Quantum Northwest Turret 6/AP Operating and safety instructions

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22910EastApplewayAvenue,Suite4,LibertyLake,WA99019‐8606
Tel:(509)624‐9290•Fax:(509)624‐9488•E‐mail:[email protected]•Web:www.qnw.com
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Turret6/AP
6‐PositionTemperature‐ControlledCuvetteTurretfor
theAppliedPhotophysicsChirascan
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Manual&ProductOverview
January8,2016
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Turret6 CuvetteHolder
TC1Temperature
Controller

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TABLEOFCONTENTS
TableofContents....................................................................................................................................2
1.GettingStarted....................................................................................................................................3
A.YourShipmentWillContain:..........................................................................................................3
B.SystemSetup..................................................................................................................................3
C.SoftwareInstallation......................................................................................................................4
D.SystemOperation...........................................................................................................................4
E.UsingtheMenuButton..................................................................................................................5
2.FeaturesoftheTurret6.....................................................................................................................8
A.GeneralDescription........................................................................................................................8
B.Cuvettes..........................................................................................................................................9
C.Cuvettez‐Height.............................................................................................................................9
D.CoolingWaterforthePeltier.........................................................................................................9
E.DryGasPurging...........................................................................................................................10
F.ExternalTemperatureProbe........................................................................................................10
G.ExternalComputerControl..........................................................................................................10
H.ManualResettingoftheTurret6.................................................................................................10
3.ErrorCodes........................................................................................................................................12
4.SpecificationsSummary....................................................................................................................13
Appendix1.TemperatureSpecificationsfortheturret6.....................................................................14
Appendix2.SerialCommunicationsfortheTC1TemperatureController..........................................17
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1.GETTINGSTARTED
ThankyouforpurchasingaQuantumNorthwestTurret 6/AP.Wewantyoutoenjoymanyyearsof
faithfulservicefromyourinstrument.Ifyouhaveanyquestions,feelfreetocontactusdirectlyat
[email protected]orthroughourwebsite:www.qnw.com.Acopyofthismanualcanbefoundon
thesiteundertheSUPPORTtab.
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A.YourShipmentWillContain:
Turret6package
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1. Turret6Temperature‐ControlledCuvetteHolder
2. TC1TemperatureController
3. BATH10SubmersiblePumpandBucket
4. powercable
5. USBcable
6. Turret6accessorykit(opticalslits,opaquelidand6magneticstirbars)
7. vinyltubingtoconnectwaterandgas
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DependingonYourOrder,YourShipmentMayContain:
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T‐Appsoftware
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T‐App,providedonaCD,isaprogramthatpermitsexternalcomputercontroloftheTC1
TemperatureController.Withthissoftware,thetemperatureofthesampleholderanda
temperaturesensedbyanexternalprobemaybeplottedvs.time.Simpletextscriptsmaybe
usedtoautomatemultipleoperations.
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B.SystemSetup
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1. InstalltheTurret 6inyourspectrometer.(Itmayhavebeenalreadyinstalledbythe
manufacturer.)
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2. PlugthepowercableintothebackoftheTC1TemperatureControllerandintoawallsocket.
(TheTC1willacceptACvoltagesfrom85to264at50or60Hz.)
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3. SupplycirculatingwatertothePeltierunit.IfyouchoosetousetheBATH10,thenattacha
portionofthe1/8‐inchIDtubingprovidedfromthesubmersiblepumptoeitheroneofthe
waterhosebarbsontheTurret 6.AttachanotherportionoftubingfromtheTurret 6back
tothebucket.Directionofflowisnotimportant.Putwaterinthebucket.Plugthepump’s
circularDINconnectorintothe12VoltoutletonthebackoftheTC1labeled“IO.”Briefly

