THORLABS KDC101 User manual

KDC101
DC Servo Motor Driver
Kinesis User Guide
Original Instructions

2 HA0363T Rev Dk Jan 2017
Contents
Chapter 1 Safety ............................................................................................. 4
1.1 Safety Information .................................................................................. 4
1.2 General Warnings .................................................................................. 4
Chapter 2 Introduction and Overview ..........................................................5
2.1 Introduction ............................................................................................. 5
2.2 K-Cube Controller Hub ........................................................................... 6
2.3 Kinesis PC Software Overview ............................................................... 7
Chapter 3 Getting Started ............................................................................10
3.1 Install The Software .............................................................................. 10
3.2 Mechanical Installation ......................................................................... 11
3.3 Electrical Installation ............................................................................. 12
3.4 Connect The Hardware ........................................................................ 14
3.5 Verifying Software Operation ............................................................... 15
Chapter 4 Standalone Operation ................................................................16
4.1 Introduction ........................................................................................... 16
4.2 Control Panel ........................................................................................ 17
4.3 Velocity Wheel Operation ..................................................................... 18
4.4 Settings Menu ...................................................................................... 19
Chapter 5 PC Operation - Tutorial ............................................................. 26
5.1 Introduction ........................................................................................... 26
5.2 Using the Kinesis Software .................................................................. 26
5.3 Homing Motors ..................................................................................... 28
5.4 Changing Motor Parameters and Moving to an Absolute Position ....... 29
5.5 Jogging ................................................................................................. 30
5.6 Setting Move Sequences ..................................................................... 31
5.7 Changing and Saving Parameter Settings ........................................... 31
5.8 Stage/Axis Tab ..................................................................................... 32
Chapter 6 Software Reference .................................................................... 33
6.1 Introduction ........................................................................................... 33
6.2 GUI Panel ............................................................................................. 33
6.3 Settings Panel ...................................................................................... 36
Continued...

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K-Cube Brushed DC Servo Motor Driver
Appendices
Appendix A Rear Panel Connector Pinout Detail ...................................... 50
Appendix B Preventive Maintenance ......................................................... 51
Appendix C Specifications and Associated Products .............................. 52
Appendix D DC Motor Operation - Background ........................................ 54
Appendix E Regulatory ................................................................................ 59
Appendix F Thorlabs Worldwide Contacts ................................................ 63

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 ha ndbook 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.

5
Chapter 2 Introduction and Overview
2.1 Introduction
The K-Cube DC Servo Controll er (KDC101) is a new very co mpact single channel
controller/driver for e asy manual and automatic control of DC Servo motors. This
driver has been designed to o perate with a varie ty of low er powered DC brushed
motors (up to 15V/2.5W operation) equipped with encoder feedback. The KDC101
has been optimised for 'out of the box' operation with the T horlabs range of Z8 DC
motor equipped opto-mechanical products, however highly flexible software settings
and closed loop tuning also supports operation with a wide range of third party DC
Servo motors and associated stages/actuators.
Although compact in footprint, this unit offers a fully featured motion control capability
including velocity profile settings, limit switch handling, “on the fly” changes in motor
speed and direction, control o ver the closed loop PID p arameters and, for more
advanced operation, adjustment of settings such as lead screw pitch and gearbox
ratio, allowing support for many different actuator configurations.
For convenience the footprint of this unit has been kept to a minimum, measuring only
60 x 60 x 47mm (2.36" x 2.36" x 1.85") and with the facility to directly mount to the
optical table close to the motorised device - convenient when manually adjusting
motor positions using the top panel controls (vel ocity control wheel). Table top
operation also allows minimal drive cable lengths for easier cable management..
Fig. 2.1 K-Cube DC Servo Motor Driver
USB connectivity provides easy 'Plug and Play' PC controlled operation - mu ltiple
units can be connected to a single PC via standard USB hub technology or by using

