THORLABS LTS150 User Manual Download

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HA0203T

LTS150 and LTS300
Long Travel Stages

User Guide

Original Instructions

Summary of Contents for LTS150

Page 1: ...HA0203T LTS150 and LTS300 Long Travel Stages User Guide Original Instructions ...

Page 2: ...the Work Surface 10 3 3 3 Mounting In Multi Axis Configurations 11 3 4 Calibration of Motor Drives 12 3 5 Mounting Equipment 12 3 6 Transportation 12 Chaper 4 Software Electrical Installation 13 4 1 Installing APT Software 13 4 2 Electrical Installation 14 4 2 1 Connecting To The Supply 14 4 3 Connecting The Hardware 14 4 4 Verifying Software Operation 15 4 4 1 Initial Setup 15 Chaper 5 Standalone...

Page 3: ...Move 24 6 9 Setting Move Sequences 26 6 10 Creating a Simulated Configuration Using APT Config 29 Chaper 7 Software Reference 32 7 1 Introduction 32 7 2 GUI Panel 32 7 3 Settings Panel 34 7 3 1 Moves Jogs tab 34 7 3 2 Stage Axis tab 39 7 3 3 Advanced Tab 42 Appendices Appendix A Maintenance 44 Appendix B Specifications and Accessories 45 Appendix C Motor Control Method Summary 47 Appendix D Steppe...

Page 4: ...ty of up to 15 kg horizontally 4 kg vertically these stages are highly suited to applications such as interferometry and M2 measurements and are compatible with our range of optomech and translation stages Integrated magnetic limit switches allow homing as well as overdriving protection in both directions The stages are inclusive of the drive electronics which can either be driven via a PC or can ...

Page 5: ... 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 m...

Page 6: ...nfigurations 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 develop any further custom software For those who do need to further customise and automate usage of the controller e g to implement a positioning algorithm this application illustrates how the rich functionality provided b...

Page 7: ...onfig utility is covered in the PC tutorial Chapter and in the APTConfig online help file accessed via the F1 key when using the APTConfig utility 1 2 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 larg...

Page 8: ...nstrument panel to allow the stage to be manually operated as well as a complete set of software functions 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 automatical...

Page 9: ...and are built on top of the powerful functionality provided by the APT ActiveX Server as shown in Fig 1 2 Fig 1 2 System Architecture Diagram Refer to the main APT Software online help file APTServer hlp for a complete 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...

Page 10: ... 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 Warning 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 ...

Page 11: ... 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 Warning The safety of any system incorporating this equipment is the responsibility of the person performing the installation Caution Once removed from its packaging the LTS stage is easily damaged by mishandling The unit should only be handled ...

Page 12: ... on the moving platform is driven against a solid object damage to the internal mechanism could occur The range of travel for each model is as follows LTS150 150mm LTS300 300mm Caution When siting the unit it should be positioned so as not to impede the operation of the control panel buttons Ensure that proper airflow is maintained to the unit Caution Remove power from the unit before bolting or u...

Page 13: ... stage is mounted to the working surface by 1 4 20 M6 screws five for LTS300 three for LTS150 which fit through the base The mounting holes are accessed from the top of the stage Sleeves are fitted in the moving platform to allow the bolts to pass through from the top surface see Fig 3 1 Fig 3 1 Mounting Holes ...

Page 14: ...0 stages respectively to be mounted vertically in Z axis configurations Please see the documentation supplied with the adapter plates for more details Fig 3 2 Typical XYZ Configuration Caution When mounted in a vertical Z axis orientation the maximum load capacity is 4 kg and the maximum velocity is 3 mm sec For safety reasons the Max Vel parameter in the software Settings panel should be set to 3...

Page 15: ...ement required to achieve the demanded position The use of a calibration file is optional Without it the repeatability and resolution of the stage are unaffected but no compensations are made to enhance the accuracy Calibration files can be downloaded from the support documents section on the product web page one file for each serial number Details on assigning a calibration file are contained in ...

Page 16: ...n 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 r...

Page 17: ...stalls the drivers for the new hardware see the Getting Started guide for more information Fig 4 1 Power and USB Connectors Warning Risk of Electrical Shock The PSU unit must be connected only to an earthed fused supply of 110 to 230V Use only the power supply supplied by Thorlabs other units may not be rated to the same current The unit is shipped to the UK Europe and the USA with the appropriate...

