Sutter Lambda VF-5 User manual

One Digital Drive
Novato, CA 94949
Voice: 415-883-0128 Web: www.sutter.com
Fax: [phone] Email: [e-mail]
Lambda VF-5™
Tunable Optical Filter Changer
Control System
Operation Manual
Rev. 1.04a (20190606)

LAMBDA LS OPERATION MANUAL -– REV. 1.04A (20190606)
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Copyright © 2019Sutter Instrument Company. All Rights Reserved.
Lambda VF-5™ and Lambda VF-1™ are trademarks, and LAMBDA-10® and
SmartShutter®are registered trademarks, all of Sutter Instrument Company.

LAMBDA VF-5 OPERATION MANUAL – REV. 1.04A (20190606)
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DISCLAIMER
The Lambda VF-5 Variable Optical Filter Switcher is designed for the specific use of changing
filters and bandwidth into and out of an optical pathway and no other use is recommended.
This instrument is designed for use in a laboratory environment. It is not intended, nor
should it be used in human experimentation or applied to humans in any way. This is not a
medical device.
Do not open or attempt to repair the instrument. Extreme heat and high voltages are present
and could cause injury.
Do not allow unauthorized and/or untrained operative to use this device.
Any misuse will be the sole responsibility of the user/owner and Sutter Instrument Company
assumes no implied or inferred liability for direct or consequential damages from this
instrument if it is operated or used in any way other than for which it is designed.
SAFETY WARNINGS AND PRECAUTIONS
Electrical
Operate the Lambda VF-5 using 110-120 V AC, 60 Hz, or 220-240 V AC., 50 Hz line
voltage. This instrument is designed for connection to a standard laboratory power outlet
(Overvoltage Category II), and because it is a microprocessor--controlled device, it should
be accorded the same system wiring precautions as any 'computer type' system. A surge
protector and power regulator are recommended.
Fuse Replacement: Replace only with the same type and rating:
T1.0A, 250V, Time Delay (IEC 60127-2, Sheet III)
(Examples: Bussmann GDC-1A or S506-1R (RoHS); or
Littelfuse 218 001 or 218.001.P (RoHS))
A spare fuse is located in the power input module. Please refer to the fuse-replacement
appendix for more details on fuse ratings and for instructions on how to change the fuse.
Avoiding Electrical Shock and Fire-related Injury
Always use the grounded power supply cord set provided to connect the system to a
grounded outlet (3-prong). This is required to protect you from injury in the event that
an electrical hazard occurs.
Do not disassemble the system. Refer servicing to qualified personnel.
To prevent fire or shock hazard do not expose the unit to rain or moisture.
Optical Radiation
This system is designed for use in conjunction with high-intensity light sources. Failure to
comply with any of the following precautions may result in injury to the users of this device
as well as those working in the general area near the device.

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Never look into the optical pathway of the high intensity light sources typically used
with this instrument. Doing so can cause permanent eye damage.
The high-intensity light sources typically used with this instrument also produce a
significant amount of heat. Direct contact with the housing of those instruments can
cause serious burns.
Electromagnetic Interference
To comply with FDA and CE electromagnetic immunity and interference standards; and to
reduce the electromagnetic coupling between this and other equipment in your lab always
use the type and length of interconnect cables provided with the unit for the interconnection
of the filter wheel, host computer via serial RS-232 or parallel interface, or other equipment
via TTL connections (see the TECHNICAL SPECIFICATIONS appendix for more details).
Operational
Failure to comply with any of the following precautions may damage this device.
This instrument is designed for operation in a laboratory environment (Pollution Degree
I).
This unit is not designed for operation at altitudes above 2000 meters nor was it tested
for safety above 2000 meters.
DO NOT CONNECT OR DISCONNECT THE CABLES BETWEEN THE
CONTROLLER AND THE MECHANICAL UNIT (FILTER WHEEL) WHILE POWER IS
ON.
Please allow at least 20 seconds after turning the unit off before disconnecting the
mechanical units. Failure to do this may result in damage to the electronics.
Operate only in a location where there is a free flow of fresh air on all sides.
NEVER ALLOW THE FREE FLOW OF AIR TO BE RESTRICTED.

