a PC and USB link. The wheel, and trigger parameters described here are good examples of settings that can be altered and then persisted in the driver for use in absence of a PC. To save the settings to hardware, check the ‘Persist Settings to Hardware’ checkbox before clicking the ‘OK button.

Caution

The ‘Persist Settings’ functionality is provided to simplify use of the unit

in the absence of a PC. When the unit is connected to a PC and is

operated via APTUser, the default APTServer settings will be loaded at

boot up, even if the ‘Persist Settings’ option has been checked.

Chapter 6

Triggering Introduction

The K-Cube motor controllers have two bidirectional trigger ports (TRIG1 and TRIG2) that can be used to read an external logic signal or output a logic level to control external equipment. Either of them can be independently configured as an input or an output and the active logic state can be selected High or Low to suit the requirements of the application. Electrically the ports output 5 Volt logic signals and are designed to be driven from a 5 Volt logic.

When the port is used in the input mode, the logic levels are TTL compatible, i.e. a voltage level less than 0.8 Volt will be recognised as a logic LOW and a level greater than 2.4 Volt as a logic HIGH. The input contains a weak pull-up, so the state of the input with nothing connected will default to a logic HIGH. The weak pull-up feature allows a passive device, such as a mechanical switch to be connected directly to the input.

When the port is used as an output it provides a push-pull drive of 5 Volts, with the maximum current limited to approximately 8 mA. The current limit prevents damage when the output is accidentally shorted to ground or driven to the opposite logic state by external circuity.

Warning: do not drive the TRIG ports from any volta ge source that can produce an output in excess of the normal 0 to 5 Volt logic level range. In any case the voltage at the TRIG ports must be limited to -0.25 to +5.25 Volts.

Input Trigger Modes

When configured as an input, the TRIG ports can be used as a general purpose digital input, or for triggering a relative, absolute or home move. When used for triggering a move, the port is edge sensitive. In other words, it has to see a transition from the inactive to the active logic state (Low->High or High->Low) for the trigger input to be recognized. For the same reason a sustained logic level will not trigger repeated moves. The trigger input has to return to its inactive state first in order to start the next trigger. The mode is set in the Trig 1 Mode and Trig 2 Mode parameters as follows:

Disabled - The trigger IO is disabled Digital Input - General purpose logic input (read through status bits using the

LLGetStatusBits method).

Trig In Rel. Move - Input trigger for relative move. Trig In Abs. Move - Input trigger for absolute move. Trig In Home - Input trigger for home move.

When the trigger mode is selected to Trig In Rel Move or Trig In Abs Move, the relative distance or absolute position to move, can be entered in the Relative Move Dist and Absolute Move Pos. parameters.

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Output Trigger Modes

When the Trig 1 Mode and Trig 2 Mode parameters are configured as outputs, the TRIG ports can be used as a general purpose digital output, or to indicate motion status or to produce a trigger pulse at configurable positions as follows:

Digital Output - General purpose logic output (set using the LLSetGetDigOPs method).

Trig Out In Motion - Trigger output active (level) when motor 'in motion'. The output trigger goes high (5V) or low (0V) (as set in the Trig 1. Polarity and Trig. 2 Polarity parameters) when the stage is in motion.

Trig Out Max Vel - Trigger output active (level) when motor at 'max velocity'. Trig Out Pos. Steps Fwd - Trigger output active (pulsed) at pre-defined positions

moving forward. Only one Trigger port at a time can be set to this mode. See Trigger Out Position Steps for further details.

Trig Out Pos. Steps Rev - Trigger output active (pulsed) at pre-defin ed positions moving backwards. Only one Trigger port at a time can be set to th is mode. See Trigger Out Position Steps for further details.

Trig Out Pos. Steps Both - Trigger output active (pulsed) at pre-defined positions moving forwards and backward. Only one Trigger port at a time can be set to this mode. See Trigger Out Position Steps for further details.

Trigger Out Position Steps

Note

If the trigger mode is not set to one of the three position modes described

previously, then the following parameters are not applicable and will be

greyed out.