Page 18: ...ent and decrement accordingly Follow the tutorial steps described 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 particular...

Page 19: ...nces When the unit is connected to the PC these parameters are automatically set to allow out of the box operation with no further tuning required However further adjustment is possible via the APT Server software see Chapter The following brief overview explains how the top panel controls can be used to perform a typical series of motor moves In conjunction with this chapter it also may be useful...

Page 20: ...annel functionality Disabling the channel removes the drive power and allows the motor actuator to be operated manually Enable LED When the stage is enabled this LED is lit Furthermore this LED will flash when the Ident button is clicked on the APT Software GUI panel 5 3 Potentiometer Operation The potentiometer slider is sprung such that when released it returns to it s central position In this c...

Page 21: ...o Position mode it is possible from the front panel to save the current position as the Go To Position value To save the current position as the Go To Position value press and hold the required button for 2 seconds 5 4 4 Jogging The front panel buttons can also be configured to jog the motor This mode of operation is enabled by setting the Button Mode parameter to Jogging on the Advanced settings ...

Page 22: ...pplication 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 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 motor moves can be initiated Hardw...

Page 23: ...can be found after the system has been powered up Fig 6 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 D Section D 2 2 for background information ...

Page 24: ...s up to 003 000 to indicate a move to the absolute position 3 00mm 6 5 Stopping the Stage The drive channel is enabled and disabled by clicking the Enable button on the GUI panel or the top 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 ca...

Page 25: ...click the Settings button bottom right hand corner of the display to display the Settings panel Fig 6 4 Settings Panel Move Jogs Tab 2 Select the Move Jogs tab as shown in Fig 6 4 3 In the Moves field change the parameters as follows Max Vel 2 5 Accn Dec 0 5 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...

Page 26: ...accelerate 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 6 5 Settings Panel Move Jogs Tab 2 Select the Move Jogs tab as shown in Fig 6 5 3 In the Jogs field enter parameters as follows Max Vel 1 Accn Dec 2 Jogging Single Step Stopping Profiled Step Distance 0 05 4 Click OK to save the settings and close the...

Page 27: ...e type minimum and maximum positions current position units per grid division and cursor position All units are displayed in real world units i e millimetres Note For single channel units such as the LTS150 the Channel 2 parameters are greyed out The left hand display shows a circle which represents the current position of the stage associated with the ActiveX Control Instance absolute position da...

Page 28: ...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 Se...

Page 29: ...s to be visited without user intervention For details on moving to absolute positions initiated by a mouse click see Section 6 10 1 From the Motor GUI Panel select Move Sequencer tab to display the Move Sequencer window Fig 6 7 Move Sequencer Window 2 Right click in the move data field to display the pop up menu Fig 6 8 Move Sequencer Pop Up Menu ...

Page 30: ...t 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 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...

Page 31: ...clicking the data line s and selecting the appropriate option in the pop up menu shown below Fig 6 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 6 12 Home and Run Buttons 8...

Page 32: ...ed 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 collection 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 ...

Page 33: ...on 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 5 In the Control Unit field select the appropriate LTS stage LTS300 or LTS150 ...

Page 34: ...te 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 A...

Page 35: ...d 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 7 3 Travel displays the range of travel in millimeters of the motor Note The serial number of the LTS stage associated with the GUI panel the APT server vers...

Page 36: ...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 mm s and can be set via the Settings panel see Section 7 3 Accn the rate at whic...

Page 37: ...ribed below 7 3 1 Moves Jogs tab Fig 7 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 6 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 Mo...

Page 38: ...d until the button is released see Fig 7 3 In Continuous mode the motor actuator will accelerate and move at the jog velocity while the button is held down Fig 7 3 Jog Modes Note The max velocity and acceleration values quoted opposite are achievable with lighter loads As the load is increased the velocity and acceleration should be decreased accordingly For the maximum 15 kg load the velocity sho...

Page 39: ...ion result from the torque and speed limits of the motor and the inertia and friction of the parts it drives The system incorporates a trajectory generator which performs calculations to determine the instantaneous position velocity 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 re...

Page 40: ...ecreases at the same rate until it reaches 0 again at the specified velocity The same sequence in reverse brings the axis to a stop at the programmed destination position Example Fig 7 5 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 continue...

Page 41: ...sted 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 Note The higher the Bow Index then the shorter the BI phases of the curve and the steeper the acceleration and deceleration phases High values of Bow Index may cause a move to overshoot Conversely low values of Bow Index result in much shallow...

