THORLABS T-Cube NanoTrak TNA001/IR User manual

TNA001/IR
T-Cube NanoTrak Controller
Kinesis User Guide
Original Instructions

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Contents
Chapter 1 For Your Safety .............................................................................4
1.1 Safety Information .................................................................................. 4
1.2 General Warnings .................................................................................. 4
Chapter 2 Overview and Setup .....................................................................5
2.1 Introduction ............................................................................................. 5
2.2 Power Options ........................................................................................ 6
2.3 Kinesis PC Software Overview ............................................................... 7
2.3.1 Introduction ......................................................................................................... 7
2.3.2 Kinesis Server .................................................................................................... 7
2.3.3 Software Upgrades ............................................................................................. 9
Chapter 3 Installation & Initial Software Settings ..................................... 10
3.1 Install The Software .............................................................................. 10
3.2 Mechanical Installation ......................................................................... 11
3.2.1 Environmental Conditions ................................................................................ 11
3.2.2 Mounting Options ............................................................................................. 11
3.2.3 Removing the Baseplate .................................................................................. 12
3.3 Electrical Installation ............................................................................. 13
3.3.1 Description of Input/Output Connections .......................................................... 13
3.3.2 Supply Voltage and Current Requirements ...................................................... 14
3.3.3 Connecting To A Standalone Power Supply .................................................... 14
3.3.4 Using The USB Controller Hub ........................................................................ 15
3.3.5 Detector Heads and Cables ............................................................................. 16
Chapter 4 Using the NanoTrak Without A PC ............................................ 17
4.1 Introduction ........................................................................................... 17
4.1.1 System Overview - Fiber to Fiber Alignment Example ..................................... 17
4.2 Control Panel Buttons and Indicators .................................................. 18
4.2.1 Track/Latch Button Operation .......................................................................... 19
4.2.2 Mode Button and Auto Ranging ....................................................................... 19
4.3 Building An Auto-alignment System - Stand Alone Operation ............. 19
4.3.1 Wiring and Initial Set Up ................................................................................... 19
4.3.2 Basic Operation ................................................................................................ 20
4.4 Using an External Power Meter ............................................................ 23
Continued...

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T-Cube NanoTrak Autoalignment Controller
Chapter 5 PC Operation - Tutorial .............................................................. 24
5.1 Introduction ...........................................................................................24
5.2 Using the Kinesis Software ...................................................................24
5.3 Building An Auto-alignment System - PC Operation ............................26
5.3.1 Introduction ...................................................................................................... 26
5.3.2 Wiring and Software Settings for Hub Operation ............................................. 26
5.3.3 Piezo Driver Hub Mounting Options ................................................................. 30
5.3.4 Wiring and Software Settings for Standalone Operation ................................. 30
5.3.5 Basic Operation ............................................................................................... 32
5.3.6 Using Two NanoTraks in the Same System .................................................... 36
5.4 Programmed Operation ........................................................................38
5.5 Setting Sequences ...............................................................................38
5.6 Changing and Saving Parameter Settings ...........................................38
Chapter 6 Software Reference .................................................................... 39
6.1 GUI Panel .............................................................................................39
6.2 NanoTrak Settings Window ..................................................................43
6.2.1 Tracking tab ..................................................................................................... 43
6.2.2 Input/Output tab ............................................................................................... 46
6.2.3 Display Tab ...................................................................................................... 50
Appendices
Appendix A Connector Pinout Details ....................................................... 52
Appendix B Preventive Maintenance ......................................................... 53
Appendix C Specifications and Associated Parts .................................... 54
Appendix D The NanoTrak Principle Of Operation ................................... 56
Appendix E Regulatory ................................................................................ 61
Appendix F Thorlabs Worldwide Contacts ................................................ 55

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Chapter 1 For Your 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 symbo ls may be u sed throughout the h andbook 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.
Caution
If your PC becomes unresponsive (e.g due to an operating system problem,
entering a sleep state condition, or screen saver operation) for a prolonged
period, this will interrupt communication between the Software and the
hardware, and a communications error may be generated. To minimize the
possibility of this happening it is strongly recommended that any such modes
that result in prolonged unresponsiveness be disabled before the software is
run. Please consult your system administrator or contact Thorlabs technical
support for more details.