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TABLE OF CONTENTS
DISCLAIMER ......................................................................................................................................iii
SAFETY WARNINGS AND PRECAUTIONS...................................................................................iii
Electrical .................................................................................................................................................iii
Avoiding Electrical Shock and Fire-related Injury.............................................................................iii
Optical Radiation ...................................................................................................................................iii
Electromagnetic Interference ...............................................................................................................iv
Operational .............................................................................................................................................iv
1. GENERAL INFORMATION ...........................................................................................................1
1.1 Introduction.......................................................................................................................................1
1.1.1 How to Use this Manual............................................................................................................1
1.1.2 Technical Support ......................................................................................................................1
1.2 General Description..........................................................................................................................1
1.2.1 Systems........................................................................................................................................4
1.3 Filter Wheel .......................................................................................................................................4
1.3.1 Mechanical Description .............................................................................................................4
1.3.2 Filter Wheels...............................................................................................................................4
1.3.2.1 Mechanical Description.......................................................................................................5
1.3.3 Filter Wheel Adapters................................................................................................................5
1.3.4 Cables ..........................................................................................................................................5
1.4 Controller...........................................................................................................................................5
1.4.1 Principles of Operation..............................................................................................................5
1.4.2 Rear Panel Connectors ..............................................................................................................5
1.4.3 Front Panel Controls .................................................................................................................7
1.4.3.1 Keypad ..................................................................................................................................7
1.4.3.2 Display ..................................................................................................................................8
1.6 Functional Description.....................................................................................................................8
1.6.1 Stepping Motor Operation ........................................................................................................8
2. INSTALLATION ............................................................................................................................11
2.1 Unpacking........................................................................................................................................11
2.2 Pre-Installation Instructions.........................................................................................................11
2.2.1 Vibrations..................................................................................................................................11
2.3 Installation Instructions ................................................................................................................12
2.3.1 Initializing the Lambda Vf-5 if Not Already Initialized or After Being Reset...................13
2.4 Setting the Wheel Rotation Speed (<LOCAL> <SPEED> <0> through <7>)..................17
2.5 Setting the Wheel Tilt Speed (<LOCAL> <SPEED> < λ> <0> through <3>) ...............17
3. OPERATIONS – GENERAL .........................................................................................................19
3.1 First Time Use ................................................................................................................................19
3.1.1 Line Power (Mains)..................................................................................................................19
3.2 Basic Operation...............................................................................................................................20
3.2.1 Initialization .............................................................................................................................20
3.3 Filter Wheel Assembly....................................................................................................................20
3.4 Make It Go .......................................................................................................................................21

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4. OPERATIONS – MANUAL CONTROL .......................................................................................23
4.1 Power up Sequence.........................................................................................................................23
4.2 Main Status Screen.........................................................................................................................23
4.3 The Lambda VF-5 Keypad.............................................................................................................23
4.4 Placing Lambda VF-5 into Local Mode ........................................................................................24
4.5 Immediate Key Control of Attached Devices (While in Local Mode)........................................24
4.6 Main Menu (F1) ..............................................................................................................................25
4.6.1 Test Mode Menu (F1 2) ...........................................................................................................26
4.6.1.1 Loop Test (F1 2 1) .............................................................................................................26
4.6.1.2 Demo (F1 2 2).....................................................................................................................26
4.7 Selecting the Filter Position ..........................................................................................................26
4.8 Selecting the Filter Switching Speed............................................................................................26
4.9 Error Detection and Recovery.......................................................................................................27
4.10 Movement Errors: Causes and Solutions..................................................................................27
4.11 Helpful Tips about Movement Errors ........................................................................................28
5. OPERATIONS: EXTERNAL CONTROL: GENERAL................................................................29
5.1 Principles of Operation...................................................................................................................29
5.2 External Control Interfaces...........................................................................................................29
5.2.1 Serial RS-232-C Interface Port with Control via Host Computer’s Built-in Device Driver
.............................................................................................................................................................29
5.2.2 USB Interface Port with Control via Direct Device Driver.................................................29
5.2.3 USB Interface Port with Control via Additional Virtual Com Port (VCP) Device Driver
.............................................................................................................................................................29
5.3 External Control Command Set....................................................................................................29
5.4 External Control Application Programming ...............................................................................29
5.5 Input Command Structure ............................................................................................................30
5.5.1 Commands Description ...........................................................................................................30
5.6 Command Descriptions ..................................................................................................................32
5.6.1 Switch to Wavelength Command (218d (DAh)) ...................................................................32
5.7 Filter Wheel Commands ................................................................................................................33
5.7.1 Filter Wheel Command Byte Encoding .................................................................................34
5.7.2 Set Wavelength Command Encoding ....................................................................................35
5.8 Special Commands..........................................................................................................................35
5.8.1 Status.........................................................................................................................................36
5.8.2 All Motors Power On ...............................................................................................................37
5.8.3 All Motors Power Off...............................................................................................................37
5.8.4 Transfer to On Line .................................................................................................................37
5.8.5 Transfer to Local ......................................................................................................................37
5.8.6 Reset ..........................................................................................................................................38
5.8.7 Get Controller Type and Configuration ................................................................................38
5.9 Remote Control Command Programming...................................................................................38
5.9.1 Preparing the Command Byte................................................................................................39
5.9.1.1 Encoding Filter Commands Into a Single Byte..............................................................39
5.9.1.2 Special Commands ............................................................................................................39
5.9.2 Command Transmission Protocol..........................................................................................39
5.9.2.1 Confirmation Command Echo .........................................................................................40
5.9.2.2 Command Completion Indicator .....................................................................................40