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Chapter 2
the new K-Cube Controller Hub (see over) for multi-axis motion control applications.
Coupling this with the very user friendly Kinesis software (supplied) allows the user to
very quickly get up and running with complex move sequences in a short space of
time – for exa mple all relevant operating parameters are set automatically by the
software for Thorlabs stage/actuator products. Advanced custom mo tion control
applications and sequences are al so possible using the extensive ActiveX®
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.
In the remainder of th is handbook, operation of the unit is described for both front
panel and PC operation. Tutorial sections (Chapter 4 and Chapter 5) provide a good
initial understanding on using the unit and reference section (Chapter 6) covers all
operating modes and parameters in detail.
2.2 Power Supply Options
For power, a single way wall plug supply (KPS101) is available for powering a single
K-Cube Driver.
As a further level of convenience when using the new K-Cube Controllers Thorlabs
also offers th e 3-channel and 6 -channel K-Cube Controller Hubs (KCH301 and
KCH601). These products have been designed specifically with multipl e K-Cube
operation in mind in orde r to simplify issues such as cabl e management, power
supply routing, multiple USB device communications and different op tical 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.

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K-Cube Brushed DC Servo Motor Driver
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. It is this Kinesis server ‘engine’
that is used by software d evelopers to allow the creation of advanced automated
positioning applications very rapid ly and wi th great ease. The Kinesis server is
described in more detail in Section 2.3.2.
Caution
On start up, wait until the top panel display has stopped flashing before
running the Kinesis software.

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Chapter 2
2.3.2 Kinesis Server
Kinesis controls are re-usable compiled software components that supply both a
graphical user interface and a pro grammable interface. Many such Co ntrols 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 intern et or simply pro vide user in terface
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 Stepper
Driver K-Cube. Software applications that use .Net Controls are often referred to a s
'client applications'. A .Net Control is a language independent software component.
Consequently the controls can b e incorporated into a w ide range of software
development environments for u se 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 .Net Control supplied for the K-Cube DC driver unit.
This Control provides a complete user graphical instrument panel to allow the motor
unit to be manually operated, as well as a complete set of software functions (often
called methods) to allow all parameters to be set a nd motor 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 motor position).
Updates to the p anel take place automatically when a user (client) application is
making software calls into the sa me Control. For example, if a client application
instructs the associated stepper motor Control to move a motor, the progress of that
move is reflected automatical ly by changing position readouts on the graphical
interface, without the need for further programming intervention.

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K-Cube Brushed DC Servo Motor Driver
The Kinesis Controls coll ection provides a rich set of graphical user panels and
programmable interfaces allowing users and client application developers to interact
seamlessly with the Kinesis hardware. Each of th e Kinesis controllers has an
associated .Net Control and these are described fully in syste m online help or the
handbooks associated with the controllers..
Fig. 2.2 System Architecture Diagram
Refer to the main Kinesis Software online help file, for a complete programmers guide
and reference material on using the Ki nesis Controls collection. 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.

10
Chapter 3 Getting Started
3.1 Install The Software
DO NOT CONNECT THE STAGE TO YOUR PC YET
1) Download the software from www.thorlabs.com.
2) Locate the downloaded setup.exe file and move to a suitable file location.
3) Double-click the setup.exe file and follow the on-screen instructions.
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 Kinesis 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 Kinesis
software is run. Please consult your system administrator or contact Thorlabs
technical support for more details.
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. If you experience
any problems when installing software, contact Thorlabs on +44 (0)1353
654440 and ask for Technical Support.

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K-Cube Brushed DC Servo Motor Driver
3.2 Mechanical Installation
3.2.1 Environmental Conditions
Location Indoor use only
Maximum altitude 2000 m
Temperature range 5oC to 40oC
Maximum Humidity Less than 80% RH (non-condensing) at 31°C
To ensure reliable operation the unit should not be exposed to corrosive agents or
excessive moisture, heat or dust.
If the unit has been stored at a low temperature or in an environment of high humidity,
it must be allowed to reach ambient conditions before being powered up.
3.2.2 Mounting Options
The K-Cube DC Driver is shipped with a baseplate, for use when fitting the unit to a
breadboard, optical table or similar surface.
For multiple cube systems, a 3-channel and 6-channel K-Cube Controller Hub
(KCH301 and KCH601). ) are also available - see Section 2.2. for further details. Full
instructions on the fitting and use of the controller hub are contained in the handbook
available at www.thorlabs.com
Warning
Operation outside the following environmental limits may adversely affect
operator safety.
Caution
When siting the unit, it should be positioned so as not to impede the
operation of the controls on the top panel.