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turnontheTC1andchecktobesurethatwaterisflowingbackintothebucket.Checkfor
leaks.
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4. Tolimitoxygenandminimizecondensationonthecuvettesurfaces,provideasourceofdry
gastopurgetheTurret 6.Attachalengthoftubingwith1/16‐inchinsidediameter,tothe
smallhosebarbonthebaseoftheTurret 6.Setthedrygasflowratetoabout50cc/min.
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5. TheTurret 6hastwoelectricalcables,onefordrivecurrentsandtheotherforsensitive
sensorsignals.ConnectthemtothebackoftheTC1TemperatureControlleronthe15‐pin
connectorslabeled“Sample”and“Reference,”matchinggenderasappropriate.
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C.SoftwareInstallation
NOTE:IFYOUPURCHASEDTHET‐AppPROGRAM,DONOTPLUGINTHEUSBCABLEINTOYOUR
COMPUTERUNTILTHESOFTWAREISLOADED.IFYOUDO,WINDOWSMAYAUTOMATICALLY
INSTALLANINCORRECTDRIVERTHATWILLBEDIFFICULTTOREMOVE.
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1. IfyoupurchasedtheT‐AppprogramforexternalcontroloftheTurret 6,inserttheCDinto
thecomputer’sCDdrive.Iftheinstallationdoesnotstartautomatically,locatethe
SETUP.exefileintherootdirectoryandrunit.Theinstallationprocessstartswithasmall
blackwindowthatisshownduringinstallationofthedriversneededtocontroltheTurret 6
throughaUSBconnection.Thiswindowwillthenbereplacedbythesoftwareinstallation
window.Followtheonscreenpromptstocompletetheinstallation.
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2. ConnecttheTurret 6toyourcomputerusingtheUSBcableprovided.TheNewHardware
installationprocesswillbeginautomaticallyandtakeafewmomentstofinish.
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D.SystemOperation
1. Useliquidsamplesinstandard1x1‐cmsquarecuvettesandplacethecuvettesintheTurret
6,notingthenumberingembossednexttotheindividualcuvetteholders.
2. Placeamagneticstirbarineachcuvette.
3. Ifyouwishtomonitorthetemperatureinsideacuvette,plugastandardSeries400orSeries
500thermistorprobe(notprovided)intothe¼‐inchphonejacklabeled“probe”intheback
paneloftheTC1.(ProbesareavailablefromQuantumNorthwestandothermanufacturers.)
Placetheendoftheprobeinaregionofthesolutionwhereitwillnotoccludethe
spectrometerlightbeam.
4. TurnontheTC1controllerusingtheswitchonthebackpanel.

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MenuButton
5. BriefInstructions:ThecontrollerdisplaybeginsontheDisplaypage.Usetheleftorright
arrowsontheMenuButtontocyclethroughthefivepagesofoptions,Display(thedefault
screen),SetTemperature,SetStirring,SetRamping,andSetPosition.Forexample,from
theDisplaypage,pushtheleftarrowoncetogettotheSetPositionpage.Oncethere,use
thetopandbottomarrowstochooseaposition,e.g.position5.PresstheSETbutton.The
cuvetteholderwillmovetoposition5andthemenuwillreturntotheDisplaypage.Toseta
temperature,presstherightarrowoncetogototheSetTemperaturepage.Oncethere,use
theupanddownarrowstosetatargettemperature,e.g.37.0°C.PressSETtoinitiate
temperaturecontrol.Thetemperaturewillriseandstabilize,indicatedbythechangeinthe
greenLEDlightonthefrontpanelfromflashingtosteady.Tocontrolstirring,gototheSet
Stirringpage.Usetheupanddownarrowstosetaspeed,e.g.1200rpm,andpressSETto
startthestirrer.MoredetailsontheMenuButtonareprovidedinSectionEbelow.
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6. Aftermeasurementsarecompleted,turnoffpoweronthebackoftheTC1controllerand
turnoffthewatersource.
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E.UsingtheMenuButton
Usetherightandleftarrowstocyclethroughfivepages:
–Display–SetTemperature–SetStirring–SetRamping–SetPosition–
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Display
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Display: ThismainpageshowstheactualcuvetteHoldertemperature,theTargettemperatureanda
Probetemperature(ifaprobeispresent).ThepagealsoshowswhethertheRampandStirfunctions
Holder = 37.0 °C POS
Target = 37.0 °C 1
Probe = 36.9 °C
Ramp On Stir On

