Quantum turret 6/FO Installation guide

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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/FO
6‐PositionTemperature‐ControlledCuvetteTurretfor
FiberOpticSpectroscopy
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Manual&ProductOverview
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turre
t
6 CuvetteHolder
TC1Temperature
Controller

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TABLEOFCONTENTS
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1.GettingStarted....................................................................................................................................3
A.YourShipmentWillContain:..........................................................................................................3
B.SystemSetup..................................................................................................................................4
C.LensSystemInstallation.................................................................................................................4
D.SoftwareInstallation......................................................................................................................7
E.SystemOperation...........................................................................................................................7
F.UsingtheMenuButton..................................................................................................................8
2.Featuresoftheturret6....................................................................................................................10
A.GeneralDescription......................................................................................................................10
B.Cuvettes........................................................................................................................................11
C.Cuvettez‐Height...........................................................................................................................11
D.CoolingWaterforthePeltier.......................................................................................................11
E.DryGasPurging...........................................................................................................................12
F.ExternalTemperatureProbe........................................................................................................12
G.ExternalComputerControl..........................................................................................................12
H.DescriptionofLensSystems........................................................................................................12
3.ErrorCodes........................................................................................................................................14
4.SpecificationsSummary....................................................................................................................15
Appendix1.TemperatureSpecificationsfortheturret6.....................................................................16
Appendix2.SerialCommunicationsfortheTC1TemperatureController..........................................19
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1.GETTINGSTARTED
ThankyouforpurchasingaQuantumNorthwestturret 6/FO!Wewantyoutoenjoymanyyearsof
faithfulservicefromyourinstrument.Ifyouhaveanyquestions,feelfreetocontactusdirectly
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(slits,wrench,blanks,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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LensSystems
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1. twot6‐QCLCollimatingLensforabsorbancemeasurements
2. t6‐QIL/exImagingLensforExcitation
3. t6‐QIL/emImagingLensforEmittedLight
4. t6‐QMPMirrorPlug
5. Plasticcapforcoveringunusedports
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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.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. Placetheturret 6onatable.Forstabilityyoumaywishtousescrewstoattachtheturret
6,usingtheholesintheedgeofthebase.
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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
1/8‐inchIDtubingfromthesubmersiblepumptoeitheroneofthewaterhosebarbsonthe
turret 6.Attachanotherpiece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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. Ifyouplantoworkatlowtemperatures,connectasourceofdrygas(typicallynitrogen)to
releaseonthecuvettewindows.Attachalengthoftubingwith1/16‐inchinsidediameter,to
thesmallhosebarbonthebaseoftheturret 6.(A1/8to1/16‐inchbarbedreducerfittingis
includedwiththeturret 6,topreventanydifficultyconnectingtothisunusuallysmallsize
tubing.)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”.
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6. Insertopticsandattachsourcesanddetectorsasneededbyyourexperiment.Optical
optionsaredescribedbelow.
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C.LensSystemInstallation
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Therearetwobasicopticalconfigurationsfortheturret 6:onetomeasureabsorbanceandthe
othertomeasurefluorescence.
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Figure1.Absorbanceconfigurationwithcollimatinglensesoneachsideofthecuvette
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AsshowninFigure1,tosettheturret 6 upforabsorbancemeasurementsinsertcollimatinglens
(QCL/t6)atpositions1and3andscrewintoplace.Putablackplasticcapfromtheturret 6
accessorykitinposition2.Thecollimatingopticsproducea5mmdiameterbeamthatpasses
throughthecuvettecenteredat8.5mmabovetheoutsidebottomsurface.Attachfiberopticsas
describebelow.Typically,lightispassedfromposition1throughtheopticalslitandcuvetteand
collectedatposition3.Iftheslitisnotbeingused,directionisnotimportant.
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Figure2.Fluorescenceconfigurationwithexcitationandemissionthroughimaginglensesanda
mirrortoreflecttheincidentlightbackonitself