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Chapter 3
3.2.3 Using the Baseplate
The baseplate must be bolted to the worksurface before the K-Cube is fitted, as
shown below. The K-cube is then located on two dowels in the baseplate and secured
by two clips.
Fig. 3.1 Using The Baseplate
3.3 Electrical Installation
3.3.1 Rear Panel
Fig. 3.2 Rear Panel Connections
The unit is supp lied with a 15 pin D- type connector as sho wn above, which i s
compatible with all new Thorlabs DC servo motor actuators (refer to Appendix A for
details of pin outs).
Caution
DO NOT connect a motor actuator while the K-Cube is powered up.
Only use motor drive cables supplied by Thorlabs, other cables may have
incompatible wiring.

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K-Cube Brushed DC Servo Motor Driver
3.3.2 Front Panel
Fig. 3.3 Front Panel Connections
POWER - A Standard 3.5 mm front panel jack connector for connecting the unit to a
regulated DC power supply of 15 V, 1A.
Thorlabs offers a compact, multi-way power supply unit (TPS008), allowing up to
eight Driver K-Cubes to be powered from a single mains outlet. A single way wall plug
supply (KPS101) for powering a single Driver K-Cube is also available.
USB - USB port for system communications.
ON - Power ON/Standby switch. When in the ON position, the unit is fully powered
up. When the switch is turne d to the Standby position, the unit initiates a controlled
power down sequence, saving all user-adjustable parameters to non-volatile memory
before turning off the power. For the first few seconds, the shutdown can be cancelled
by turning the switch on again, in which case the unit will save the parameters but will
remain powered up. In a powered down (Standby) state, the logic circuits are
powered off and the unit will draw only a small quiescent current. The switch should
always be used to power down the unit.
TRIG 1 and TRIG 2 - SMA connectors for use with external trigger input and output
signals (5V TTL levels). The function is set to trigger IN or OUT via the settings panel
- see Section 6.3.4.
Shock Warning
The unit must be connected only to a DC supply of 15V, 1A regulated.
Connection to a supply of a different rating may cause damage to the unit
and could result in injury to the operator.
Note
The USB cable length should be no more than 3 metres unless a powered
USB hub is being used.
_
+
TRIG 1 TRIG 2
USB
POWER
DC 15V 1A
+5V TTL +5V TTL
ON
KDC101

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Chapter 3
3.4 Connect The Hardware
1) Perform the mechanical installation as detailed in Section 3.2.
2) Install the APT Software.
3) Connect the Controller unit to your PC.
(Note. The USB cable should be no more than 3 metres in length. Communication
lengths in excess of 3 metres can be achieved by using a powered USB hub).
4) Connect the DC servo motor actuator to the Controller unit - see Section 3.3.1.
5) Connect the Controller unit to the power supply - see Section 3.3.2.
6) Connect the PSU to the main supply.
7) Switch ‘ON’ the unit using the switch on the front panel.
The unit takes about 5 seconds from pow er application until warm up is fi nished,
during which time the following screens are displayed.
Fig. 3.4 Start up display
Caution
During items (3) to (6) the instructions should be followed strictly in the
order stated. Problems may occur if the process is not performed in the
correct sequence. DO NOT connect a motor actuator while the K-Cube is
powered up.
Caution
During item (5) ensure the power supply unit is isolated from the mains
before connecting to the K-Cube unit. Always power up the K-Cube unit
byconnecting itspower supply to themains. DO NOT connectthe K-Cube
unit to a 'live' external power supply. Doing so (i.e. “hot plugging”) carries
the risk of PERMANENT damage to the unit. Similarly, to power down the
unit, disconnect the power suply from the mains before disconnecting
the K-Cube unit.
Thorlabs KDC101
SwRev 10002
Stage Connected:
Z812
At 0.0000 mm
Stopped V

