THORLABS BPC201 User manual

BPC201
Benchtop Piezo Controller
User Guide

2
Contents
Chapter 1 Safety ..............................................................................................4
1.1 Safety Information ...................................................................................4
1.2 General Warnings ...................................................................................4
Chapter 2 Overview ........................................................................................5
2.1 Introduction .............................................................................................5
2.2 APT PC Software Overview ....................................................................7
2.2.1 Introduction ........................................................................................................ 7
2.2.2 APTUser Utility ................................................................................................... 8
2.2.3 APT Config Utility ............................................................................................... 9
2.2.4 APT Server (ActiveX Controls) ......................................................................... 10
2.2.5 Software Upgrades .......................................................................................... 11
Chapter 3 Getting Started ............................................................................12
3.1 Installing APT Software .........................................................................12
3.2 Mechanical Installation ..........................................................................13
3.2.1 Siting ................................................................................................................ 13
3.2.2 Environmental Conditions ................................................................................ 13
3.3 Electrical Installation .............................................................................14
3.3.1 Connecting To The Supply ............................................................................... 14
3.3.2 Fuses ............................................................................................................... 14
3.3.3 Powering Down The Unit ................................................................................. 14
3.3.4 Rear Panel Connections .................................................................................. 15
3.4 Front Panel Controls and Indicators .....................................................16
3.5 Button Operation ...................................................................................17
3.5.1 Resolution Button ............................................................................................. 17
3.5.2 Zero Button ...................................................................................................... 17
3.6 Control Potentiometer Operation ..........................................................18
3.6.1 Moving the Piezo using the ‘Control’ Potentiometer ........................................ 18
3.7 Adjusting the Display Brightness ..........................................................18
3.7.1 Connecting The Hardware ............................................................................... 19
3.8 Verifying Software Operation ................................................................19
3.8.1 Initial Setup ...................................................................................................... 19
Continued...

3
Single-Channel Piezo Controller
Chapter 4 PC Operation - Tutorial ............................................................. 21
4.1 Introduction ...........................................................................................21
4.2 Using the APT User Utility ....................................................................21
4.3 Setting the Position Sensor Zero ..........................................................23
4.4 Moving the Piezo ..................................................................................24
4.4.1 Entering the piezo position ............................................................................... 24
4.4.2 Moving the Piezo using the ‘Output’ control ..................................................... 25
4.4.3 Jogging the Piezos ........................................................................................... 25
4.5 Using the Controller as a Piezo Amplifier .............................................26
4.6 Thermal Shutdown ...............................................................................27
4.7 Using the Controller with a Force Sensor .............................................27
4.8 Creating a Simulated Configuration Using APT Config ........................29
Chapter 5 Software Reference .................................................................... 32
5.1 GUI Panel .............................................................................................32
5.2 Settings Panel ......................................................................................34
5.2.1 General tab. ..................................................................................................... 34
5.2.2 Force Sensing tab ............................................................................................ 35
5.2.3 Setting the Position Sensor Zero ..................................................................... 35
5.2.4 Choice of Display Mode ................................................................................... 35
5.2.5 Detection of Range of Travel ........................................................................... 36
Appendices
Appendix A Rear Panel Connector Pinout Detail ...................................... 37
Appendix B Preventive Maintenance ......................................................... 43
Appendix C Specifications and Associated Parts .................................... 44
Appendix D Piezo Control Method Summary............................................. 46
Appendix E Regulatory ............................................................................... 52
Appendix F Thorlabs Worldwide Contacts ................................................ 55

4
Chapter 1 Safety
1.1 Safety Information
For the continuing safety of the operators of this equipment, and the protection of the
equipment itself, the operator should take note of the Warnings, Cautions and Notes
throughout this handbook and, where visible, on the product itself.
The following safety symbols may be used throughout the handbook and on the
equipment itself.
1.2 General Warnings
Shock Warning
Given when there is a risk of injury from electrical shock.
Warning
Given when there is a risk of injury to users.
Caution
Given when there is a risk of damage to the product.
Note
Clarification of an instruction or additional information.
Warnings
If this equipment is used in a manner not specified by the manufacturer, the
protection provided by the equipment may be impaired. In particular,
excessive moisture may impair operation.
Spillage of fluid, such as sample solutions, should be avoided. If spillage does
occur, clean up immediately using absorbant tissue. Do not allow spilled fluid
to enter the internal mechanism.

