Keo Alcor-RC User manual

Keo Alcor-RC
Remote Controlled
Low Brightness Source
User Manual
Version 1.1
June 25, 2019

© Copyright 2004 –2019
Keo Scientific Ltd.
Suite 404, 1300 –8th Street SW
Calgary AB T2R 1B2
Canada
TEL: [phone]
FAX: [phone]
All rights reserved. No part of this publication may be reproduced by any means without the written
permission of Keo Scientific Ltd.
Printed in Canada.
Windows is a registered trademark of Microsoft Corporation.
Pelican is a registered trademark of Pelican Products, Inc.
The information in this publication is believed to be accurate as of the publication date. However,
Keo Scientific Ltd. does not assume any responsibility for any consequences including damages
resulting from the use thereof. The information contained herein is subject to change without notice.
Revision of this publication may be issued to incorporate such change.

Table of Contents iii
Table of Contents
1Introduction............................................................................................................... 7
2System Components ................................................................................................ 9
2.1 System Components Overview......................................................................................9
2.2 Alcor-RC Head Unit.......................................................................................................10
2.2.1 Lamp ..................................................................................................................................... 10
2.2.2 Aperture Wheels ................................................................................................................... 10
2.2.3 Front Diffusing Screen .......................................................................................................... 11
2.3 Alcor-RC Power Supply ................................................................................................12
2.4 Agilent E3633A Power Supply ......................................................................................12
2.5 Cables ............................................................................................................................12
2.6 Accessories ...................................................................................................................13
2.7 User Manual...................................................................................................................13
2.8 Software.........................................................................................................................14
3Installation Overview............................................................................................... 15
4System Setup ......................................................................................................... 17
4.1 Introduction ...................................................................................................................17
4.2 System Requirements...................................................................................................17
4.2.1 Environmental Requirements................................................................................................ 17
4.2.2 Power Requirements ............................................................................................................ 17
4.2.3 Mechanical Requirements .................................................................................................... 18
4.2.4 Host Computer ..................................................................................................................... 18
4.3 Unpacking the System..................................................................................................18
4.4 Equipment and Parts Inventory ...................................................................................18
4.5 Setting up the System...................................................................................................19
4.5.1 Mounting the Alcor-RC Head Unit........................................................................................ 19
4.5.2 Setup the Power Supplies .................................................................................................... 19
4.5.3 Connecting the Cables ......................................................................................................... 19
4.6 Driver Installation ..........................................................................................................23
4.7 Software Installation .....................................................................................................24
5Operation ................................................................................................................ 25
6Alcor-RC Control Panel Software ........................................................................... 27
6.1 GUI Overview .................................................................................................................27
6.1.1 The Ribbon Toolbar .............................................................................................................. 27
6.1.2 The Selected Wavelength..................................................................................................... 27
6.1.3 The Aperture Selection List .................................................................................................. 28
6.1.4 Calibration Data Plot............................................................................................................. 28

iv Keo Alcor-RC User Manual Version 1.1
6.2 The Ribbon Toolbar ...................................................................................................... 28
6.2.1 The Home Tab ...................................................................................................................... 28
6.2.2 The Utilities Tab .................................................................................................................... 29
6.2.3 The Help Tab ........................................................................................................................ 29
6.3 Aperture Selection List ................................................................................................. 30
6.4 Calibration Data Plot .................................................................................................... 30
6.5 Setup Dialog .................................................................................................................. 31
6.5.1 Application Settings.............................................................................................................. 31
6.5.2 Hardware Settings ................................................................................................................ 32
6.6 Keyboard Shortcuts...................................................................................................... 33
7Warranty & Service ..................................................................................................35
Appendix A Specifications ........................................................................................37
Appendix B Uploading Calibration Data....................................................................39
Aperture Attenuation Factor Data Format .......................................................................... 39
Spectral Calibration Data Format ........................................................................................ 40