In the last three modes described above, the controller outputs a configurable number of pulses (set in the Num. Pulses Fwd and Num. Pulses Rev parameters), of configurable width (Trig Pulse Width), when the actual position of the stage matches the position values configured as the Start Position and Position Interva l (Start Pos. Fwd/Start Pos. Rev. and Pos Interval Fwd/Pos Interval Rev). These modes allow external equipment to be triggered at exact position values.

The position pulses are generated by dedicated hardware, allowing a very low latency of less than 1 usec. The low latency of this triggering mode provides a very precise indication of a position match (assuming a stage velocity of 10 mm/sec, the less than 1 usec latency would in itself only result in a 10 nm position un certainty, which is normally well below the accuracy limitations of the mechanics.)

Using the last three modes above, position triggering can be configured to be unidirectional (Trig Out Pos. Steps Fwd or Trig Out Pos. Steps Rev) or bidirectional (Trig Out Pos. Steps Both). In bidirectional mode the forward and reverse pulse sequences can be configured separately. A cycle count setting (Num. of Move

Chapter 6

Time

Trig Voltage

Pos1 Fwd

Pos2 Fwd

Pos1 Rev

10 mm

15 mm 12 mm

StartPosFwd

StartPosRev

PosIntervalFwd

Cycles) allows the uni- or bidirectional position triggering sequence to be repeated a number of times.

Fig. 6.7 Position Steps Triggering

Example for a move from 0 to 20 mm and back. In forward direction: The first trigger pulse occu rs at 10 mm (StartPosFwd), the next

trigger pulse occurs after another 5 mm (PosIntervalFwd), the stage then moves to 20 mm.

In reverse direction: The next trigger occurs when the stage gets to 12 mm. Note that position triggering can only be used on one TRIG port at a time, as there is

only one set of position trigger parameters.

Triggering Polarity

The polarity of the trigger pulse is specified in the Trig. 1 Polarity and Trig 2 Polarity parameters as follows:

Active is High - The active state of the trigger port is logic HIGH 5V (trigger input and output on a rising edge).

Active is Low - The active state of the trigger po rt is logic LOW 0V (trigger input and output on a falling edge).

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6.3.5 Defaults Tab

If adjustment of the parameter values previously described has resulted in unstable or unsatisfactory system response, this tab can be used to reset all parameter values to the factory default settings.

To restore the default values:

1) Click the ‘Reset Parameter Defaults in the Controller’ check box,

2) Click OK. The driver must then be power cycled before the default values can take effect.

Chapter 6

6.3.6 Rotation StagesTab

Absolute Position Reporting Mode

This setting relates to the way in which the angular position is displayed o n the GUI panel. There are two options:

Equivalent Angle 0 to 360 degrees – The maximum displayed position is 359.99°. If a stage is driven past the 360° rotation point, the display reverts back to zero and counts up to 360° again.

Total Angle (360 x Num Revs + Angular Offset) – The total angular ro tation is displayed, e.g. for a movement of two full rotations plus 10°, the display will show 730°.

Note. The following parameters are applicable only if the Absolute Position Reporting Mode is set to ‘Equivalent Angle 0 to 360 degrees’.

Panel Display Rotation Move Mode

This setting specifies the move direction. There are three options:

Rotate Positive – The move is performed in a positive directi on Rotate Negative - The move is performed in a negative direction Rotate Quickest - The move is performed in the quickest direction

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Appendix A Rear Panel Connector Pinout Detail

A.1 Rear Panel Motor Control Connector

The ‘Motor’ connector provides connection to the DC servo motor actuator. The pin functions are detailed in Fig. A.1

Pin Description Pin Description

1 Ground 9 Ident In 2 Forward Limit Switch* 10 5V Encoder Supply 3 Reverse Limit Switch* 11 Encoder Channel A 4 Not Connected 12 Not Connected 5 Motor - 13 Encoder Channel B 6 Not Connected 14 Not Connected 7 Motor + 15 Not Connected 8 Not Connected

* For third part actuators, the action of the limit switch on contact (i.e. switch open or switch close) is set in the settings panel, see Section 6.3.2.

