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BSC201
Benchtop Stepper Motor Controller

User Guide

Original Instructions

Summary of Contents for BSC201

Page 1: ...BSC201 Benchtop Stepper Motor Controller User Guide Original Instructions ...

Page 2: ...rs 19 4 4 Moving to an Absolute Position 20 4 5 Stopping the Stage 20 4 6 Changing Motor Parameters 21 4 7 Jogging 22 4 8 Graphical Control Of Motor Positions Point and Move 23 4 9 Setting Move Sequences 25 4 10 Using A Joystick Console 28 4 11 Creating a Simulated Configuration Using APT Config 29 4 12 Stage Axis Tab 32 Chapter 5 Software Reference 33 5 1 Introduction 33 5 2 GUI Panel 33 5 3 Sett...

Page 3: ...r 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 immediately using absorbant tissue Do not allow spilled fluid to enter the internal mechanism Caution If your PC becomes unresponsive e g due to an operating sy...

Page 4: ...l description of the apt system software Fig 2 1 APT Single Channel Stepper Motor Controller BSC201 Stepper motors g ive excellent low speed performance and po sitioning stability compared with DC servo motors A wide range of 2 phase bipolar stepper motors and associated actuators are commercially available each with its own characteristics such as step resolution peak phase current or voltage and...

Page 5: ... an encoded position through an iterative move sequence Please see th e handbook supplied with your linear encoded stage for further details In the remainder of this handbook the Tutorial section Chapter 4 provides a good initial understanding on using the unit and the reference sections Chapter 5 covers all operating modes and parameters in detail 2 2 APT PC Software Overview 2 2 1 Introduction A...

Page 6: ... 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 2 4 for further details 2 2 2 APTUser Utility The APTUser application allows the user to interact with a number of APT hardware control units connected to the ho st PC This program displays multiple graphical instrument ...

Page 7: ...eters 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 actuato...

Page 8: ...ed into a wide range of softwa re development environments for use by client application developers Development environments supported include Visual Basic Labview Visual C C Builder HPVEE Matlab VB NET C NET and via VBA Microsoft Office applications such as Excel and Word Consider the ActiveX Control supplied for the BSC201 APT stepper controller unit This Control provides a complete user graphic...

Page 9: ...onality provided by the APT ActiveX Server as shown in Fig 2 2 Fig 2 2 System Architecture Diagram Refer to the main APT Software onl ine help file APTServer hlp for a comple te programmers guide and reference material on using the APT ActiveX Controls collection Additional software developer support is provided by the APT Support CD supplied with every APT controller This CD contains a complete r...

Page 10: ...ting system problem entering a sleep state condition or screen saver operation for a prolonged period this may 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 P...

Page 11: ...e exposed to corrosive agents 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 The unit must not be used in an explosive environment Caution When siting the unit it should be positioned so as not to impede the operation of the rear panel power supply switc...

Page 12: ...erson performing the installation Shock Warning The unit must be connected only to an earthed fused supply of 110 to 230V Use only power supply cables supplied by Thorlabs other cables may not be rated to the same current The unit is shipped to the UK Europe and the USA with the appropriate power plug already fitted When shipped to other territories the appropriate power plug must be fitted by the...

Page 13: ...ons to drive a range of encoded and non encoded stepper motors see Section A 3 CONTROL I O 15 Pin D Type Female The CONTROL I O connector exposes a number of electrical signals useful for external control It is possible to configure a particular controller to respond to trigger inputs see Section A 1 4 generate trigger outputs see Section A 1 3 or both respond to and generate a trigger output see ...

Page 14: ...ection 3 2 2 Install the APT Software see Section 3 1 3 Connect the stepper motor actuator to the Controller unit see Section 3 3 4 4 Connect the Controller unit to the power supply see Section 3 3 1 5 Connect the PSU to the main supply and switch ON 6 Connect the Controller unit to your PC 7 WindowsTM should detect the new hardware Wait while WindowsTM installs the drivers for the new hardware se...