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K-Cube Brushed DC Servo Motor Driver
8) WindowsTM should detect the new hardware. Wait while WindowsTM installs the
drivers for the new hardware.
3.5 Stage identification
Most of the stages compatible with the KDC101 controller are fitted with an
identification device. On power-up the KDC1 01 reads the stage identification and
loads the correct operating parameters associated with the stage. When the controller
is used with kinesis software, the type of stage is also reported to the GUI. However,
some legacy stages are not fitted with an identification device. For correct operation
these must be selected manually after power up.
If, on power-up, the controller is able to determine the type of the stage connected, it
will load the operating parameters associated with that stage and the OLED display
will show "Stage connected: <type of stage>", as shown in Fig. 3.4. In this scenario,
no further action needs to be taken.
If, however, the stage is n ot fitted with an ID (e .g. Z825V, CR1-Z7) the user can
manually select the correct stage and persist the setting. To facilitate this, the OLED
display menu contains a menu option called "Select stage". For stages that are not
fitted with an ID resistor, the user needs to use the "Select stage" menu option and
manually identify the stage connected to the controller - see Section 4.4.11. for further
details. This only needs to be done once: on subsequent power-ups the controller will
assume that the stage type has not changed, unless it detects a stage that is fitted
with an ID resistor. To indicate that the stage type is assumed rather than identified,
the OLED power-up display screen will show "Stage persisted: <stage type> (No ID)"
to warn the user that the type of the stage is only assumed and may not be correct..
Fig. 3.5 Start up display - no stage ID
Note
If any problems are encountered during the connection and power up
process, power cycle the unit, which should clear the error.
Thorlabs KDC101
SwRev 020004
Stage persisted:
Z825 <no ID>
At 0.0000 mm
Stopped V

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Chapter 3
3.6 Verifying Software Operation
3.6.1 Initial Setup
1) Ensure power is applied to the unit, then switch the unit ON using the switch on
the front panel.
2) Wait until the power up sequence is complete, then run the Kinesis Software and
check that the Graphical User Interface (GUI) panel appears and is active.
Fig. 3.6 Gui panel showing jog and ident buttons
3) Check that the actuator type is displayed in the GUI panel.
4) Click the ‘Ident’ button. The digital display on the top p anel of the a ssociated
controller flashes. This is useful in multi-channel systems for identifying which
channel is associated with which GUI.
5) Click the jog buttons on the GUI panel and check that the motor or axis connected
to the DC Driver K-Cube moves. Th e position display for the associated GUI
should increment and decrement accordingly.
Follow the tutorial steps described in Chapter 5 for further verification of operation.

17
Chapter 4 Standalone Operation
4.1 Introduction
The DC Driver K-Cube has been designed specifically to operate with the extensive
range of Th orlabs DC motorised opto-mechanical products. The unit offers a ful ly
featured motion control capability including velocity profile settings, limit sw itch
handling, homing sequences and, for more advanced operation, adjustment of
settings such a s lead screw pitch an d gearbox ratio, al lowing support for many
different actuator configurations. These parameters can be set via the Kinesis Server
software - see Chapter 5. Furthermore, many of these parameters are automatically
set to allow “out of the box” operation with no further “tuning” required.
The following brief overview explains how the fron t panel controls can be used to
perform a typical series of motor moves. It is assumed that the unit has already been
insatlled and configured for the particular actuator or stage to hich it is associated -
see Chapter 3 for more details.
4.2 Control Panel
4.2.1 Overview
Fig. 4.1 Panel Controls and Indicators
MOVE Controls - These controls allow all motor moves to be initiated.
Velocity Wheel - Used to drive the motor at a varying speed in either fo rward or
reverse directions for full and easy motor control - see Section 4.3.
Digital Display - The display shows the menu options and settings, accessed via
the menu button - see Section 4.4. When the Ident button on the associated GUI
panel is clicked, the display will flash for a short period.
MENU - used to access the settings menu - see Section 4.4. Also used to stop a
move when the stage is in motion.
Brushed Motor Controller
MENU