Fig. A.1 MOTOR I/O Connector Pin Identification

Caution

DO NOT connect a motor actuator while the K-C ube is powered up.

Only use motor drive cables suppl ied by Thorlabs, other cables may h ave

incompatible wiring.

Please contact tech support for details on use with Thorlabs legacy Z6 series DC Servo Motors.

Appendix B Preventive Maintenance

Warning

The equipment contains no user servicable parts. There is a risk of electrical shock if the equipment is operated with the covers removed. Only personnel

authorized by Thorlabs Ltd and trained in the mai ntenan ce of th is equip men t should remove its covers or attem pt any repair s or adjustmen ts. Maintenan ce is limited to safety testing and cleaning as described in the following sections.

B.1 Safety Testing

PAT testing in accordance with local regulations, should be performed on a regular basis, (typically annually for an instrument in daily use).

B.2 Cleaning

Warning

Disconnect the power supply before cleaning the unit.

Never allow water to get inside the case.

Do not saturate the unit.

Do not use any type of abrasive pad, scouring powder or solvent,

e.g. alcohol or benzene.

The fascia may be cleaned with a soft cloth, lightly dampened with water or a mild detergent.

Appendix C Specifications and Associated Products

C.1 Specifications

Parameter Value

Motor Output

Motor Drive Voltage ±12 to ±15V (Depending on Supply) Motor Drive Current 150mA (Cont) >250 mA (peak) Motor Drive Type 8-bit Sign/Magnitude PWM Control Algorithm Digital PID Filter (16bit) Position Feedback:

Quadrature Encoder (QEP) Input Encoder Feedback Bandwidth 750 kHz Position Counter 32-bit Operating Modes Position, Velocity Velocity Profile Trapezoidal

Motor Drive Connector (15 Way D-Type)

Motor Drive Outputs +ve & -ve Quadrature Encoder (QEP) Input Single Ended Limit Switch Inputs Forward, Reverse (+ Common Return) Encoder Supply 5V

Front Panel Controls

Sprung Potentiometer Wheel Bidirectional Velocity Control,

Forward/Reverse Jogging or Position Presets

5V Single Ended

Input Power Requirements

Voltage 15V Regulated DC Current 500mA (peak)

General Data

Housing Dimensions (W x D x H) (excluding buttons and baseplate)

Weight 170g (6.0 oz)

60 x 60 x 47mm (2.36" x 2.36" x 1.85")

Appendix C

Recommended Motor Requirements

Peak Power 2.5W Rated Current 10mA to 200mA (Nominal) Motor Type Brushed DC Coil Resistance 5 to 50Ω Position Control Closed loop Encoder

C.2 Associated Products

Product Name Part Number

6mm DC Servo Motor Actuator, 1/4”-80 Z806 6mm DC Servo Motor Actuator, 1/4”-80, Vaccuum Rated Z806V 12mm DC Servo Motor Actuator, 1/4”-80, Z812 12mm DC Servo Motor Actuator, 3/8” Barrel Attachment Z812B 12mm DC Servo Motor Actuator, 1/4”-80, Vaccuum Rated Z812V 12mm DC Servo Motor Actuator, Vaccuum Rated,

3/8” Barrel Attachment 25mm DC Servo Motor Actuator, 3/8” Barrel Attachment, Z825B 25mm DC Servo Motor Actuator, Vaccuum Rated,

3/8” Barrel Attachment 3-Channel K-Cube Controller USB Hub 6-Channel K-Cube Controller USB Hub Single Way Power Supply 8-way Power Supply

Z812BV

Z825BV

KCH301 KCH601 KPS101

TPS008

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Appendix D Motor Control Method Summary

The 'Motor' ActiveX Control provides the functionality required for a client application to control one or more of the APT series of motor controller units.