Page 15: ...ontroller channel Once this association has been made the APT server applies automatic ally suitable default parameter values on boot up of the software 1 Shut down all applications using the APT server e g APT User or your own custom application 2 Run the APT Config utility Start All Programs Thorlabs APT Config APT Config 3 From the APT Configuration Utility window click the Stage tab Fig 3 3 AP...

Page 16: ...Association button 7 The server reads in the stage and controller information on start up Shut down the APTConfig utility and proceed to Section 3 7 to verify the software operation See the APT Config utility on line help for further information Note To use the increased resolution and velocity funcitionality offered by these controllers the stage types prefixed by HS e g HS NanoMax 300 X Axis mus...

Page 17: ...is connected to the co ntroller 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...

Page 18: ...PT User Utility The APT User exe application allows the user to interact with any number of APT hardware control units connected to the PC USBBus or simulated via the APTConfig utility This program allows multiple graphical instrument panels to be displayed so that multiple APT units can be controlled All basic operating parameters can be set through this program and all basic operations such as m...

Page 19: ...an be found after the system has been powered up Fig 4 2 Motor Controller 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 for both channels counts down to 000 000 i e the home position 2 When homing is complete the Homed LED is lit as shown above See Appendix F Section F 2 2 for background information o...

Page 20: ...o 003 000 to indicate a move to the absolute position 3 00mm 4 5 Stopping the Stage The drive channel is enabled and disabled by clicking the Enable button on the GUI panel or the front panel of the unit The green indicator is lit when the drive channel is enabled Disabling the channel removes the drive power and allows the stage actuator to be positioned manually During operation the stage can be...

Page 21: ...d close the window 5 Any further moves initiated on channel 1 will now be performed at a maximum velocity of 4 mm per second with an acceleration of 1 5 mm sec sec See Section 5 3 1 for more information on these parameters Note Moves are performed using a Trapezoidal or S Curve velocity profile see Appendix F Section F 1 3 The velocity settings relate to the maximum velocity at which a move is per...

Page 22: ...erate and move at the jog velocity while the button is held down 1 On the GUI panel click the Settings button to display the Settings panel Fig 4 5 Settings Panel Move Jogs Tab 2 Select the Move Jogs tab as shown in Fig 4 5 3 In the Jogs field enter parameters as follows Max Vel 1 Accn Dec 0 5 Jogging Single Step Stopping Profiled Step Distance 0 5 4 Click OK to save the settings and close the win...

Page 23: ...rent position units per grid division and cursor position All units are displayed in real world units either millimetres or degrees The left hand display shows a circle which represents the current position of the motor associated with the specified controller absolute position data is displayed in the Chan Pos field The vertical divisions relate to the travel of the stage actuator associated with...

Page 24: ...k 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 ...

Page 25: ...to be visited without user intervention For details on moving to absolute positions initiated by a mouse click see Section 4 12 1 From the Motor GUI Panel select Move Sequencer tab to display the Mo ve Sequencer window Fig 4 7 Move Sequencer Window 2 Right click in the move data field to display the pop up menu Fig 4 8 Move Sequencer Pop Up Menu ...

Page 26: ...e 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 theDist Pos field wait for the specified Dwell time and then return to the original position Min Vel Acc and Max Vel the velocity profile parameters for the move The motor accelerates at the rate set in the Acc field up to the speed set in the Max Vel field As th...

Page 27: ...licking the data line s and selecting the appropriate option in the pop up menu shown below Fig 4 11 Pop Up Options 6 To run a single line of data right click the appropriate data and select Run from the pop up menu shown above 7 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 4 12 Home and Run Buttons 8 ...

Page 28: ...itches on the rear panel of the BSC controller The joystick ID switch assigns the selected number to the X axis of the joystick and the next sequential number to the Y axis The channel ident switches on the controller unit s must then be set to match these joystick axis numbers For example if the joystick switch is set to 1 then the channel ID switch on the controller must also be set to 1 as show...

Page 29: ...ion 5 3 3 and Section A 1 3 for further details 4 12 Creating a Simulated Configuration Using APT Config 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 featu...

Page 30: ...ab Fig 4 13 APT Configuration Utility Simulator Configuration Tab 3 Enter LAB1 in the Configuration Names field 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 Configuration window ...