5
Chapter 2 Overview
2.1 Introduction
This controller is designed for use in critical alignment applications where nanometer
level motion control is required. These high power units deliver up to 75V/500mA per
channel and are compatible with all piezo-actuated nanopositioning actuators &
stages in the Thorlabs range.
The unit combines the latest highspeed digital signal processors (DSP) with low-noise
analog electronics and ActiveX® software technology for effortless single-axis
motion. Additional axes can be driven by connecting one or more benchtop units via
a standard USB hub.
Manual controls are located on the front face of the unit to allow manual adjustment
of the piezo position using the digitally encoded adjustment pot. The display is easy
to read and can be set to show either applied voltage or position in microns. Open or
closed loop control and zeroing of the piezo can also be selected from the front panel.
Fig. 2.1 APT Single Channel Piezo Controller (BPC201)
The APT piezo controller is supplied with a full suite of software support tools. An
intuitive graphical instrument panel allows immediate control and visualization of the
operation of the piezo controller, and any other controllers that are installed in the
system. See Section 2.2. for a full description of the APT system software.
The APT piezo unit operation is fully configurable (parameterized) with key settings
exposed through the associated graphical interface panel. Open or closed loop
operating modes can be selected 'on the fly', and in both modes the display can be

6 HA0137T Rev 8 June 2011
Chapter 2
changed to show drive voltage or position (in microns). In the closed loop operation
mode, both the P & I (proportional and integral) components of the feedback control
loop can be altered to adjust the servoloop response. For convenience and ease of
use, adjustment of manykey parameters is possible through direct interaction with the
graphical panel. For example, the output drive voltage or position can be adjusted by
rotating a "software-panel" control knob (see the tutorial in Chapter 4 for further
details). Note that all such settings and parameters are also accessible through the
ActiveX programmable interfaces which allow the user to build automated alignment
routines. See Section 2.2. for a full description of the APT system software and
background on the advantages of the ActiveX Control technology.
The key innovation of the APT range of controllers and associated mechanical
products is the ease and speed with which complete automated alignment systems
can be engineered at both the hardware and software level. All controllers in the APT
range are equipped with USB connectivity. The 'multi-drop' USB bus allows multiple
APT units to be connected to a single controller PC using commerical USB hubs and
cables. When planning an alignment application, simply add up the number and type
of drive channels required and connect together the associated number of APT
controllers. In the remainder of this handbook, the Tutorial section (Chapter 4)
provides a good initial understanding on using the unit, and the reference section
(Chapter 5) covers all operating modes and parameters in detail.

7
Single-Channel Piezo Controller
2.2 APT PC Software Overview
2.2.1 Introduction
As a member of the APT range of controllers, the BPC201 piezo controller shares
many of the associated software benefits. This includes USB connectivity (allowing
multiple units to be used together on a single PC), fully featured Graphical User
Interface (GUI) panels, and extensive software function libraries for custom
application development.
The APT software suite supplied with all APT controllers provides a flexible and
powerful PC based control system both for users of the equipment, and software
programmers aiming to automate its operation.
For users, the APTUser (see Section 2.2.2.) and APTConfig (see Section 2.2.3.)
utilities allow full control of all settings and operating modes enabling complete ‘out-
of-box’ operation without the need to develop any further custom software. Both
utilities are built on top of a sophisticated, multi-threaded ActiveX ‘engine’ (called the
APT server) which provides all of the necessary APT system software services such
as generation of GUI panels, communications handling for multiple USB units, and
logging of all system activity to assist in hardware trouble shooting. It is this APT
server ‘engine’ that is used by software developers to allow the creation of advanced
automated positioning applications very rapidly and with great ease. The APT server
is described in more detail in Section 2.2.4.
Aside
ActiveX®, a Windows®-based, language-independent technology, allows a user
to quickly develop custom applications that automate the control of APT system
hardware units. Development environments supported by ActiveX® technology
include Visual Basic®, LabView™, Borland C++ Builder, Visual C++, Delphi™,
and many others. ActiveX® technology is also supported by .NET development
environments such as Visual Basic.NET and Visual C#.NET.
ActiveX controls are a specific form of ActiveX technology that provide both a user
interface and a programming interface. An ActiveX control is supplied for each
type of APT hardware unit to provide specific controller functionality to the
software developer. See Section 2.2.4. for further details.