Table of Figures v
Table of Figures
Figure 1: Typical System Components ........................................................................................................ 9
Figure 2: Sample Normalized Uniformity ................................................................................................... 11
Figure 3: Stacked Power Supplies ............................................................................................................. 19
Figure 4: Agilent RS232 Cable Connection................................................................................................ 20
Figure 5: Agilent Banana Jumper Cable Connection................................................................................. 20
Figure 6: Lamp Power Tether Cable Connection 1.................................................................................... 21
Figure 7: Lamp Power Tether Cable Connection 2.................................................................................... 21
Figure 8: Remote Control Tether Cable Connection.................................................................................. 21
Figure 9: USB Cable Connection ............................................................................................................... 22
Figure 10: Control Panel Software GUI...................................................................................................... 27
Figure 11: The Ribbon Toolbar................................................................................................................... 28
Figure 12: The Home Tab........................................................................................................................... 28
Figure 13: The Utilities Tab......................................................................................................................... 29
Figure 14: The Help Tab............................................................................................................................. 29
Figure 15: The About Dialog....................................................................................................................... 30
Figure 16: Aperture..................................................................................................................................... 30
Figure 17: Spectral Radiance Calibration Data Plot................................................................................... 31
Figure 18: Application Settings .................................................................................................................. 32
Figure 19: Hardware Settings..................................................................................................................... 32
Figure 20: Upload Calibration Data Dialog................................................................................................. 39

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Section 1 Introduction 7
1Introduction
Thank you for purchasing a Keo Alcor-RC Remote Controlled Low Brightness Source system from Keo
Scientific. This remote controlled version of our Low Brightness Source (LBS) provides a lightweight,
portable means of calibrating low-light-level devices such as airglow and auroral imagers and
photometers as well as other night-vision devices. Its compact size makes it particularly useful for
instruments that must be calibrated in situ, such as may be found mounted on aircraft, manned
spacecraft, or used in field environments.
The Keo Alcor-RC LBS consists of a 100W precision quartz tungsten-halogen bulb mounted in a
thermally controlled enclosure. The unit contains a sophisticated system of holographic attenuators,
high-grit ground glass, and opal diffusing screens.
With the opal output diffusing screen in place, the unit serves as a calibrated standard of spectral
radiance and as a luminance standard. With the screen removed, the unit can be used as a standard of
spectral irradiance and as an illuminance standard.
Conventional incandescent lamps decline as much as 30% in light output during their lifetime, primarily
due to bulb darkening from evaporated tungsten deposits. Consequently, a tungsten-halogen was
chosen for this LBS which maintains over 95% of initial light output throughout its rated lifetime. The
spectral distribution from the filament through the quartz envelope in the UV and Visible is essentially the
same as a Black Body radiator at the lamp’s apparent color temperature of 2,990K.
All that is needed to communicate with and control the Alcor-RC LBS is a suitable computer with an
available USB2 port.

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Section 2 System Components 9
2System Components
2.1 System Components Overview
A standard Alcor-RC system consists of the following components:
•Alcor-RC head unit
•Alcor-RC power supply
•Agilent E3633A power supply
•Lamp power tether cable
•Remote control tether cable
•Agilent banana jumper cable
•Agilent RS232 cable
•USB A-A cable
•2x AC power cords
•Diffuser screen wrench
•Tripod adaptor
•User manual
•Alcor-RC Documentation and Software CD
Figure 1: Typical System Components

10 Keo Alcor-RC User Manual Version 1.1
2.2 Alcor-RC Head Unit
This is the main component of the Alcor-RC system. It consists of the
lamp, aperture wheels, various diffusing elements, and electronics
required to remotely control the system.
This component will be referred to as the Head Unit throughout the
remainder of this manual.
2.2.1 Lamp
The device uses a precision, quartz-halogen 100 watt lamp that provides a 2,990K color temperature
and 2,000 hour life. This lamp is field replaceable although it is recommended that you send the Alcor-
RC back to Keo Scientific when service is required.
Caution
During operation the lamp and surrounding enclosure get very hot (>50
°C). Please allow the device to cool before moving it or packing it in its
storage case.
Never attempt to replace the lamp without first consulting Keo Scientific
(lamp replacement instructions are available upon request).
Replacing the lamp requires opening the device and exposing electronics
which could be dangerous.
Important Information
Replacing the lamp will invalidate the calibration of the unit. It is
recommended that you send your Alcor-RC back to Keo Scientific for lamp
replacement and re-calibration.
2.2.2 Aperture Wheels
The Alcor-RC is equipped with two aperture wheels that are used to attenuate the light output of the
device. These two wheels, the ‘primary’ and ‘secondary’ aperture wheels, have a series of precisely
sized holes that provide a combined 100,000:1 dynamic range.
The primary aperture wheel has three positions: A, B, and C, with A being the lowest light output and C
being the highest light output. Each position has ~10x higher output than the previous position.
The secondary wheel has 12 positions: 1 through 12, with 1 being no light output, 2 being the lowest
light output and 12 being the highest light output. Each position has a ~2x higher output than the
previous position.
In the remainder of this manual, a combination of aperture positions will be represented by the following
notation: (B,3) where the first value is the primary position, and the second value is the secondary
position.