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areonoroff,andtheidentityofthecuvettePositionNumber(POSn,n=1to6)currentlyinthelight
pathway.Afterafewsecondsofinactivity,allotherpageswillrevertbacktotheDisplaypage.
Whenseekingatemperature,thegreenLEDonthefrontpanelwillflashslowly.Whenithaslocked
ontoanewtargettemperature,thegreenLEDwillremainlit.ArapidlyflashingredLEDusually
meansalooseelectricalcableorinadequatewaterflowforthePeltierunit.
Note:PressingtheSETbuttonwhiletheDisplaypageisactiveresultsinnoaction.Tostartorstop
controllerfunctions,accessthefourotherpages,SetTemperature–SetStirring–SetRamping
–SetPosition.
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SetTemperature
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SetTemperature:TosettheTargettemperature,usetheupanddownarrows.PressSETtoretain
thisnewTargetandinitiatetemperaturecontrol.ThegreenLEDlightwillbeginflashingslowlyasthe
deviceseeksthetargetedtemperature,andthepagewindowwillshowtheCurrenttobeON.
DiscontinueTemperatureControl:PressSETwhilethegreenLEDlightislitorslowlyflashingto
discontinuetemperaturecontrol.TheLEDlightwillturnoffcompletely,andthepagewindowwill
showtheCurrenttobeOff.
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SetStirring
SetStirring:ToturnonmagneticStirring,usetheupanddownarrowstochooseanapproximate
stirringspeedbetween1and2500rpm.PressSETtosetthespeedandinitiatestirring.Thepage
willupdatetoshowtheCurrentvaluetobethesameasStirspeed.
DiscontinueStirring:PressSETwhiletheStirringison(shownbynonzeroCurrentrpm)toturnthe
stirreroff.ThepagewillupdatetoshowtheCurrentspeedtobeOff.
Set Temperature
Target = 37.0 °C
Current= 23.6 °C Off
Set Stirring
Stir speed = 1200 rpm
Current = Off

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SetRamping
SetRamping:Toperformatemperatureramp,settheRamprateusingtheupanddownarrows,
andpressSET.ThepagewillupdatetoshowtheCurrentratein°/mintobethesameastheRamp
rate.Withrampingset,turningontemperaturecontrolwillgeneratealinearramptothetarget
temperature.Whenthesampleholderreachesthetargettemperature,nofurthertemperature
changeoccurs,althoughtheCurrentratewillremainasset.
Thefastestpossiblerampisdeterminedbyhowfastthecuvetteholdercouldreachthetarget
temperaturewithoutramping.Attemptingtoramptooquickly,especiallyathighandlow
temperatureextremes,willresultinanonlinearramp.Theslowestrampthatmaybesetonthis
pageis0.01°C/minute.(Ifneeded,muchslowerrampsmaybesetthroughsoftwarecommands.)
DiscontinueRamping:PressSETwhiletheRampison(shownbynonzeroCurrent°/min)toturn
theRampoff.ThepagewillupdatetoshowtheCurrentratetobeOff.

SetPosition

SetPosition:Tochangethecuvetteposition,usetheupanddownarrowstochoosethedesired
TargetpositionandpressSET.Thecontrollerwillmovethecuvetteholdertotheselectedcuvette
position,reflectedbythevalueofCurrent.
Whenthecuvetteholderispoweredon,thedevicehomestoastartingpointbeforeseekingthe
targetedcuvetteposition.Tomanuallyhomethedevice,pushandholdtheSETbuttonforthree
seconds.Thiswillhomethecuvetteholderbeforemovingthedevicetothetargetedposition.
NOTE:IftheTurret 6 isaccidentallymovedmanually,seeinstructionsinsection2.H.
Set Ramping
Ramp = 0.55°/min
Current = Off
Set Position
Target = 5
Current = 1

8

2.FEATURESOFTHETurret6 
A.GeneralDescription
TheTurret 6hasarotating,temperature‐controlled,metalcuvettetowerwhichholdsuptosix
cuvettes.Aninsulatingcoverofurethaneplasticenclosesthecuvettetower,providingthermal
insulation.Afloorisattachedtothebottomofthetower,andtherotatingbodyoftheholder
containsaPeltierelementsandwichedbetweenthisfloorandabrassheatexchanger.Waterflows
throughtheheatexchangertodrawoffheatgeneratedwhenthetemperateofthecuvettetoweris
lowered.



Figure5.Turret 6 withasectioncutawaytoshowtheopticaccesstooneofthecuvettes
Aminiaturesteppingmotorresidesundereachcuvettetodriverotatingmagnet.Drygasentersa
1/16‐inchhosebarbonthefrontoftheinstrumentandiscarriedthroughamanifoldinthefloorof
theturrettosmallholesonthebottomofthe18cuvettewindows,threepercuvette.Thisflowof
gaswillkeepthewindowsfreeofcondensationwhenworkingbelowthedewpointtemperature.
Therotatingbodyismountedonalargeprecisionbearingandrotatedviagears,usingtheexternal
Vextasteppingmotor(notvisibleinthisview).