To specify the particular controller being addressed, every unit is factory programmed with a unique 8-digit serial number. This serial number is key to the operation of the APT Server software and is used by the Server to enumerate and communicate independently with multiple hardware units connected on the same USB bus. The serial number must be specified using the HWSerialNum property before an ActiveX control instance can communicate with the hardware unit. This can be done at design time or at run time. Note that the appearance of th e ActiveX Control GUI (graphical user interface) will change to the required format when the serial number has been entered.

The Methods and Properties of the Motor ActiveX Control can be used to perform activities such as homing stages, absolute and relative moves, and changing velocity profile settings. A brief summary of each method and property is given below, for more detailed information and individual parameter descriptiond please see the on-line help file supplied with the APT server.

Methods

DeleteParamSet Deletes stored settings for specific controller. DisableHWChannel Disables the drive output. DoEvents Allows client application to process other activity. EnableHWChannel Enables the drive output. GetAbsMovePos Gets the absolute move position. GetAbsMovePos_AbsPos Gets the absolute move position (returned by value). GetBLashDist Gets the backlash distance. GetBLashDist_BLashDist Gets the backlash distance (returned by value). GetButtonParams Gets the front panel button settings. GetCtrlStarted Gets the ActiveX Control started flag. GetDispMode Gets the GUI display mode. GetHomeParams Gets the homing sequence parameters. GetHomeParams_HomeVel Gets the homing velocity parameter (returned by

value).

GetHomeParams_ZeroOffset Gets the homing zero offset parameter (returned by

value).

Appendix D

GetHWCommsOK Gets the hardware communications OK flag. GetHWLimSwitches Gets the limit switch configuration settings. GetIndicatorLEDMode Gets the front panel indication LED operating mode. GetJogMode Gets the jogging button operating modes. GetJogMode_Mode Get the jogging button operating mode (returned by

value).

GetJogMode_StopMode Gets the jogging button stopping mode (returned by

value). GetJogStepSize Gets the jogging step size. GetJogStepSize_StepSize Gets the jogging step size (returned by value). GetJogVelParams Gets the jogging velocity profile parameters. GetJogVelParams_Accn Gets the jogging acceleration parameter (returned

by value). GetJogVelParams_MaxVel Gets the jogging maximum velocity parameter

(returned by value). GetKCubePanelParams Gets the operating parameters of the velocity wheel

on the top panel GetKCubePosTriggerParams Gets operating parameters used when the triggering

mode is set to a trigger out position steps mode GetKCubeTriggerParams Gets the operating parameters of the TRIG1 and

TRIG2 connectors on the front panel. GetMotorParams Gets the motor gearing parameters. GetPIDParams_Deriv Gets the servo control loop derivative parameter

(DC servo controllers - returned by value). GetPIDParams_Int Gets the servo control loop integration parameter

(DC servo controllers - returned by value). GetPIDParams_Prop Gets the servo control loop proportional parameter

(DC servo controllers - returned by value). GetPosition Gets the current motor position. GetPosition_Position Gets the current motor position (returned by value). GetPositionEx Gets the current motor position. GetPositionEx_UncalibPosition Gets the current uncalibrated motor position

(returned by value). GetPositionOffset Gets the motor position offset. GetPotParams Gets the velocity control potentiometer parameters

(Cube drivers). GetRelMoveDist Gets the relative move distance. GetRelMoveDist_RelDist Gets the relative move distance (returned by

reference).

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GetStageAxis Gets the stage type information associated with the

motor under control. GetStageAxisInfo Gets the stage axis parameters. GetStageAxisInfo_MaxPos Gets the stage maximum position (returned by

value). GetStageAxisInfo_MinPos Gets the stage minimum position (returned by

value). GetStatusBits_Bits Gets the controller status bits encoded in 32 bit

integer (returned by value). GetVelParamLimits Gets the maximum velocity profile parameter limits. GetVelParams Gets the velocity profile parameters. GetVelParams_Accn Gets the move acceleration (returned by value). GetVelParams_MaxVel Gets the move maximum velocity (returned by

value). Identify Identifies the controller by flashing unit LEDs. LLGetStatusBits Gets the controller status bits encoded in 32 bit