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Chapter 4
4.2.2 Digital Display - Operating Mode
During normal operation, the digital display shows the current position (in millimeters
or degrees) and the current state of the motor (Stopped or Moving). If the stage being
driven has been homed, the display will also show ‘Homed’.
Fig. 4.2 Digital Display - Normal Operation
For rotation stages, the position display will be restricted to the "Equivalent Angle"
display mode (see Section 6 .3.6. for more d etails), so the p osition displayed will
always be a positive number between 0 and 360 degrees. If set to Total Angle in the
settings panel, the LED display will still show the equivalent 0 to 360° value but the
GUI screen will show the total rotation.
4.3 Velocity Wheel Operation
The velocity wheel is a sprung potentiometer, such that when released it returns to it’s
central position. In this central position the motor is stationary. Different types of move
can be initiated by the wheel, depending on its mode setting. The mode can be set
either via the GUI Settings panel, see Section 6.3.4. or via the top panel display menu,
see Section 4.4. The various operating modes are describ ed in Section 4.3.1. to
Section 4.3.3.
4.3.1 Homing
A ‘Home’ move is performed to establish a datum from which subsequent absolute
position moves can be measured (see Section 5.3. an d Section D.2.2. for further
information on the home position).
To initiate a ‘Home’ see Section 4.4.3.
4.3.2 Go to Position
In ‘Go To Position’ mode, two preset position values can be specified, such that the
motor moves to position 1 when the wheel is moved down, and to position 2 when it
is moved up. These ‘taught’ positions can be set through the software GUI - see
Section 6.3.4. or via the display menu, see Section 4.4.7.
Brushed Motor Controller
At 0.0000 mm
Stopped V

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K-Cube Brushed DC Servo Motor Driver
This mode of operation is enabled by setting the ‘Wheel Mode’ to ‘Go To Position’
through the software GUI - see Section 6.3.4. or via the display menu, see Section
4.4.5.
4.3.3 Jogging
The top panel wheel can also be configured to ‘jog’ the motor. This mode of operation
is enabled by setting the ‘Wheel Mode’ parameter to ‘Jogging’ through the software
GUI - see Section 6.3.4. or via the display menu, see Section 4.4.5.
Once set to this mode, the jogging parameters for the wheel are taken from the ‘Jog’
parameters on the ‘Move/Jogs’ settings tab - see Section 6.3.2. or via the display
menu, see Section 4.4.6.
4.3.4 Velocity Moves
Lastly, the wheel can be used to initiate a move at a specified velocity. As the wheel
is moved away from the centre, the motor begins to move. Bidirectional control of the
motor is possible by moving the wheel in both directions. The speed of the motor
increases by discrete amounts as a function of wheel deflection, up to a maximum as
set in through the software GUI - see Se ction 6.3.4. or vi a the display menu, see
Section 4.4.4. The move stops when the wheel is returned to its centre position.
Note for Rotation Stage Users
If the current absolute position is outside the 0 to 360 degree range, then "go
to position" will result in a move to the correct angular position within the
same 0..360 degree full turn "segment". This means that the move will always
stay in the current full turn segment, and from this point of view it is not always
the quickest position move. For example, if you are at 350 degrees and you
enter a "go to" position of 10 degrees, the stage will rotate anticlockwise 340
degrees and not clockwise 20 degrees.

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Chapter 4
4.4 Settings Menu
4.4.1 Overview
Press the MENU button
Use the wheel to scroll through the menu options
Press the MENU button to enter a particular option
Move the stage to an absolute position - see Section 4.4.2.
Move the stage to the Home position - see Section 4.4.3.
Set the Max Velocity - see Section 4.4.4.
Set the joystick wheel mode - see Section 4.4.5.
Set the Jog Step Size - see Section 4.4.6.
Set the teach positions - see Section 4.4.7.
Set the display brightness - see Section 4.4.8.
Set the display timeout - see Section 4.4.9.
Disable the wheel - see Section 4.4.10.
Select the stage type connected - see Section 4.4.11.
At 0.0000 mm
Stopped V
Menu options
Use wheel
Menu options
1 Go to position
Menu options
2 Start homing
Menu options
3 Velocity
Menu options
4 Joystick mode
Menu options
5 Jog step size
Menu options
6 Teach position
Menu options
7 Brightness
Menu options
8 Disp.Timeout
Menu options
9 Disable
Menu options
10 Select stage
MENU