TwowiresexitbelowtheVextasteppingmotor.Oneconductsthedrivecurrentsforthestepping
motorandPeltierunit.Theotherconductsthesensorlines.Thetwobrass1/8‐inchhosebarbsfor
waterprovideaccesstotheheatexchanger.A1/16‐inchbrasshosebarbisusedforthedrygas.

CAUTION:ACCIDENTLYATTACHINGAWATERLINETOTHEDRYGASBARBWILLSEVERELYDAMAGE
THEINSTRUMENT.ATTACHTHELINESWITHCARE.

9

B.Cuvettes

TheTurret 6holdsstandard10x10mmcuvetteswithoutsidedimensionsof12.5x12.5mm.A
metalclipisusedtopusheachcuvetteintooneofthecornersofitsindividualspaceforreproducible
positioningandtofavorheattransfer.Wallsoftheturretbodyarerelievedtopreventscratchingof
theopticalsurfacesofthecuvette.

Cuvettesshouldbe45mmortaller,otherwisetheywillbedifficulttorecoverfromthecuvette
holders.
C.Cuvettez‐Height
The“z‐height”ofacuvetteisthedistancebetweenthebottomsurfaceofthecuvetteandthe
designedpositionfortheopticalcenterline,wheretheincidentbeamoflightstrikesthecuvette.
Thez‐heightforcuvettesintheTurret6is15mm.


Figure6.Thez‐heightofatypicalmicrocuvette
D.CoolingWaterforthePeltier
ThePeltierelement(or“thermoelectriccooler”)isaheatpump.Whencooling,ittransfersheat
fromtheturretbodytoaheatexchanger;whenheating,electricalpolarityisreversedandit
transfersheatfromtheheatexchangertothetower.Whencooling,itisparticularlyimportantto
transferthisheatawayfromthePeltier.Thisisaccomplishedwithflowingwaterthroughtheheat
exchanger.

Asourceofwater(orothercoolingfluid)mustbeconnectedtothe⅛‐inchhosebarbsonthefrontof
theTurret 6.ThiscanbedonewiththeBATH10,whichisprovidewiththeTurret 6. The BATH10
consistsofasubmersibleaquariumpump,theappropriatefittingsforconnectingtubing,anda
plasticbucket.ConnectthepumptotheTurret 6,placeitinthebucketwithwater,andrunareturn
tubetothebucket.Youmayalsoprovidethecoolingwaterfromanothersource,suchasa
refrigeratedcoolingbathorevenatapforbriefuse.

Youwillneedaflowrateof100‐300mL/minute.Thisflowshouldrequireapressureofabout3‐5
psi(0.2‐0.3bar).Donotexceedaninputwaterpressureof25psi(1.7bar),asdamagemayoccur
insidetheTurret 6.Theheatexchangerandhosebarbsarebrass,andthetubinginsidetheTurret
6issilicone.Besurethatanycirculatingfluidused,otherthanwater,willnotdegradethese
materials.


10

ThetemperatureoftheheatexchangerintheTurret 6ismonitoredusingathermistor.Ifthe
temperatureexceeds60°C,thentemperaturecontrolisshutdowntopreventdamagetothePeltier
elementandthewarning,“checkcoolantflow,”isdisplayedontheTC1temperaturecontroller.This
willhappenifthecirculatingfluidgetstoowarmand/orisrestrictedinflow.Theheatexchanger
temperaturemaybeaccessedbycomputerthroughtheRS232orUSBconnectionsonthebackof
theTC1TemperatureController(seeExternalComputerControlbelow).

Temperatureincreaseswillbefasterwhenroomtemperaturewaterisusedinthecirculator.
Temperaturedecreaseswillbefasterwhenicewaterisused.Onlywatershouldbecirculatedusing
theBATH10.Whenusingarefrigeratedbath,circulatingpre‐cooledfluids(suchas30%methanolor
dilutedethyleneglycol)atbelow0°Cwillpermitmeasurementsbelowthespecifiedtemperature
range.
E.DryGasPurging
DrygasflowsintotheTurret 6viathe1/16‐inchbrasshosebarbontherearside.Thegaspasses
throughsmallchannelsinthebaseoftheturretbody,topartiallyequilibrateintemperature,before
passingupthroughsmallholesonboththeinsideandoutsidecuvettesurfaces.Aflowofdrygasto
preventcondensationisnecessaryanytimetheTurret 6iscontrolledbelowthedewpoint
temperaturepresentontheinsideofthesamplecompartmentofthespectrometer.Forambientair,
thiswouldtypicallybeabout5°C.
F.ExternalTemperatureProbe
A¼‐inchphonejacklabeled“Probe”canbefoundonthebackpanelofTC1TemperatureController.
ThisjackwillaccepttheplugonastandardSeries400orSeries500thermistorprobe.Whenaprobe
ispluggedintothejack,theprobetemperatureispresentedonthedisplayoftheTC1.Placethe
probeinasampletomeasuretheactualtemperatureofthesample,whichwilllagintimefromthe
temperatureofthecuvettetower.