integer. LLSetGetPIDParams Sets or Gets the servo control loop PID parameters

(DC servo controllers). LoadParamSet Loads stored settings for specific controller. MoveAbsolute Initiates an absolute move. MoveAbsoluteEnc Initiates an absolute move with sp ecified positions

for encoder equipped stages. MoveAbsoluteEx Initiates an absoloute move with specified positions. MoveAbsoluteRot Initiates an absolute move with specified positions

for rotary stages. MoveHome Initiates a homing sequence. MoveJog Initiates a jog move. MoveRelative Initiates a relative move. MoveRelativeEnc Initiates a relative move with specified distances for

encoder equipped stages. MoveRelativeEx Initiates a relative move with specified distances. MoveVelocity Initiates a move at constant velocity with no end

point. SaveParamSet Saves settings for a specific controller. SetAbsMovePos Sets the absolute move position. SetBLashDist Sets the backlash distance. SetButtonParams Sets the front panel button settin gs (C ub e dri ve r s).

Appendix D

SetDispMode Sets the GUI display mode. SetHomeParams Sets the homing sequence parameters. SetHWLimSwitches Sets the limit switch configuration settings. SetIndicatorLEDMode Sets the front panel indication LED operating modes

(Cube drivers). SetJogMode Sets the jogging button operating modes. SetJogStepSize Sets the jogging step size. SetJogVelParams Sets the jogging velocity profile parameters. SetKCubePanelParams Sets the operating parameters of the velocity wheel

on the top panel SetKCubePosTriggerParams Sets operating parameters used when the triggering

mode is set to a trigger out position steps mode SetKCubeTriggerParams Sets the operating parameters of the TRIG1 and

TRIG2 connectors on the front panel of the unit. SetMotorParams Sets the motor gearing parameters. SetPositionOffset Sets the motor position offset. SetPotParams Sets the velocity control potentiometer parameters SetRelMoveDist Sets the relative move distance. SetStageAxisInfo Sets the stage axis parameters. SetVelParams Sets the velocity profile parameters. ShowSettingsDlg Display the GUI Settings panel. StartCtrl Starts the ActiveX Control (starts communication

with controller) StopCtrl Stops the ActiveX Control (stops communication

with controller) StopImmediate Stops a motor move immediately. StopProfiled Stops a motor move in a profiled (decelleration)

manner.

Properties

APTHelp Specifies the help file that will be accessed when the

user presses the F1 key. If APTHelp is set to 'True',

the main server helpfile MG17Base will be launched. DisplayMode Allows the display mode of the virtual display panel

to be set/read. HWSerialNum specifies the serial number of the hardware unit to

be associated with an ActiveX control instance.

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Appendix E DC Motor Operation - Background

0 degrees 90 degrees

180 degrees

270 degrees

E.1 How A DC Motor Works

E.1.1 General Principle A DC motor works by converting electric power into mechanical energy (movement). This is achieved by forcing current through a coil and producing a magnetic field, which in turn, spins the motor.

To describe the operation of a DC motor, consider the single coil example shown above. In this diagram, current is forced through the coil via sliding contacts (brushes)

Fig. E.1 DC Motor Operation

that are connected to the voltage source. The brushes are located on the e nd of the coil wires and make a temporary electrical connection with the DC supply. When current is flowing, a magnetic field is set up as shown.

At 0° rotation, the brushes are in contact with the voltage source and current is flowing. The current that flows through the wire from A to B interacts with the magnetic field and produces an upward force. The current that flows from C to D has a similar effect, but because the flow is in the opposite direction with resp ect to the magnetic field, the force is in the downward direction.

Appendix E

velocity

maximum velocity (v)

time

acceleration (slope) a

Both forces are of equal magnitude. At 180°, the same phenomenon occurs, but segment A-B is forced down and C-D is forced up. In the 90° and 270° positions, the brushes are not in contact with the voltage source and no force is produced. In these two positions, the rotational kinetic energy of the mo tor keeps it spinning until the brushes regain contact. In reality, dc motors have several such coils, wound onto an armature, which produces a more even torq ue. The magne tic fie ld is provided by an electromagnet.