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Chapter 2 Overview and Setup
2.1 Introduction
The T-Cube NanoTrak Controller represents the latest developments in automated
optical alignment technology. It is designed for use in photonics device alignment and
is ideal for low volume device assembly, characterization, and mapping. This auto
alignment T-Cube unit is used together with a pair of external piezo amplifier channels
(KPZ101 K-Cube Piezo Drivers) to provide a complete solution for manipulating piezo
actuated nano-positioning stages to align devices to the 10nm regime. Equipped with
a direct FC/PC optical PIN diode input fed to a high gain multi-range transimpedance
amplifier (TIA), this unit dep loys the same ad vanced auto alignment algorithms
pioneered on our high end higher bandwidth benchtop NanoTrak Controller (BNT001)
to achieve high efficiency optical coupling in photonics alignment applications. The
units are shipped with an InGaAs detector for infra red wavelengths. A silicon, visible
wavelength detector (NTA009) is available separately.
Operator interaction can be accomplished via th e manual control panel, via the
intuitive software interface provided with the unit or via the software function calls.
For convenience the footprint of this unit has been kept to a minimum, measuring only
60mm x 60mm x 47mm (2.4” x 2.4” x 1.8”) and with the facility to directly mount to the
optical table close to the device under control. Table top operation also allows minimal
drive cable lengths for easier cable management. All manual controls are located on
the top face of the unit – very convenient when manually adjusting fiber positions and
monitoring the alignment via the easy to read ‘Target’ display.
Fig. 2.1 T-Cube NanoTrak Controller TNA001 (without baseplate)

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Chapter 2
USB connectivity provides easy 'Plug and Play' PC controlled operation - multiple
units can be connected to a single PC via standard USB hub technology or by using
the K-Cube Controller Hub (see Section 3.3.4.) for mul ti-axis motion control
applications. Coupling this with the user friendly Kinesis software (supplied) allows
the user to get up and running in a short space of time. Adva nced custom motion
control applications and sequences are also possible using the extensive
programming environment also supplied. This programming library is compatible with
many development tools such as LabView, Visual Basic, Visual C++, C++ Builder,
LabWindows/CVI, Matlab and Delphi.
See Section 2.3. for a full description of the Kinesis system software.
In the remai nder of this ha ndbook, the Tutorial sections (Chapter 4 “Using the
NanoTrak Without A PC” on page 17 and Chapter 5 “PC Operation - Tutorial” on
page 24) provide a good initial understanding on using the unit, and the reference
section (Chapter 6) covers all operating modes and parameters in detail.
2.2 Power Options
For power, a compact two-way power supply unit (TPS002) is available from Thorlabs
allowing up to 2 K-Cube Piezo Drivers to be powered from a single mains outlet. This
power supply unit is also designed to take up minimal space and can be mounted to
the optical table in close proximity to the driver units, connected via short power leads.
As a further level of convenience when using the T-Cube Controllers Thorlabs also
offers the 3-channel and 6-channel Controller Hubs (KCH301 and KCH601). These
products have been designed specifically with multiple cube operation in mind in
order to simplify issues such as cab le management, power supply routing, multiple
USB device communications and different optical table mounting scenarios.
The K-Cube Controller Hub comprises a slim base-plate type carrier with electrical
connections located on the upper surface to accept the K-Cubes.
Internally the Controller Hub contains a fully compliant USB 2.0 hub circuit to provide
communications for all K-Cubes – a single USB connection to the Controller Hub is
all that is required for PC control. The Controller Hub also provides power distribution
for the K-Cubes, requiring only a single power connection.
In order to fit the Na noTrak T-Cube on the hubs, and adapter (KAP101) is required
and these are available from www.thorlabs.com.