YoucanobtainaSeries400probefromQuantumNorthwest(product:Probe400),orfromseveral
othermanufacturers.Forexample,wesometimesrecommendtheEW‐08484‐00“400Series
Thermistorsmallflexibleprobeforfrozenfoodpackagesandcuvettes”fromColeParmer.Verysmall
diameterSeries500probesarealsoavailable.
G.ExternalComputerControl
AllfunctionsmaybeaccessedeitherthroughaSerial(RS232)oraUSBlocatedonthebackoftheTC
1TemperatureController.YoumaywriteyourownprogramorpurchasetheQuantumNorthwest
applicationprogramT‐App.T‐Appwillplottemperaturesoftheprobe,cuvettetoweroreventhe
Peltierelementheatexchangervs.time.Itwillalsopermityoutosetuptemperatureramps.Ifyou
wishtodoyourownprogramming,pleaseseetheAppendixforcommunicationinstructionsandthe
setoftextcommandsthatmaybeusedandresponsestothecommands.
H.ManualResettingoftheTurret6
DonotrotatetheTurret 6 byhand.Whentheturretisrotatedbyhand,itcanbeleftinaposition
thatmakesitunabletolocatethesensorneededforitshomingmechanism.Ifthisoccurs,thenthe
Turret 6maymakeagrindingnoiseandbeunabletoproperlyresetitsposition.ShouldtheTurret
6bemanuallyrotatedaccidentally,powerofftheTC1Controller.Then,rotatetheTurret 6sothat
cuvetteposition1,showninFigure7,issquarelyinplacewithinthelightbeampathwayofthe

11

spectrometer.TurnthepowerbackontheTC1Controller.TheTurret 6 willhometoastarting
position,thenmovetothecuvettepositionspecifiedbythecontroller.















Figure7.Cuvetteposition1shownsquarelyinthespectrometerlightbeam

Cuvetteposition1
Spectrometerlightbeamcenterline

12

3.ERRORCODES
Whenerrorsoccur,theline1ofthedisplaypresentsanerrorcode.Line3ofthedisplayidentifies
theerrorandline4ofthedisplaypresentspossiblesolutions.Themostcommoneventsthatcause
errorstobedisplayedareloosecablesorinadequatecoolantflow.Forerrorsnoteasilysolved,
pleasecontactusthroughourwebsite,www.qnw.com.

E5–celloutofrange
warnings:loosecable,sensorfailure
Thetemperaturecontrollerisnotreceivingareasonableresponsefromthesensoronthecuvette
tower.Eitherthesensorhasfailedoracableisnotmakingagoodconnection.

E6–celloutofrange
warnings:loosecable,checkcable
Thetemperaturecontrollerisnotreceivingreasonableresponsesfromeitherthecelltowerorheat
exchangersensors.Sinceitisveryunlikelyforbothtofail,probablyacableisloose.

E7–heatexchangererror
warnings:loosecable,sensorfailure
Thetemperaturecontrollerisnotreceivingareasonableresponsefromthesensorontheheat
exchanger.Eitherthesensorhasfailedoracableisnotmakingagoodconnection.

E8–inadequatecoolant
warnings:inadequatecoolant,watertemperature
Thesensorontheheatexchangerisreadingatemperatureabove60°C.Temperaturecontrolhas
beenshutdowntopreventdamagetothePeltierelement.Eitherthewaterwastoowarmorthe
rateofflowwasinadequatetodrawsufficientheatfromtheheatexchanger.