8 HA0137T Rev 8 June 2011
Chapter 2
2.2.2 APTUser Utility
The APTUser application allows the user to interact with a number of APT hardware
control units connected to the host PC. This program displays multiple graphical
instrument panels to allow multiple APT units to be controlled simultaneously.
All basic operating parameters can be altered and, similarly, all operations (such as
piezo moves) can be initiated. Settings and parameter changes can be saved and
loaded to allow multiple operating configurations to be created and easily applied.
For many users, the APTUser application provides all of the functionality necessary
to operate the APT hardware without the need to develop any further custom
software. For those who do need to further customise and automate usage of the
controller (e.g. to implement a positioning algorithm), this application illustrates how
the rich functionality provided by the APT ActiveX server is exposed by a client
application.
Use of the APT User utility is covered in the PC tutorial (Chapter 4) and in the
APTUser online help file, accessed via the F1 key when using the APTUser utility.

9
Single-Channel Piezo Controller
2.2.3 APT Config Utility
There are many system parameters and configuration settings associated with the
operation of the APT Server. Most can be directly accessed using the various
graphical panels, however there are several system wide settings that can only be
made 'off-line' before running the APT software. These settings have global effect;
such as switching between simulator and real operating mode and incorporation of
calibration data.
The APTConfig utility is provided as a convenient means for making these system
wide settings and adjustments. Full details on using APTConfig are provided in the
online help supplied with the utility.
Use of the APT Config utility is covered in the PC tutorial (Chapter 4) and in the
APTConfig online help file, accessed via the F1 key when using the APTConfig utility.

10 HA0137T Rev 8 June 2011
Chapter 2
2.2.4 APT Server (ActiveX Controls)
ActiveX Controls are re-usable compiled software components that supply both a
graphical user interface and a programmable interface. Many such Controls are
available for Windows applications development, providing a large range of re-usable
functionality. For example, there are Controls available that can be used to
manipulate image files, connect to the internet or simply provide user interface
components such as buttons and list boxes.
With the APT system, ActiveX Controls are deployed to allow direct control over (and
also reflect the status of) the range of electronic controller units, including the BPC201
piezo controller. Software applications that use ActiveX Controls are often referred to
as 'client applications'. Based on ActiveX interfacing technology, an ActiveX Control
is a language independent software component. Consequently ActiveX Controls can
be incorporated into a wide range of software development environments for use by
client application developers. Development environments supported include Visual
Basic, Labview, Visual C++, C++ Builder, HPVEE, Matlab, VB.NET, C#.NET
and, via
VBA, Microsoft Office applications such as Excel and Word.
Consider the ActiveX Control supplied for a Piezo Drive Card fitted to a BPC201 APT
piezo controller unit (one panel is displayed for each channel (card) fitted).
This Control provides a complete user graphical instrument panel to allow the Piezo
unit to be manually operated, as well as a complete set of software functions (often
called methods) to allow all parameters to be set and Piezo control operations to be
automated by a client application. The instrument panel reflects the current operating
state of the controller unit to which it is associated (e.g. such as piezo travel). Updates
to the panel take place automatically when a user (client) application is making
software calls into the same Control. For example, if a client application instructs the