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T-Cube NanoTrak Autoalignment Controller
2.3 Kinesis PC Software Overview
2.3.1 Introduction
The K-Cube range of controllers share many of the benefits. These include 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 Kinesis software suite provides a flexible and powerful PC based control system
both for users of the equipment, and software programmers aiming to automate its
operation.
The User Interface allows full control of all settings and operating modes enabling
complete ‘out-of-box’ operation without the need to de velop any further custom
software. It provides all of the necessary 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. The Kinesis server is also used
by software d evelopers to allow the creation of advanced automated positioning
applications very rapidly and with great ease. The server is described in more detail
in the following section.
2.3.2 Kinesis Server
Kinesis controls are re-usab le compiled software compo nents that supply both a
graphical user interface an d a p rogrammable interface. Many such Controls a re
available for Windows applications development, providing a large range of re-usable
functionality. For example, there are C ontrols available that can be used to
manipulate image files, connect to the in ternet or si mply provide user interface
components such as buttons and list boxes.
With the Kinesis system, .Net Controls are deployed to allow direct control over (and
also reflect the status of) the range of electronic controller units, including the Piezo
K-Cube. Software applications that use .Net Controls are often referred to as 'client
applications'. A .Net Co ntrol is a l anguage independent software component.
Consequently the controls can be i ncorporated into a wide range of softwa re
development environments for use b y 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.

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Chapter 2
Consider the supplied for a TNA001 NanoTrak controller unit (one panel is displayed
for each controller).
This Control provides a complete user graphical instrument panel to al low the
NanoTrak 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 NanoTrak
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 range and relative power). Updates to the panel take place automatically
when a user (client) application is making software calls into th e same Control. For
example, if a client application instructs the associated NanoTrak Control to track the
position of maximum power, progress is monitored automatically by changing position
on the scan circle display, without the need for further programming intervention.
The Kinesis software provides a rich set of graphical user panels and programmable
interfaces allowing users and client application developers to interact seamlessly with

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T-Cube NanoTrak Autoalignment Controller
the hardware. Each of the co ntrollers has an associated GUI Control and these are
described fully in the handbook for the associated controller.
Fig. 2.2 System Architecture Diagram
Refer to the main Kinesis Soft ware online help file, for a co mplete programmers
guide. This is available either by pressing the F1 key when running the Kinesis server,
or via the Start menu, Start\Programs\Thorlabs\Kinesis\Kinesis Help.
2.3.3 Software Upgrades
Thorlabs operate a policy of continuous product development and may issue software
upgrades as necessary. The latest software can be downloaded from the ‘services’
section of www.thorlabs.com.

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Chapter 3 Installation & Initial Software Settings
3.1 Install The Software
DO NOT CONNECT THE CONTROLLER TO YOUR PC YET
1) Go to Services/Down loads at www.thorlabs.com and do wnload the Kin esis
software.
2) Run the .exe file and follow the on-screen instructions.
Note
This section is applicable only if the T-Cube is to be used with a PC. If
your application consists only of local operation via the T-Cube front
face, proceed to Section 3.2.
When operating via a PC, direct user interaction with the NanoTrak
controller is accomplished through intuitive graphical user interface
panels (GUIs), which expose all key operating parameters and modes.
The user can select multiple panel views displaying different information
about a particular hardware unit. The multitasking architecture ensures
that the graphical control panels always remain live, showing all current
hardware activity.
Caution
Some PCs may have been configured to restrict the users ability to load
software, and on these systems the software may not install/run. If you are
in any doubt about your rights to install/run software, please consult your
system administrator before attempting to install.
Ifyouexperience any problems wheninstalling software, contactThorlabson
[phone] and ask for Technical Support.