13

4.SPECIFICATIONSSUMMARY
temperaturerange   ‐20to+110°C
temperatureprecision   ±0.02°C
cuvettesize(outsidedimensions) 12.5x12.5mm
minimumcuvetteheight  30mm 
cuvettezheight   15mm
opticalportdimensions  12mmhighx10mmwide
magneticstirringspeed  1‐2500rpm







14

APPENDIX1.TEMPERATURESPECIFICATIONSFORTHETURRET6

EnochW.SmallandLouisJ.Libertini
7/26/2013




TemperatureRange:‐15°Cto+80°C

TheTC1TemperatureControllercansettemperaturesbetween‐40°Cand110°C.Undernormal
conditions,asusedinsideaspectrophotometer,theTurret6willachievetemperaturesintherange
of‐15°Cand80°Cusingroomtemperaturewater(~22°C).Somewhatlowertemperaturescanbe
obtainedbytheuseoficedwater.Temperaturesabove80°Ccanusuallybeattainedbyusingwarm
water(recommended).Insomecaseshighertemperaturesmayrequireoperationwithoutcoolant
flow,butspecialproceduresarerequired.

Aninputconnectionforpurgingwithdrygasisprovided.

TemperaturePrecision:±0.02°C

Temperatureprecisionistheaveragedeviationfromthesettemperatureoftemperaturereadings
returnedfromthetemperature‐controlledTurret6forsettemperaturesbetween‐15°Cand+110
°C.Thus,itisameasureoftheabilityofthecuvetteholdertoholdaconstanttemperature.
Theprecisionofthetemperatureactuallyheldinthesolutionshouldbeevenbetterthanthe
precisionforthecuvetteholder.Unfortunately,wehavenocurrentmeansofmeasuringit.


Table1.Averagedeviationfromthesettemperaturevssettemperaturefor50points.

Settemperature ‐15 0.0 20.0 40.0 60.0 80.0 100 110
Averagedeviation 0.0046 0.064 0.002 0.0084 0.008 0.0066 0.0082 0.0116


TemperatureAccuracy:±0.25°Covertherangeof‐20°Cto+110°C.

TemperatureAccuracyindicateshowwelltheTC1controllerdisplay,aftercalibration,compares
withtheactualtemperatureofthesampleholdermeasuredusingaNIST‐traceableRTDtemperature
probe(probeaccuracy±0.03°Cfrom‐99.9°Cto+99.9°C)insertedinthemetalblockofthecuvette
holder.


15


Figure1.AnNIST‐traceableRTDthermometer(accuracy±0.03°Cfrom‐99.9°Cto+99.9°C)was
insertedinthebodyofthecuvetteholderandthetemperaturereadings(y‐axis)comparedtothe
valuesetbytheTC1temperaturecontroller(x‐axis).Datapointsshownasredsquaresareresults
wereobtainedwiththetemperaturedecreasing;thebluediamondsindicateresultsobtainedwith
thetemperaturedecreasing.


TemperatureReproducibility:betterthan±0.15°Covertherangeof0°Cto80°C

Temperaturereproducibilityisameasureoftheabilityofthetemperaturetoreturntoanoriginal
value(seeFigure1.).Itaccountsfordifferencesdependingonthedirectionoftemperaturechange
anddifferencesfromdaytoday.ReproducibilityismeasuredusingaNIST‐traceableRTD
temperatureprobeinsertedinthemetalblockofthecuvetteholder.

ExampleofTemperaturePerformance

Figure2.Turret6cuvetteholdertemperatureandsampletemperature(red,measuredwitha
thermistorprobeconnectedtotheTurret6)asthetargettemperaturesettingwasprogressed
through20.0°C,50.0°C,0.0°C,‐15.0°C,80.0°Cand20.0°Cdegrees.

time (min)
160140120100806040200
temperature (°C)
80
70
60
50
40
30
20
10
0
-10

16
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
TypicalTemperatureEquilibrationData

Aturretwasequilibratedatonetemperatureandthenthetargettemperaturewaschangedtoa
higherorlowervalue.



Table2.Timerequiredforcuvetteholdertemperaturechanges.Threetimesareshown:thetime
requiredtogetwithin1°C,thetimetogetwithinthelockontemperatureof±0.05°Cfromthe
targetandthefinaltimebywhichtheTC1indicatesthetemperatureisstable.