Page 42: ...ted to the physical characteristics of the particular stage associated with the GUI panel They need to be set accordingly such that the stage is driven properly by the system For LTS series stages the APT server will automatically apply suitable defaults for the parameters on this tab during boot up of the software These parameters should not be altered subsequently as this may adversely affect th...

Page 43: ...ation on the home position see Section D 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 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 ...

Page 44: ...above 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 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 par...

Page 45: ...ove Jogs settings tab Go to Position In this mode each button can be programmed with a different position value such that the controller will move the motor to that position when the specific button is pressed Note The following parameters are applicable only if Go to Position is selected in the Button Mode field Left Top Button Pos The position to which the motor will move when the top button is ...

Page 46: ... be set for the LTS series stages 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 potentiometer and button parameters described above are good examples of settings that can be altered and then persisted in t...

Page 47: ...annel of the controller should first be homed to re establish a datum zero point In the event of a breakdown or malfunction of the product please contact Thorlabs Tech Support Contact details are contained in Chapter 6 Warning The equipment contains no user servicable parts Only personnel authorized by Thorlabs Ltd and trained in the maintenance of this equipment should remove its covers or attemp...

Page 48: ...sh 2 µm Maximum Acceleration 50 mm sec2 Horizontal 5 mm sec2 Vertical Maximum Horiz Velocity 50 mm s Maximum Vertical Velocity 3 mm s Velocity Stability 1 mm sec Max Load Capacity 15 kg Horizontal 4 kg Vertical Recommended Horizontal Load Capacity 12 kg Minimum Achievable Incremental Movement 0 1 µm Minimum Repeatable Incremental Movement 4 µm Absolute On Axis Accuracy LTS150 20 µm LTS300 47 µm Ma...

Page 49: ...r acceleration is more important for the intended application B 2 Motor Specifications B 3 Parts List Parameter Value Step Angle 1 8 Step Accuracy 5 Rated Phase Current 0 85 A Phase Resistance 5 4 Ohms Phase Inductance 5 6 mH Holding Torque 20 N cm Detent Torque 2 0 N cm Operating Temperature 20 C to 40 C Motor Specification Only Part Number Description LTS150 and LTS150 M Long Travel Stage with 1...

Page 50: ... 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 descriptions please see the on line help file supplied with the APT server Methods CalibrateEnc Calibrates encoder equipped stage DeleteParamSet Deletes stored settings for s...

Page 51: ...arams_Accn Gets the jogging acceleration parameter returned by value GetJogVelParams_MaxVel Gets the jogging maximum velocity parameter returned by value GetMotorParams Gets the motor gearing parameters GetParentHWInfo Gets the identification information of the host controller GetPhaseCurrents Gets the coil phase currents GetPosition Gets the current motor position GetPosition_Position Gets the cu...

Page 52: ...ramSet Loads stored settings for specific controller MoveAbsolute Initiates an absolute move MoveAbsoluteEnc Initiates an absolute move with specified 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 ...

Page 53: ...ntiometer parameters Cube drivers SetRelMoveDist Sets the relative move distance 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 starts communication with controller StopCtrl Stops the ActiveX Control stops commun...

Page 54: ...or poles are shown above in reality 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 fract...

Page 55: ... 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 56: ...rve 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 reduce the acceleration to 0 during segment 3 The axis is now at the maximum velocity V at which it continues through segment 4 The profile then decelerates in a simi...

Page 57: ...driving the motor until the negative limit switch is reached and then driving positively 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 6 3 for details on performing a Home move D 2 3 Limit Switches A linear stage moves between two stops and movement o...

Page 58: ...en 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 betwe...

Page 59: ...ettings D 3 Error Correction D 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 4 6 a positive move from 10 to 20 mm is carried out as one simp...

Page 60: ...nst harmful interference when 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...

Page 61: ...Rev K Jan 2020 Page 58 Chapter 7 Software Reference E 2 CE Certificate ...

Page 62: ...ight were sold to and are currently owned by a company or institute within the EC and are not dissembled or contaminated Contact Thorlabs for more information Waste treatment is your own responsibility End of life units must be returned to Thorlabs or handed to a company specializing in waste recovery Do not dispose of the unit in a litter bin or at a public waste disposal site USA Canada and Sout...

Page 63: ...www thorlabs com ...

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