THORLABS BBD102 User manual

BBD102 and BBD103

Brushless DC Servo Controllers

User Guide

2 HA0216T Rev D March 2012

Contents

Chapter 1 For Your Safety .............................................................................4

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

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

Chapter 2 Overview and Setup ..................................................................... 5

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

2.2 APT PC Software Overview ................................................................... 7

2.2.1 Introduction .........................................................................................................7

2.2.2 APTUser Utility ...................................................................................................8

2.2.3 APT Config Utility ...............................................................................................9

2.2.4 APT Server (ActiveX Controls) ...........................................................................9

2.2.5 Software Upgrades ...........................................................................................11

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

3.1 Installing APT Software ........................................................................ 12

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

3.2.1 Siting ................................................................................................................13

3.2.2 Environmental Conditions ................................................................................13

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

3.3.1 Connecting To The Supply ...............................................................................14

3.4 Fuses .................................................................................................... 14

3.4.1 Rear Panel Connections ..................................................................................15

3.5 Front Panel Controls and Indicators .................................................... 16

3.6 Connecting The Hardware and Powering Up ....................................... 17

3.7 Verifying Software Operation ............................................................... 18

3.7.1 Initial Setup .......................................................................................................18

Continued...

2- and 3--Channel Brushless DC Servo Controller

Chapter 4 Operation - Tutorial ................................................................... 19

4.1 Introduction 1...........................................................................................9

4.2 Using the APT User Utility ....................................................................20

4.3 Homing Motors .....................................................................................21

4.4 Moving to an Absolute Position ............................................................22

4.5 Changing Motor Parameters ................................................................23

4.6 Jogging .................................................................................................24

4.7 Graphical Control Of Motor Positions (Point and Move) .......................25

4.8 Setting Move Sequences ......................................................................27

4.9 Using A Joystick Console .....................................................................30

4.10 External Triggering ...............................................................................31

4.11 Creating a Simulated Configuration Using APT Config ........................31

Chapter 5 Software Reference .................................................................... 35

5.1 Introduction ...........................................................................................35

5.2 GUI Panel .............................................................................................35

5.3 Settings Panel ......................................................................................37

5.3.1 Moves/Jogs tab ................................................................................................ 37

5.3.2 Stage/Axis tab .................................................................................................. 41

5.3.3 Advanced - Control Loop SettingsTab ............................................................. 44

5.3.4 Advanced - Misc. Tab ...................................................................................... 48

5.4 Troubleshooting and Restoring Default Parameters ............................54

Appendices

Appendix A Rear Panel Connector Pinout Details .................................... 56

Appendix B Preventive Maintenance ......................................................... 65

Appendix C Specifications and Associated Parts .................................... 66

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

Appendix E Regulatory ................................................................................ 73

Appendix F Thorlabs Worldwide Contacts ................................................ 75

Chapter 1 For Your 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.

1.2 General Warnings

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.

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 immediately using absorbant tissue. Do not allow spilled fluid

to enter the internal mechanism.

2- and 3--Channel Brushless DC Servo Controller

Chapter 2 Overview and Setup

2.1 Introduction

The BBD series Brushless DC Motor Controllers are ideal for motion control

applications demanding high speed (100s of mm/s) and high encoder resolution

(<100 nm) operation. These new controllers offer up to three channels of high-

precision motion control in a wide range of applications, and in particular in

microscopy sample manipulation when used along with our MLS203 dual axis

scanning stage. Designed using latest digital and analog techniques and with high-

bandwidth high-power servo control circuitry, these new controllers are capable of

driving a range of rotary and linear brushless 3-phase DC motors of up to 5 Amp peak

coil current.

Integrated into the apt family of products, it offers Thorlabs standard control and

programming interface, allowing easy integration into the customer’s own automated

motion control applications. These units are cable of being reprogrammed in-field,

allowing the option of upgrading the units with future firmware releases as soon as

new programming interfaces (such as microscopy standard command sets) are

added..

Fig. 2.1 APT Three Channel Brushless DC Servo Motor Controller (BBD103)

6 HA0216T Rev D March 2012

Chapter 2

Operation of the BBD series brushless DC motor unit is fully configurable

(parameterized) with key settings (e.g. PID settings, min and max position values, and

limit switch operation) exposed through the associated graphical interface panels.

PID control loop values can be adjusted for a particular application, minimum and

maximum position values can be entered to suit different stages as required, and limit

switch configuration is accommodated through a flexible set of limit switch logic

settings. Moreover, relative and absolute moves can be initiated with move profiles

set using velocity profile parameters. Similarly, home sequences have a full set of

associated parameters that can be adjusted for a particular stage or actuator. For

simplicity of operation, the apt™ software incorporates pre-configured settings for

each of the Thorlabs stages and actuators, while still exposing all parameters

individually for use with other DC 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 next

position can be initiated by clicking directly on the position display and entering a new

value (see the tutorial in Chapter for further details). Furthermore, all such settings

and parameters are also accessible through the ActiveX® programmable interfaces

for automated alignment sequences.