Temperaturerange(°C) 20to80 80to110 80to20 20to‐15
CirculatingwaterT(°C/min) 21 none 21 Iced
Minutestogetwithin1°C(min) 13 38 9.3 15
Minutestolockontemperature(min) 16 42 13.3 20
Minutestolockonindicatorlight(min) 18 54 18 25
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17
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APPENDIX2.SERIALCOMMUNICATIONSFORTHETC1
TEMPERATURECONTROLLER
7/26/2013

Thisdocumentprovidestheserialcommunicationsprotocolsforversion1.0ofthefirmwareonthe
TC1familyofcontrollers:
TC1/t2–forthet2,singletemperaturecontroller
TC1/t2x2–forthet2x2,dualtemperaturecontrollerforsampleandreference
TC1/Turret6–fortheTurret6,6‐positionturret
TheversionnumberandtheID(seebelow)areshownbrieflyonthedisplaywhenthetemperature
controlleristurnedon.

Allfunctionsofthetemperaturecontrollercanbemanagedfromacomputer,usingthecommand
setdescribedbelow.Ifyoupurchasedyourunitasacomponentofaspectrometerfromcertain
manufacturers,thisfeaturemaybeimplementedthroughtraditionalRS232serialconnectorsonthe
computerorthespectrometerandonthecontroller.Inthiscasetheywillbeconnectedbya
standard15‐pinserialextensioncable(maleconnectorononeendandfemaleontheother).No
driverinstallationshouldbeneeded.

OtherwisetheseriallinkagewillbeestablishedthroughaUSBconnectionbetweenthecomputerand
thecontroller.InthiscasethecontrollerincludeselectronicswhichconverttheUSBconnectiontoa
serialcommunicationsport.However,fortheporttobeavailabletoprogramsonthecomputerit
willbenecessarytoloaddriversoftware.Itisimportantthatthedriversoftwarebeloadedbefore
connectingaUSBcablebetweenthecontrollerandthecomputer.ContactQuantumNorthwestfor
furtherinformation.

QuantumNorthwestcanprovideacontrolprogramwrittenspecificallyforcontrolofallfunctionsof
thetemperaturecontroller.AskforprogramT‐App.

InprogrammingfortheTC1controller,onemustadheretotheconventionalnotation:8/N/1.
 Baud:  19200
 DataBits:  8
 Parity:  None
 StopBit:  1
 FlowControl: None
Formanyofthecommandslistedbelowthecontrollerreturnsinformationinresponsetothe
command.Allcommandsandresponsesaredelineatedbyleftandrightsquarebrackets([]).Any
textsenttothecontrollernotenclosedwithinbracketswillbeignored.Inthisdocumentanellipsis
(……)isusedtodistinguishresponsesfromcommands.

[command] Purposeofthecommand(senttothecontroller).
......[response] Meaningoftheresponse(receivedfromthecontroller).


18

1. Identify
[F1 ID ?] WhatistheIDnumberofthesampleholderbeingcontrolled?
......[F1 ID 14] Sampleholderisat2orothersinglecuvettesampleholder.
 
AssignedIdentities: 
ID= 00–specialtysampleholder(seecommandclass14)
 14‐t2
 24‐t2x2
 34–reservedforturretorlinearmulti‐sampleholder
 

2. ControllerFirmwareVersion
[F1 VN ?] Whatistheversionnumberofthecontrollerfirmware?
......[F1 VN 1.00] Thecontrollerisoperatingfirmwareversionnumber1.00.
 
 
3. Stirrer

[F1 MS ?] Whatisthemaximumstirrerspeed?
......[F1 MS 2500] Themaximumstirrerspeedis2500rpm.
[F1 LS ?] Whatistheloweststirrerspeed?
......[F1 MS 300] Theloweststirrerspeedis300rpm.
[F1 SS S 1000] Setstirrerspeedto1000rpm.
[F1 SS S 0] Turnstirreroffandsetthespeedtozero.
[F1 SS +] Turnstirreronandsetittothemostrecentnon‐zerostirrerspeedsetting.
[F1 SS -] Turnstirreroff.
[F1 SS ?] Whatisthecurrentstirrerspeedsetting?
......[F1 SS 1000] Stirrerspeedsettingis1000rpm.
 

4. TemperatureControl
[F1 TC +] Turntemperaturecontrolon.
[F1 TC -] Turntemperaturecontroloff.
 
 
5. TargetTemperature
[F1 TT S 23.10] Settargettemperatureto23.10ºC.
[F1 TT ?] Whatisthecurrenttargettemperature?
......[F1 TT 71.32] Targettemperatureis71.32ºC.
[F1 TT +] Turnonautomaticreportingofmanualchangestothetargettemperature.