Page 31: ...figuration 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 w...

Page 32: ...ly when the DRV113 actuator was selected using the APTConfig utility in Section 3 6 The APT server automatically applied suitable defaults for the parameters on this tab during boot up of any client software such as APTUser These parameters should not be altered for pre defined Thorlabs stages and actuators sel ected using APT Config as it may a dversely affect the performance of the stage For cus...

Page 33: ...TUser utility Fig 5 1 Motor Controller Software GUI 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 velocityparameters are set in the Settings panel see Section 5 3 Note The serial number of the BSC201 controller associated with the GUI panel the APT server ve...

Page 34: ...ociated 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 move 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 5 3 Accn the rate at which the velocity climbs ...

Page 35: ...2 Stepper Motor Controller Move Jog Settings Moves Moves can be initiated via the GUI panel by entering a position value after clicking on the position display box see Section 4 4 or by calling a software function see the APTServer helpfile The following settings determine the velocity profile of such moves and are specified in real world units millimetres or degrees Velocity Profile specified in ...

Page 36: ...sed or GUI panel button clicked There are two jogging modes available Single Step and Continuous In Single Step mode the motor moves by the ste p size specifie d in the Ste p Distance parameter If the jog key is held down single step jogging is repeated until the button is released see Fig 5 3 In Continuous mode the motor actuator will accelerate and move at the jog velocity while the button is he...

Page 37: ...ues will change continuously Once the move is complete these parameters will then remain unchanged until the next move begins The specific move profile created by the system depends on several factors such as the profile mode and profile parameters presently selected and other conditions such as whether a motion stop has been requested Bow Index This field is used to setthe profile mode to either ...

Page 38: ... figure above shows a typical S curve profile In segment 1 the S curve profile drives the axis at the specified Bow Index BI until the maximum acceleration A is reached The axis continues to accelerate linearly Bow Index 0 through segment 2 The profile then applies the negative value of Bow Index to red uce the acceleration to 0 during segment 3 The axis is now at the maximum velocity V at which i...

Page 39: ...ngs 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 APT Config utility can be used to associate a specific stage and axis type with the motor channel refer to the APT Config helpfile for further de...

Page 40: ...rd 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 F 2 2 Hardware Limit Switches The operation of the limit switches is inherent in the design of the associated stage or actuator The following parameters notify the ...

Page 41: ...uires X turns of the motor shaft then the Gearbox Ratio value is set to X minimum 1 maximum 1000 Note The Gearbox Ratio parameter is applicable only to motors fitted with a gearbox 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 microsteps However the Steps Per ...

Page 42: ...e checkbox before clicking the OK button 5 3 3 Advanced Tab Fig 5 7 Advanced Settings Triggering It is possible to configure a particular controller to respond to trigger inputs generate trigger outputs or both respond to and generate a trigger output When a trigger input is received the unit can be set to initiate a move relative absolute or home Similarly the unit can be set to generate a trigge...

Page 43: ...ed on the Trigger Output pin pin 12 when the move begins see Section A 1 for pin out details Trig Out A trigger output signal is generated on the Trigger Out pin pin 12 when a move relative absolute or home is initiated via software either through the GUI panel or ActiveX method call Move Type The Move Type parameter determines the type of move to be initiated on the associated channel when a trig...

Page 44: ...pplied automatically This is particularly important when the driver is being used manually via a joystick in the absence of a PC and USB link To save the settings to hardware check the Persist Settings to Hardware checkbox before clicking the OK button move command motor 1 move motor 2 move motor unit B motor unit A Triggering Parameter setup Motor Unit A Master Trigger Mode Trig Out Move Type Rel...

Page 45: ... high gear mode is selected Direction Sense The actual direction sense of any joystick initiated moves is dependent upon the application This parameter can be used to reverse the sense of direction for a particular application and is useful when matching joystick direction sense to actual stage direction sense Persist Settings to Hardware The Joystick Parameters described above can be stored persi...