E.1.2 Positive and Negative Moves Positive and negative are used to describe the direction of a move. A positive move means a move from a smaller absolute position to a larger o ne, a negative move means the opposite.

In the case of a linear actuator, a positive move takes the platform of the stage further away from the motor.

In a rotational stage, a positive move turns the platform clockwise when viewed from above.

E.1.3 Velocity Profiles To prevent the motor from stalling, it must be ramped up g radually to its maximum velocity. Certain limits to velocity and acceleration result from the torque and speed limits of the motor, and the inertia and friction of the parts it drives.

The motion employed is described by a trapezoidal velocity profile, reflecting the shape of the velocity vs. time graph (see Fig. E.2.), thereby driving the stage to its destination as quickly as possible, without causing it to stall or lose steps.

The stage is ramped at acceleration ‘a’ to a maximum velocity ‘v’. As th e destination is approached, the stage is decelerated at ‘a’ so that the final position is approached slowly in a controlled manner.

Fig. E.2 Graph of a trapezoidal velocity profile

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E.2 Positioning a Stage

E.2.1 General Whenever a command is received to move a stage, the movement is specifie d in motion units, (e.g. millimetres). This motion unit value is converted to encoder counts before it is sent to the stage by the APT software.

Each motor in the system has an associated electronic counter in the controller, which keeps a record of the net number of encoder counts moved. If a request is re ceived to report the position, the value of this counter is converted back into motion units.

E.2.2 Home position When the system is powered up, the position counters in the controller are all set to zero and consequently, the system has no way of knowing the position of the stage in relation to any physical datum.

A datum can be established by sending all the motors to their ‘Ho me’ positions. The ‘Home’ position is set during manufacture and is determined by driving the motor until the negative limit switch is reached and then driving positi vely a fixed distance (zero offset). When at the Home position, the counters are reset to zero thereby establishing a fixed datum that can be found even after the system has been switched off.

See Section 5.3. for details on performing a Home move.

E.2.3 Limit Switches A linear stage moves between two stops, and movement outside these limits is physically impossible. Linear stages can include stages that control the angle of a platform within a certain range, although the movement of the platform is not really linear but angular. Rotary stages can rotate indefinitely, like a wheel.

Linear and rotary stages can contain microswitches that detect certain positions of the stage, but they differ in the way these switches are used.

All linear stages have a –ve limit switch, to prevent the stage from accidentally being moved too far in the –ve direction - see Fig. E.3. Once this switch is activated, movement stops. The switch also provides a physical datum used to find the Home position. Some linear stages and actuators also have a +ve limit switch (such as the ZST range of actuators), whereas others rely on a physical stop to halt the motion in the positive direction. A rotary stage has only one switch, used to provide a datum so that the Home position can be found. Movement is allowed righ t through the switch position in either direction

Appendix E

Rotary stageLinear stage

Datu m switch

-ve limit switch

+ve limit switch (or stop)

Travel

Min. position (zero)

(home)

Max. position

Offset

-ve limit sw itch

SW positive lim itSW negative limit

Fig. E.3 Stage limit switches

E.2.4 Minimum and Maximum Positions These positions are dependent upon the stage or actuator to which the motors are fitted, and are defined as the minimum and maximum useful positions of the stage relative to the ‘Home’ position - see Fig. E.4.

The distance from the Minimum position to the Maximum position is the ‘useful travel’ of the stage. It is often the case that the Minimum position is zero. The Home and Minimum positions then coincide, with movement always occurring on the positive side of the Home position.

Rotary stages have effectively no limits of travel. The Minimum and Maximum positions are conventionally set to 0 and 360 degrees respectively. When the position of a rotary stage is requested, the answer will be reported as a number between 0 and 360 degrees, measured in the positive direction from the Home position.

Fig. E.4 Minimum and Maximum Positions

74 HA0363T Rev D Jan 2017

K-Cube Brushed DC Servo Motor Driver

ne gative move

positive move

10mm 20mm

position

E.3 Error Correction

E.3.1 Backlash correction The term backlash refers to the tendency of the stage to reach a different position depending on the direction of approach.