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AsshowninFigure2,tosettheturret 6 upforfluorescencemeasurementsinserttheimaginglens
forexcitation(t6‐QIL/ex)intoposition1.Thislensacceptsthelightfromafiberusinganumerical
apertureof0.22andfocusesanimageoftheendofthefiberintothecenterofthecuvetteusinga
magnificationof2.7.Inserttheimaginglensforemission(t6‐QIL/em)inposition2.Thislensimages
thecenterofthecuvetteontotheendofthecollectionfiberusingamagnificationof1.0.To
enhancecollectionefficiency,asphericalmirror(60mmradiusofcurvature)maybeplacedin
position3toreflecttheexcitationsourcebackonitself.
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Figure3‐Componentsofalensassembly
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1. Usethe5/64‐inchhexscrewdriverfromtheturret 6 accessorykittoloosenthesetscrew
(Figure3).
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2. Removethesilversleevewithablackendpiecefromthelensassembly.Setitaside.
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3. Screwtheemptyopticalassemblyallthewayintotheappropriatepositionintheturret 6.
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4. Lookforthelocationofthesetscrew.Ifitisinadifficultpositiontoreach,removethethree
fibersteeringscrews,rotatetheendoftheopticalassemblyuntilthesetscrewisaccessible,
andreattachthealignmentassemblysothescrewismoreavailable.Thesteeringscrews
compressanO‐ring,permittingfinealignmentoftheendofthefiberrelativetothelens.
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Figure4‐AttachingthefiberoptictotheSMAconnector

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5.Now,unscrewthesilversleevefromtheblackendpiecerevealingtheSMAconnector
(Figure4).
6.Slidethesilversleeveovertheendofthefiberopticconnectorandcable,leavingthe
threadedendtowardtheendofthecable.
7.AttachthefiberopticcabletotheSMAconnector.
8.Holdingtheblackendpiece,screwthesilversleevebackintoplace.
9.InserttheSMAconnectorandsilversleeveintotheholeintheopticalassembly.Forafirst
adjustment,inserttheassemblyuntilthealignmentgrooveisevenwiththefaceofthelens
assembly.Later,youcanoptimizethesignalintensitybyslidingtheSMAconnectorand
silversleeveindeeper.
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D.SoftwareInstallation
NOTE:IFYOUPURCHASEDTHET‐AppPROGRAM,DONOTPLUGINTHEUSBCABLE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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 6through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.
E.SystemOperation
1. Useliquidsamplesinstandard1x1‐cmsquarecuvettesandplacethecuvettesintheturret
6.
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.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. Thecontrollerdisplaybeginsonthe
Start page.UsetheleftorrightarrowsontheMenu
Buttontocyclethroughthefivepagesofoptions.Onthe
SetPosition pageusethetopand
bottomarrowstochooseaposition,sayposition5.Presssetandtheturretwillrotateto
thispositionandthemenuwillreturntothe
Start page.Tosetatemperature,gotothe Set
Temperature pageandusetheupanddownarrowstosetatargettemperature,say37.0
°C.Press
SET toinitiatetemperaturecontrol.Thetemperaturewillriseandstabilize.The
menuwillthenadvancetothe
SetStirrer page.Usetheupanddownarrowstosetaspeed,
say1200rpm,andpress
SET tostartthestirrer.
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6. Whentemperaturecontrolisrunningandthe
Start pageisbeingdisplayed,press SET to
turnofftemperaturecontrol.

7. Aftermeasurementsarecompleted,turnoffpoweronthebackoftheTC1controllerand
turnoffthewatersource.

F.UsingtheMenuButton
Usetherightandleftarrowstocyclethroughfivepages:
–Display–SetPosition–SetTemperature–SetStirring–SetRamping–


Display: ThismainpageshowstheactualcuvetteHoldertemperature,theTargettemperatureanda
Probetemperature(ifaprobeispresent).Thepagewillalsoshowthecurrentturretposition.After
afewsecondsofinactivity,allotherpageswillswitch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.