19

[F1 TT -] Turnoffautomaticreportingofmanualchangestothetargettemperature.
[F1 MT ?] Whatisthemaximumtargettemperatureallowed?
......[F1 MT 110] Themaximumtargettemperatureallowedis110ºC.
[F1 LT ?] Whatisthelowesttargettemperatureallowed?
......[F1 LT -30] Thelowesttargettemperatureallowedis‐30ºC.
 
 
6. InstrumentStatus
[F1 IS ?] Whatisthecurrentinstrumentstatus?   
......[F1 IS 0-+S] Responseisfourparameters:   
numberofunreportederrorsis0(0to9)  
stirrerisoff(+ison,‐isoff)
temperaturecontrolison(+ison,‐isoff)  
temperatureisstable(Sisstable,Cischanging)  
[F1 IS +] Automaticallyreportinstrumentstatuswheneveritchanges
(e.g.,duetomanualchangesatthecontroller)  
[F1 IS -] Stopautomaticreportsofinstrumentstatus. 
......[F1 IS R] Thecontrollerhasbeenpoweredoffandbackonagain. 

 
 
7. CurrentSampleTemperature
[F1 CT ?] Whatisthecurrenttemperatureoftheholder?  
......[F1 CT 22.84] Thecurrenttemperatureis22.84ºC.   
[F1 CT +3] Periodicallyreportcurrenttemperatureevery3seconds. 
[F1 CT -] Stopperiodiccurrenttemperaturereports.
 
 
8. ErrorReporting
[F1 ER ?] Reportthecurrenterror.
......[F1 ER -1] Nocurrenterror.
......[F1 ER 05] CellToutofrange(Loosecable?Sensorfailure?).
......[F1 ER 06] Cell&heatexchangerToutofrange(Loosecable?).
......[F1 ER 07] HeatexchangerToutofrange(Loosecable?Sensorfailure?).
......[F1 ER 08] Inadequatecoolant(checkflow).Temperaturecontrolhasshutdown.

......[F1 ER 09<<bad command>>]
Syntaxerroronaprecedingcommandwhere<<badcommand>>isthe
commandthatcausedthesyntaxerror.
[F1 ER +] Automaticallyreporterrorswhentheyoccur.
[F1 ER -] Stopautomaticerrorreports.

20

 

9. ProbeStatusandTemperature

[F1 PS ?] Isthereanexternaltemperatureprobeconnected?
......[F1 PR +] Aprobeisconnected.
......[F1 PR -] Noprobeisconnected.
[F1 PS +] Enableprobestatustobesentautomaticallywhenaprobeis
installedorremoved.Thisisthedefault.
[F1 PS -] Disableautomaticsendingofprobestatus.
[F1 PT ?] Whatisthecurrentprobetemperature?
[F1 PT +3] Periodicallyreporttheprobetemperatureevery3seconds.
......[F1 PT 22.3] Thecurrentprobetemperatureis22.3degrees.
......[F1 PT NA] Probetemperatureisnotavailable. 
[F1 PT -] Stopperiodicprobetemperaturereports.
[F1 PA S 0.5] Settheincrementforautomaticreportingoftheprobetemperature
to0.5degreesduringaramp.(Incrementmustbepositive,
withoutsignintenthsbetween0.1and9.9degrees,andwill
workforrampsgoingupordown.)
[F1 PA +] Startautomaticreportingofprobetemperatureeverytemperature
increment(setbythecommandabove).
......[F1 PT 30.5] Thecurrentprobetemperatureis30.5degrees.
[F1 PA -] Stopautomaticreportingofprobetemperatureeverytemperature
increment.
[F1 PX +] Changeprobetemperaturereturnedtoaprecisionof0.01degree.
 

10. TemperatureRamping

[F1 RR S 2.10] Settheramprateto2.10°C/minute.
[F1 RR ?] Whatisthecurrentramprate?
......[F1 RR 2.10] Currentramprateis2.10°C/minute.

Forthefollowingthreecommands,therearenocorrespondingreferencecommands([R1...],
seecommandclass13).

[F1 TL +] Rampthesampleandreferenceidentically.
[F1 TL -] Rampthesamplewhilethereferenceremainsstable.
[F1 TL 0] Rampthesampleandreferenceindependently.
Thedefaultistorampthesamplewhilethereferenceremainsstable.Rampingboththesample
andreferenceatdifferentratesortodifferenttargettemperatures(seebelow)isnotpossible.

ToRampthetemperature:
1.equilibrateatthestartingtemperature,