In the remainder of this handbook, the Tutorial section (Chapter ) provides a good

initial understanding on using the unit, and the reference sections (Chapter 5) covers

all operating modes and parameters in detail.

2- and 3--Channel Brushless DC Servo Controller

2.2 APT PC Software Overview

2.2.1 Introduction

As a member of the APT range of controllers, the BBD102 and BBD103 DC motor

controllers share many of the associated software benefits. This includes USB

connectivity (allowing multiple units to be used together on a single PC), fully featured

Graphical User Interface (GUI) panels, and extensive software function libraries for

custom application development.

The APT software suite supplied with all APT controllers, including the BBD102 and

BBD103 DC Servo controllers, 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 2.2.2.) and APTConfig (see Section 2.2.3.)

utilities allow full control of all settings and operating modes enabling complete ‘out-

of-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 2.2.4.

Aside

ActiveX®, a Windows®-based, language-independent technology, allows a user

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 2.2.4. for further details.

8 HA0216T Rev D March 2012

Chapter 2

2.2.2 APTUser Utility

The APTUser application allows the user to interact with a number of APT hardware

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 as

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 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 by the APT ActiveX server is exposed by a client

application.

Use of the APT User utility is covered in the PC tutorial (Chapter ) and in the APTUser

online help file, accessed via the F1 key when using the APTUser utility.

2- and 3--Channel Brushless DC Servo Controller

2.2.3 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, and associating third party

mechanical stages to specific motor actuators.

If a BBD series controller is used with the MLS203 microscopy scanning stage, all

stage-associated settings are made automatically when the stage is connected to the

controller.

The APTConfig utility is provided as a convenient means for making these system

wide settings and adjustments for third party brushless DC motor driven stages. An

overview of APTConfig is provided in Section 2.2.3. Full details are contained in the

online help supplied with the utility.

2.2.4 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 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 BBD102

and BBD103 DC motor controllers. Software applications that use ActiveX Controls

are often referred to as 'client applications'. Based on ActiveX interfacing technology,

10 HA0216T Rev D March 2012

Chapter 2

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 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 one channel of the BBD103 APT Brushless

DC Servo Controller unit.

This Control provides a complete user graphical instrument panel to allow the motor

unit 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 automatically when a user (client) application is

making software calls into the same Control. For example, if a client application

instructs the associated DC 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.

This manual suits for next models

Table of contents

Other THORLABS Controllers manuals

THORLABS

THORLABS PCS-6000 Series User manual

THORLABS

THORLABS IP250-BV User manual

THORLABS

THORLABS SHB05 User manual

THORLABS

THORLABS BPC301 User manual

THORLABS

THORLABS LDC 500 User manual

THORLABS

THORLABS DRV001 User manual

THORLABS

THORLABS BBD301 User manual

THORLABS

THORLABS ITC4000 Series User manual

THORLABS

THORLABS K-Cube KLC101 User manual

THORLABS

THORLABS IP500 User manual

THORLABS

THORLABS BSC001 User manual

THORLABS

THORLABS BSC202 User manual

THORLABS

THORLABS TDC001 User manual

THORLABS

THORLABS KIM001 User manual

THORLABS

THORLABS SH05 User manual

THORLABS

THORLABS K-Cube Piezo Controller User manual

THORLABS

THORLABS Blueline Series User manual

THORLABS

THORLABS T-Cube NanoTrak TNA001/IR User manual

THORLABS

THORLABS ITC1 Series User manual

THORLABS

THORLABS BSC202 User manual

THORLABS

THORLABS TST101 User manual

THORLABS

THORLABS ITC502 User manual

THORLABS

THORLABS TLD001 User manual

THORLABS

THORLABS K-Cube Piezo Controller User manual

Popular Controllers manuals by other brands

Digiplex

Digiplex DGP-848 Programming guide

YASKAWA

YASKAWA SGM series user manual

Sinope

Sinope Calypso RM3500ZB installation guide

Isimet

Isimet DLA Series Style 2 Installation, Operations, Start-up and Maintenance Instructions

LSIS

LSIS sv-ip5a user manual

Rockwell Automation

Rockwell Automation 1769-L31 installation instructions

Airflow

Airflow Uno hab Installation and operating instructions

ABB

ABB ACS580-01 drives Hardware manual

Panasonic

Panasonic GM1 Series Reference manual

Emerson

Emerson SW93 owner's manual

AutoAqua

AutoAqua Smart ATO micro SATO-120P manual

Panasonic

Panasonic FP? Positioning Unit RTEX Technical manual

Samson

Samson Type 5824 Mounting and operating instructions

Alpha IP

Alpha IP MIOB 21001 manual

Siemens

Siemens OpenAir GMA 1 Series Mounting instructions

Surecom

Surecom SR-629 user manual

Fishman

Fishman TriplePlay installation guide

Regulus

Regulus SRS1 T Installation and operation manual