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6. OPERATIONS: EXTERNAL CONTROL: SERIAL RS-232 INTERFACE ................................41
6.1 Connecting to the Serial Port ........................................................................................................41
6.2 Input Command Set and Protocol ................................................................................................42
7. OPERATIONS: EXTERNAL CONTROL: USB INTERFACE....................................................43
7.1 Installing the Lambda VF-5 as a USB Device on a Windows System.......................................43
7.1.1 Installation Steps .....................................................................................................................43
7.1.2 Interactive USB Device Driver Installation..........................................................................45
7.2 Installing the USB Interface for Non-Windows Systems...........................................................47
7.3 Verifying USB Communication between Remote Computer and Lambda VF-5....................47
7.4 Uninstalling the USB Driver for the Lambda VF-5....................................................................49
7.5 Remote Commands and the USB Interface.................................................................................50
8. MAINTENANCE............................................................................................................................51
APPENDIX A. LIMITED WARRANTY............................................................................................53
APPENDIX B. ACCESSORIES .........................................................................................................55
B.1. VersaChrome® Filters..................................................................................................................55
B.2. Other Accessories ..........................................................................................................................55
APPENDIX C. FUSE REPLACEMENT...........................................................................................57
APPENDIX D. TECHNICAL SPECIFICATIONS ...........................................................................59
D.1. VF-5 Tunable Filterwheel............................................................................................................59
D.2. Controller.......................................................................................................................................59
APPENDIX F. EXTERNAL CONTROL COMMAND REFERENCE ............................................61
TABLE OF FIGURES
Figure 1-1 Anatomy of the Lambda VF-5 filter wheel. .......................................................................... 2
Figure 1-2. Lambda VF-5 Filter Wheel .................................................................................................... 4
Figure 1-3. Electrical connections............................................................................................................. 6
Figure 1-4. Lambda VF-5 front panel controls........................................................................................ 7
Figure 2-1. Schematic diagram of two possible experimental configurations. ..................................12
Figure 3-1. Lambda VF-5 Cabinet (rear view). ..................................................................................... 19
Figure 3-2. Switch, fuse, and power connection....................................................................................19
Figure 4-1. The Lambda VF-5 keypad for manual (local) control.......................................................24
Figure 6-1. Serial port pin assignments. ................................................................................................41
Figure 7-1 -- The USB cable device connector....................................................................................... 44
Figure 7-2 -- The Lambda VF-5 USB receptacle................................................................................... 44
Figure 7-3 -- Host connector end of USB cable. ....................................................................................44
Figure 7-4 -- USB host receptacle on remote computer. ...................................................................... 44
Figure 7-5 -- New USB device detected message box. ..........................................................................45

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Figure 7-6 -- Digital Signature dialog box.............................................................................................. 45
Figure 7-7 -- Specifying location of driver files...................................................................................... 46
Figure 7-8 -- Browsing for the driver file needed. ................................................................................. 47
Figure 7-9 -- USBTest main screen. ....................................................................................................... 48
Figure 8-1. Power entry module and fuse holder.................................................................................. 57
TABLE OF TABLES
Table 1-1. List of supported tunable filters.............................................................................................. 3
Table 4-1. Filter Switching Times (in milliseconds). ............................................................................27
Table 5-1. Remote Control Command Categories................................................................................. 29
Table 5-2. External control commands. .................................................................................................30
Table 5-3. Filter Command Structure....................................................................................................34
Table 5-4. Special command codes.......................................................................................................... 35
Table 5-5. Status Command Return Codes and Data...........................................................................36
Table 5-6. “Get Controller Type and Configuration” Command Return Codes and Data. .............38
Table 8-1. Controller Cables....................................................................................................................60
Table 8-2. Complete Command Reference............................................................................................. 61
Table 8-3. Filter command structure. ....................................................................................................64
Table 8-4. Status Command Return Codes and Data...........................................................................65
Table 8-5. “Get Controller Type and Configuration” Command Return Codes and Data. .............66