Holder = 37.0 °C
Target = 37.0 °C
Probe = 36.9 °C
Current Position = 5

9


SetPosition:Torotatetheturret6,usetheupanddownarrowstochoosethenewpositionand
pressSET.ThecontrollerwillreturntotheDisplaypage.


SetTemperature:TosettheTargettemperature,usetheupanddownarrows.PressSETtoretain
thisnewTargetandinitiatetemperaturecontrol.

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turnonstirringatthisspeed.

SetRamping:Toperformaramp,settheRampingrateusingtheupanddownarrows,andpress
SET.Withrampingset,turningontemperaturecontrolwillgeneratealinearramptothetarget
temperature.Whenthesampleholderreachesthetargettemperature,therampratewillbeset
backto0°/minute.
Thefastestpossiblerampisdeterminedbyhowfastthecuvetteholdercouldreachthetarget
temperaturewithoutramping.Ifyouattempttoramptooquickly,especiallyathighandlow
temperatureextremes,youwillobtain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.)
Set Ramping
Ramp = 0.55 °/min
Current = 0 °/min
Set Stirring
Stir Speed = 1200rpm
Current = 0rpm
Set Temperature
Target = 37.0 °C
Current= 20.0 °C
Set Position
Position = 5
Current Position = 1

10

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.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.

11

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temperature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.

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

12

elementandthewarning,“checkcoolantflow,”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.

Wedonotselltheprobe,buttherearemanySeries400and500probesonthemarket.Quantum
Northwest’spreferredprobeistheYSI423availablefromColeParmer.TheYSI423isreasonably
resistanttoimmersionandrespondsrapidlytotemperaturechanges.Also,thefine,coiledwiresof
theYSI423conductverylittleambientheattothethermistorattheend.

ExcellentSeries500probescanbeobtainedwithdiameterslessthanamm,providingaccesstosmall
volumes.Adisadvantageoftheseprobesisthattheyarenotpre‐calibrated.
G.ExternalComputerControl
AllfunctionsmaybeaccessedeitherthroughaSerial(RS232)oraUSBlocatedonthebackofTC1
TemperatureController.Youmaywriteyourownprogramorpurchaseour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.DescriptionofLensSystems

Thet6‐QCLcollimatinglensisa6mmdiameter,18mmfocallength,fusedsilicalensthatcollects
lightfromthesourcefiberatanumericalapertureof0.22andfocusesa5mmdiametercollimated

13

0
0.5
1
1.5
2
2.5
200 300 400 500 600 700
% Reflectance
Wavelength
beamthroughthecuvetteatazheightof15mm.Asecondt6‐QCLreversestheprocessandfocuses
thecollimatedlightontoacollectionfiber.

Therearetwokindsofimaginglenssystems.Eachcontainsapair12.5mmdiameter,30mmfocal
length,plano‐convex,fusedsilicalenseswiththeirflatsidesoutward.Theexcitationlens(t6‐QIL/ex)
focusesanimageoftheendofthesourcefiberintothemiddleofthecuvettewithamagnificationof
2.7.Theemissionlens(t6‐QIL/em)focusesasmallregionoftheilluminatedvolumeinthecenterof
thecuvetteontotheendoftheemissioncollectionfiberusingamagnificationof1.0.

Themagnificationoftheexcitationlensrepresentsacompromiserequiredtobackthelensaway
fromthecuvettetopermittherotationoftheturret.Ifhighfluorescencesensitivityisrequired,we
recommendamoredirectcouplingofthesourcewiththecuvette,bypassingtheexcitationfiber.
Figure7.Broadbandanti‐reflection(AR)coatingusedonthestandardfusedsilicalenses.



14

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.


15

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







16

APPENDIX1.TEMPERATURESPECIFICATIONSFORTHETURRET6

EnochW.SmallandLouisJ.Libertini
26July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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.


17


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t2)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

18


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time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indicatingthat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



19

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/turret6–fortheturret6,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).

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.
 

20

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.
[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.