Backlash can be overcome by always making the last portion of a move in the same direction, conventionally the positive direction. Consider the situation in Fig. E.5, a

positive move, from 10 to 20 mm, is carried out as one simple move, whereas a negative move, from 20 to 10 mm, first causes the stage to overshoot the target

position and then move positively through a small amount.

Fig. E.5 Backlash correction

The particular stage selection will usually have this type of ‘backlash correction’ enabled as its default mode of operation, but it can be overridden if the overshoot part of the move is unacceptable for a particular application.

See Chapter 6 Software Reference, Move/Jogs Tab for details on setting the backlash correction.

Appendix F Regulatory

F.1 Declarations Of Conformity

F.1.1 For Customers in Europe

See Section F.3.

F.1.2 For Customers In The USA This equipment has been tested and found to comply with the limits for a Class A digital device, persuant to part 15 of the FCC rules. These limits are designed to provide reasonable protection against harmful interference whe n the equipment is operated in a commercial environment. This equipment generates, uses and can radiate radio frequency energy and, if not installed and used in accordance with the instruction manual, may cause harmful interference to radio communications. Operation of this equipment in a residential area is likely to cause harmful interference in which case the user will be required to correct the interference at his own expense.

Changes or modifications not expressly approved by the company could void th e user’s authority to operate the equipment.

F.2

Waste Electrical and Electronic Equipment

F.2.1 Compliance As required by the Waste Electrical and Electronic Equipment (WEEE) Directive of the European Community and the corresponding national laws, we offer all end users in the EC the possibility to return "end of life" units without incurring disposal charges.

(WEEE)

Directive

This offer is valid for electrical and electronic equipment

• sold after August 13th 2005

• marked correspondingly with the crossed out "wheelie bin" logo (see Fig. 1)

• sold to a company or institute within the EC

• currently owned by a company or institute within the EC

• still complete, not disassembled and not contaminated

K-Cube Brushed DC Servo Motor Driver

Fig. 6.1 Crossed out "wheelie bin" symbol

As the WEEE directive applies to self contained opera tional electri cal and electronic products, this "end of life" take back service does not refer to other products, such as

• pure OEM products, that means assemblies to be built into a unit by the user (e. g. OEM laser driver cards)

• components

• mechanics and optics

• left over parts of unit s disassembled by the user (PCB's, housings etc.).

If you wish to return a unit for waste recovery, please contact Thorlabs or your nearest dealer for further information.

F.2.2 Waste treatment on your own responsibility If you do not return an "end of life" unit to the company, you must hand it to a company specialized in waste recovery. Do not dispose of the unit in a litte r bin or at a public waste disposal site.

F.2.3 Ecological background It is well known that WEEE pollutes the environment by releasing toxic products during decomposition. The aim of the European RoHS directive is to reduce the content of toxic substances in electronic products in the future.

The intent of the WEEE directive is to enforce the recycling of WEEE. A controlled recycling of end of life products will thereby avoid negative impacts on the environment.

Appendix F

F.3 Certificate of Conformity

78 HA0363T Rev D Jan 2017

Appendix G Thorlabs Worldwide Contacts

USA, Canada, and South America

Thorlabs, Inc. 56 Sparta Ave Newton, NJ 07860 USA Tel: 973-579-7227 Fax: 973-300-3600 www.thorlabs.com www.thorlabs.us (West Coast) email: feedback@thorlabs.com Support: techsupport@thorlabs.com

Europe

Thorlabs GmbH Hans-Böckler-Str. 6 85221 Dachau Germany Tel: +49-(0)8131-5956-0 Fax: +49-(0)8131-5956-99 www.thorlabs.de email: Europe@thorlabs.com

UK and Ireland

Thorlabs Ltd. 1 Saint Thomas Place, Ely Cambridgeshire CB7 4EX Great Britain Tel: +44 (0)1353-654440 Fax: +44 (0)1353-654444 www.thorlabs.de email: sales.uk@thorlabs.com Support: techsupport.uk@thorlabs.com

