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Two-, and Three-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.

Summary of Contents for BSC202

Page 1: ...BSC202 and BSC203 Benchtop Stepper Motor Controller User Guide Original Instructions ...

Page 2: ...tion 14 3 3 1 Connecting To The Supply 14 3 3 2 Fuses 14 3 3 3 Rear Panel Connections 15 3 4 Front Panel Controls and Indicators 16 3 5 Connecting The Hardware 16 3 6 Select the Stage Type Using APTConfig 17 3 7 Verifying Software Operation 18 3 7 1 Initial Setup 18 Chapter 4 Operation Tutorial 20 4 1 Introduction 20 4 2 Using the APT User Utility 20 4 3 Homing Motors 21 4 4 Moving to an Absolute ...

Page 3: ...xis tab 39 5 3 3 Advanced Tab 44 Appendices Appendix A Rear Panel Connector Pinout Details 48 Appendix B Using a Virtual Comm Port 54 Appendix C Preventive Maintenance 57 Appendix D Specifications and Associated Parts 58 Appendix E Motor Control Method Summary 60 Appendix F Stepper Motor Operation Background 64 Appendix G Regulatory 70 Appendix H Thorlabs Worldwide Contacts 75 ...

Page 4: ...en 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 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 moist...

Page 5: ... 25W average drive power per channel and are compatible with most stepper driven nano positioning actuators stages in the Thorlabs range The unit combines the latest high speed digital signal processors DSP with low noise analog electronics and ActiveX software technology for effortl ess high resolution microstepping of up to three axes Additional axes can be driven by connecting one or more b enc...

Page 6: ...l exp osing all parameters individually for use with other stepper motor driven systems For convenience and ease of use adjustment of many key parameters is possible through direct interaction with the graphical panel For example a move to the n ext position can be initiated by clicking directly on the position display and entering a new value see the tutorial in Chapter for further details Furthe...

Page 7: ...ed the APT server which provides all of the necessary APT system software services such as generation of GUI pan els 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 ...

Page 8: ...oaded to allow multiple operating configurations to be created and easily applied For many users the APTUser application provides all of the functionality necessary to operate the APT hardware without the need to deve lop any further custom software For those who do need to further customize and automate usage of the controller e g to i mplement a positioning algorithm the APTUser application illu...

Page 9: ...hese 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 provided in the online help supplied with the utility Use of the ...

Page 10: ...ActiveX Control is a l anguage independent software component Consequently ActiveX Controls can be in corporated 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 Act...

Page 11: ...ciated with the controllers Note that the APTUser and APTConfig utilities 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 onl ine help file APTServer hlp for a comple te programmers guide and reference material on using the APT ActiveX Controls collection A...

Page 12: ...ing parameters and modes The user can select multiple panel views displaying different information about a particular hardware unit The multitasking architecture ensures that the graphical control panels always remain live showing all current hardware activity Caution Some PCs may have been configured to restrict the users ability to load software and on these systems the software may not install ...

Page 13: ...ure reliable operation the unit should not be 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 Caution When siting the unit it should be positioned so as not to impede the operation of the rear panel power supply switch Ensure t...

Page 14: ... 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 user Cable identification is as follows Brown Live Blue Neutral...

Page 15: ... controller to resp ond to trigger inputs generate trigger outputs or bo th respond to and generate a trigger output see Section 5 3 3 Motor jogging lines can be used to jog the motor in both forward and reverse directions from a remote handset Jogging parameters e g jog distance are set via theGUI panel see Section 5 3 1 USB USB port for system communications HANDSET IN Provides connection for th...

Page 16: ...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 see the Getting Started guide f...

Page 17: ... APT server applies automatically suitable default parameter values on boot up of the software Even if a stage type and axis has been associated with a controller channel it is still possible to alter these pa rameters if req uired e g fo r a custom stage type not selectable using the APT Config utility 1 Shut down all applications using the APT server e g APT User or your own custom application 2...

Page 18: ...n 3 7 Verifying Software Operation 3 7 1 Initial Setup The APT Software should be installed Section 3 1 and the stage association performed Section 3 6 before software operation can be verified 1 Run the APTUser utility and check that the Graphical User Interface GUI panel appears and is active Fig 3 4 Gui panel showing jog and ident buttons Caution The following items relate to the single channel...

Page 19: ...d in Chapter 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 deve...

Page 20: ...on the rear panel 4 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 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 a...

Page 21: ...l position counter to zero The limit switch provides a fixed datum that can 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...

Page 22: ...ea sured in real world units e g millimetres relative to the Home position 1 Click the position display Fig 4 3 Absolute Position Popup Window 2 Enter 3 0 into the pop up window 3 Click OK Notice that the position display counts up to 003 000 to indicate a move to the absolute position 3 00mm ...

Page 23: ...ck th e Settings button bottom right hand corner of the display to display the Settings panel Fig 4 4 Settings Panel Move Jogs Tab 2 Select the Move Jogs tab as shown in Fig 4 4 3 In the Moves field change the parameters as follows Max Vel 2 5 Accn Dec 0 5 4 Click OK to save the settings and close the window 5 Any further moves initiated on channel 1 will now be performed at a maximum velocity of ...