Page 46: ...e g jog distance are set via the GUI panel see Section 5 3 1 The pin functions are detailed in Fig A 1 Fig A 1 MOTOR I O connector pin identification Pin Description Return Pin Description Return 1 User 5V I O 9 9 User 0V 2 Jog forwards 9 10 Jog backwards 9 3 Not Used 9 11 Analog In 9 4 Tigger In 12 Trigger Out 9 5 User 0V 13 Not Used 5 6 Not Used 14 Not Used 6 7 Digital User In 15 Digital User Ou...

Page 47: ...tputs used h ere can be used to directly drive most optocouplers and the 5V supply available on pins 14 and 15 can be used to provide power for the optocouplers Fig A 3 Application Example Connection to Optocoupler Inputs These outputs can also b e used to i nterface to external logic circuitry a pu ll up resistor may be needed if the external logic does not contain it or control other types of in...

Page 48: ...tStatusBits method in the APTServer helpfile for details on how to control these logic IO A 1 3 Trigger Output The trigger output is different from the rest of the digital outputs in that it is a 5V CMOS logic gate with a series 1 kOhm resistor for protection It behaves as 5V voltage source with 1 kOhm in series when the outputs is a logic HIGH and 1 kOhm to ground when it is a logic LOW The 1 kOh...

Page 49: ...nd HIGH ifthe switch is closed When connected to a logic output or any other voltage source the input is guaranteed to read LOW if the voltage is above 2 4V and HIGH when the output is below 0 8 V A 1 5 Jog Inputs The jog inputs used in the controller are of the standard CMOS logic gate type with TTL compatible input levels and a built in pull up resistor 10 kOhm to 5V They can be connected direct...

Page 50: ...es connection to the MJC001 joystick The pin functions are detailed in in Fig A 8 Fig A 8 HANDSET Connector Pin Identification Caution Do not exceed the 250 mA maximum output current For applications requiring higher currents an external power supply must be used Pin Description 1 RX controller input 2 Ground 3 Ground 4 5V 100 mA Supply for Joystick 5 TX controller output 6 Ground 1 2 3 5 4 6 ...

Page 51: ...r Panel INTERCONNECT Connector The INTERCONNECT terminal on the rear panel is for future development and is not implemented at this time Pin Description Pin Description 1 Encoder A ve 9 CW Limit Stwitch 2 Encoder A ve 10 CCW Limit Switch 3 Encoder B ve 11 0V User 4 Encoder B ve 12 For Future Use 5 5V User 13 For Future Use 6 For Future Use 14 Motor Phase B 7 Motor Phase B 15 Motor Phase A 8 Motor ...

Page 52: ...s outside of the APT software communication with the device is facilitated by using a virtual comms port can be configured as follows 1 Open the device manager by selecting Start Control Panel Device Manager 2 Click USB Ser ial Bus Controllers and select the APT USB Device to be configured then right click and select Properties ...

Page 53: ...53 Single Channel Stepper Motor Controller 3 The USB Device Properties window is displayed 4 Select the Advanced tab and check the Load VCP box 5 Click OK then power cycle the device being configured ...

Page 54: ...6 6 In the device manager click Ports COM LPT and note the APT USB Device Serial Port COM port number e g COM3 This COM port can then be used by the client application to communicate with the device using the low level protocol messages ...

Page 55: ...ated with the covers removed Only personnel authorized by Thorlabs Ltd and trained in the maintenance of this equipment should remove its covers or attempt any repairs or adjustments Maintenance is limited to safety testing and cleaning as described in the following sections Caution The instrument contains a power supply filter Insulation testing of the power supply connector should be performed u...

Page 56: ...tion 2048 Microsteps per Full Step 200 Step Motor 409600 Microsteps per Rev Motor Power Up to 48 V 50 W peak Input Power Requirements Voltage 85 264 VAC Power 100 W Fuse 3 15 A Motor speeds Up to 3000 RPM for 200 full step motor Encoder feedback bandwidth 500 000 counts sec General Housing Dimensions W x D x H 152 x 244 x 104 mm 6 x 9 6 x 4 1 in Instrument Weight 3 18 kg 7 lbs Compatible Motors Pe...