Scandinavia

Thorlabs Sweden AB Bergfotsgatan 7 431 35 Mölndal Sweden Tel: +46-31-733-30-00 Fax: +46-31-703-40-45 www.thorlabs.de

email: scandinavia@thorlabs.com

Japan

Thorlabs Japan Inc. Higashi Ikebukuro Q Building 1st Floor 2-23-2 Toshima-ku, Tokyo 170-0013 Japan Tel: +81-3-5979-8889 Fax: +81-3-5979-7285 www.thorlabs.jp email: sales@thorlabs.jp

China

Thorlabs China Oasis Middlering Centre 3 Building 712 Room 915 Zhen Bei Road Shanghai China Tel: +86 (0)21-32513486 Fax: +86 (0)21-32513480 www.thorlabs.com email: chinasales@thorlabs.com

France

Thorlabs SAS 109, rue des Côtes 78600 Maisons-Laffitte France Tel: +33 (0) 970 444 844 Fax: +33 (0) 811 381 748 www.thorlabs.de email: sales.fr@thorlabs.com

Brazil

Thorlabs Vendas de Fotônicos Ltda. Rua Riachuelo, 171 São Carlos, SP 13560-110 Brazil Tel: +55-16-3413 7062 Fax: +55-16-3413 7064 www.thorlabs.com Email: brasil@thorlabs.com

Thorlabs Inc. 56 Sparta Ave Newton, NJ07860 USA Tel: +1 973 579 7227 Fax: +1 973 300 3600 www.thorlabs.com

Thorlabs Ltd. 1 Saint Thomas Place, Ely Cambridgeshire CB7 4EX, UK Tel: +44 (0) 1353 654440 Fax: +44 (0) 1353 654444 www.thorlabs.com

THORLABS KDC101 User Manual

Specifications and Main Features

Frequently Asked Questions

User Manual

1.1 Safety Information

1.2 General Warnings

2.1 Introduction

2.2 Power Options

2.3 APT PC Software Overview

2.3.1 Introduction

2.3.2 APTUser Utility

2.3.3 APT Config Utility

2.3.4 APT Server (ActiveX Controls)

2.3.5 Software Upgrades

3.1 Install The Software

3.2 Mechanical Installation

3.2.1 Environmental Conditions

3.2.2 Mounting Options

3.2.3 Using the Baseplate

3.3 Electrical Installation

3.3.1 Rear Panel

3.3.2 Front Panel

3.4 Connect The Hardware

3.5 Stage identification

3.6 Verifying Software Operation

3.6.1 Initial Setup

4.1 Introduction

4.2 Control Panel

4.2.1 Overview

4.2.2 Digital Display - Operating Mode

4.3 Velocity Wheel Operation

4.3.1 Homing

4.3.2 Go to Position

4.3.3 Jogging

4.3.4 Velocity Moves

4.4 Settings Menu

4.4.1 Overview

4.4.2 Menu Option - Go to position

4.4.3 Menu Option - Start homing

4.4.4 Menu Option - Velocity

4.4.5 Menu Option - Joystick Mode

4.4.6 Menu Option - Jog Step Size

4.4.7 Menu Option - Teach Position

4.4.8 Menu Option - Brightness

4.4.9 Menu Option - Disp.Timeout

4.4.10 Menu Option - Disable

4.4.11 Menu Option - Select Stage

5.1 Introduction

5.2 Using the APT User Utility

5.3 Homing Motors

5.4 Moving to an Absolute Position

5.5 Changing Motor Parameters

5.6 Jogging

5.7 Stopping the Stage

5.8 Graphical Control Of Motor Positions (Point and Move)

5.9 Setting Move Sequences

5.10 Creating a Simulated Configuration

5.11 Stage/Axis Tab

6.1 Introduction

6.2 GUI Panel

6.3 Settings Panel

6.3.1 Moves/Jogs Tab

6.3.2 Stage/Axis Tab

6.3.3 Servo Loop Tab

6.3.4 Panel/Triggering Tab

6.3.5 Defaults Tab

6.3.6 Rotation StagesTab