Page 24: ...lerate 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 2 Jogging Single Step Stopping Profiled Step Distance 0 5 4 Click OK to save the settings and close the wind...

Page 25: ...tor type min imum and maximum positions current 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 t...

Page 26: ...h 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 ...

Page 27: ...ns to be visited without user intervention For details on moving to absolute positions initiated by a mouse click see Section 4 11 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 28: ...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 29: ...t clicking 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...

Page 30: ...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 31: ...e ction 5 3 3 and Section A 1 3 for further details 4 11 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 f...

Page 32: ...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 33: ...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 ...

Page 34: ... the HS NanoMax 300 X Axis stage type 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 selected using APT Config as it may adversely affect the performance of the stage...

Page 35: ... following screen shot shows the gra phical user interface GUI one panel per channel displayed when accessing the controller using the APTUser utility Fig 5 1 Motor Controller Software GUI Note The serial number of the driver card 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 righ...

Page 36: ...fied 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 move is initiated and the maximum velocity at which the move is performed Values are displayed in real world units...

Page 37: ...ves 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 real world units millimetres or degrees MinVel ...

Page 38: ...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 39: ...ent 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 has been requested Bow Index This field is u...

Page 40: ... 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 41: ...ttings 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...

Page 42: ...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 43: ...requires 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 P...

Page 44: ...utton 5 3 3 Advanced Tab Fig 5 7 Stepper Motor Controller 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 trigger output s...

Page 45: ... generated on the Trig Output pin when the move begins see Section A 1 for pin out details Trig Out A trigg er output signal is generated on the Trig Out pin 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 trigger input s...

Page 46: ... is next powered up these settings are applied 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 Ma...

Page 47: ...hen 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 pe...

Page 48: ... 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 6 RS232 TX 14 RS232 RX 6 7 Digital User In 15 Digital User Out 9 8 Keyed Pin Notes Jog inputs must be sho...

Page 49: ... outputs 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...

Page 50: ... if the voltage is above 2 4V and HIGH when the output is below 0 8 V Please see the LLGetStatusBits 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 seri...

Page 51: ... When connected to a switch the inputs will read as logic LOW if the switch is open circuit and 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 compa...

Page 52: ...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 53: ...ERCONNECT Connector A 4 1 Pin Identification The INTERCONNECT terminal is a male 9 pin D Type It is intended for future use with RS232 communications but is not implemented at present Serial communications must be achieved via a virtual Comms port see Appendix B Pin Description Return Pin Description Return 1 Encoder A ve 9 CW Limit Stwitch 2 Encoder A ve 10 CCW Limit Switch 3 Encoder B ve 11 0V U...

Page 54: ...plications outside of the APT software communication with the device is facilitated by using a virtual comms port 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 55: ... Two and Three 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 56: ...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 57: ...thorized 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 using a DC voltage Warning Disconnect the power...

Page 58: ...8 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 200 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 240 x 360 x 133 mm 9 5 x 14 2 x 5 2 in Instrument Weight 6 7 kg 14 75 lbs Compatible Motors Peak...

Page 59: ...t Name 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 60: ...solute and relative moves and changing velocity profile settings A brief summary of ech 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 CalibrateEnc Calibrates encoder equipped stage DeleteParamSet Deletes stored settings for specific controller DisableHWChannel Disables the...

Page 61: ...Vel 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 current motor position GetPositionEx_UncalibPosition Gets the current u...

Page 62: ...s 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 move with specified distances for encoder equipped stages MoveRelativeEx Initiates a relative move wi...

Page 63: ...eters 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 StopProfiled Stops a mo tor move in a p rofiled dece...

Page 64: ...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 65: ... and 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 st...

Page 66: ... 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 it continues through segment 4 Th e profile then decelerates in a similar manner to the acceleration phase using the Bow Index to reach the max...

Page 67: ...n 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 etween two stops and movement outside these limits is physically impossible Linear stages can include stages that control the ang le of a platform within a certain range although the movement of the platform is not really linear but angular Rotary stages can ro...

Page 68: ...e 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 F 5 Minimum and Maximum Positions F 2 5 Power Saving The current needed to hold a motor in a fixed position is much smaller than the current needed to move it and it is advantageous to reduce the current through a stationary motor in order to reduce heating...

Page 69: ... in Fig 6 6 a positive move from 10 to 20 mm is carried out as one simpl e move whereas a negative move from 20 to 10 mm first causes the stage to oversho ot the target position and then move positively through a small amount Fig 6 6 Backlash correction The controller has this type of backlash correction enabled as its defau lt mode of operation but it can be overridden if the overshoot part of th...

Page 70: ...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 71: ...t Thorlabs 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 ...

Page 72: ...Appendix G 72 HA0278T Rev H Dec 2016 7 3 CE Certificates ...

Page 73: ...73 Two and Three Channel Stepper Motor Controller ...

Page 74: ...Appendix G 74 HA0278T Rev H Dec 2016 ...

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Page 76: ... Ltd Saint Thomas Place Ely Cambridgeshire CB7 4EX UK Tel 44 0 1353 654440 Fax 44 0 1353 654444 www thorlabs com Thorlabs Inc 56 Sparta Ave Newton NJ07860 USA Tel 1 973 579 7227 Fax 1 973 300 3600 www thorlabs com ...

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