Page 57: ...me Part Number Stepper Motor Actuator 4mm travel DRV001 Stepper Motor Actuator 25mm 1 travel trapezoidal leadscrew DRV013 Stepper Motor Actuator 50mm 2 travel trapezoidal leadscrew DRV014 Stepper Motor Drive Cable 1 25 Metres PAA 610 Stepper Motor Drive Cable 3 0 Metres PAA 611 ...

Page 58: ...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 descriptions please see the on line help file supplied with the APT server Methods CalibrateEnc Calibrates encoder equipped stage DeleteParamSet Deletes stored settings for specific controller Disa...

Page 59: ... jogging acceleration parameter returned by value GetJogVelParams_MaxVel Gets the j ogging maximum velocity parameter returned by value GetMotorParams Gets the motor gearing parameters GetParentHWInfo Gets the identification information of the host controller GetPosition Gets the current motor position GetPosition_Position Gets the current motor position returned by value GetPositionEx Gets the cu...

Page 60: ...ve MoveAbsoluteEnc Initiates an absolute m ove with specified positions for encoder equipped stages MoveAbsoluteEx Initiates an absoloute move with specified positions MoveAbsoluteRot Initiates an absolute m ove 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 mov...

Page 61: ...ce SetStageAxisInfo Sets the stage axis parameters SetTriggerParams Sets the move triggering parameters SetVelParams Sets the velocity profile parameters ShowSettingsDlg Display the GUI Settings panel StartCtrl Starts the ActiveX Control start s communication with controller StopCtrl Stops the ActiveX Control stops co mmunication with controller StopImmediate Stops a motor move immediately StopPro...

Page 62: ...y there are numerous tooth like poles on both the rotor and stator The result is that positional increments steps of 1 8 degrees can be achieved by switching the coils i e 200 steps per revolution If the current through one coil is increased as it is decreased in another the new rotor position is somewhere between the two coils and the step size is a defined fraction of a full step microstep The s...

Page 63: ... acceleration of each axis at any given moment During a motion profile these values will change continuously Once the move is complete these parameters will then remain unchanged until the next move begins The specific move profile created by the system depends on several factors such as the profile mode and profile parameters presently selected and other conditions such as whether a motion stop h...

Page 64: ...xample Fig 6 3 Typical S Curve Profile The figure above shows a typical S curve profile In segment 1 the S curve profile drives the axis at the specified Bow Index BI until the maximum acceleration A is reached The axis continues to accelerate linearly Bow Index 0 through segment 2 The profile then applies the negative value of Bow Index to red uce the acceleration to 0 during segment 3 The axis i...

Page 65: ...ture and is determined by driving the motor until the negative limit switch is reached and then driving positively a fixed distance zero offset When at th e Home p osition the counters are reset to zero there by establishing a fixed datum that can be found even after the system has been switched off See Section 4 3 for details on performing a Home move F 2 3 Limit Switches A linear stage moves b e...

Page 66: ...vel 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 limit s 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...

Page 67: ...tings F 3 Error Correction F 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 6 6 a positive move from 10 to 20 mm is carried out as one simpl ...

Page 68: ...erates 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 approv...

Page 69: ...horlabs or your nearest dealer for further information G 2 2 Waste treatment on your own responsibility If you do not return an end of life unitto the company you musthand it to acompany specialized in waste recovery Do not dispose of the unit in a litter bin or at a public waste disposal site G 2 3 Ecological background It is we ll known that WEEE p ollutes the environment by re leasing toxic p r...

Page 70: ...Appendix G 70 HA0277T Rev H Dec 2016 G 3 CE Certificate ...

Page 71: ...nc sales thorlabs com techsupport thorlabs com Europe Thorlabs GmbH europe thorlabs com France Thorlabs SAS sales fr thorlabs com Japan Thorlabs Japan Inc sales thorlabs jp UK and Ireland Thorlabs Ltd sales uk thorlabs com techsupport uk thorlabs com Scandinavia Thorlabs Sweden AB scandinavia thorlabs com Brazil Thorlabs Vendas de Fotônicos Ltda brasil thorlabs com China Thorlabs China chinasales ...

Page 72: ...72 www thorlabs com ...

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