THORLABS NanoRotator User manual

NR360S
Motorized 360° Rotation Stage
User Guide
Original Instructions

2
Contents
Chapter 1 Safety .............................................................................................3
1.1 Safety Information ...................................................................................3
1.2 General Warnings ...................................................................................3
Chapter 2 Overview ........................................................................................4
2.1 Description ..............................................................................................4
2.2 Accessories .............................................................................................5
Chapter 3 Operation .......................................................................................6
3.1 Using the Nanorotator with the APT System ..........................................6
3.1.1 Background ........................................................................................................ 6
3.1.2 System Setup ..................................................................................................... 7
Chapter 4 Installation .....................................................................................8
4.1 Unpacking ...............................................................................................8
4.2 Transportation .........................................................................................8
4.3 Electrical Connections ............................................................................8
4.4 Attaching to a Work Surface ...................................................................9
4.5 Attaching Components and Devices........................................................9
4.6 Dimensions ...........................................................................................10
4.6.1 NanoRotator Dimensions ................................................................................. 10
4.6.2 Table Mounting Plate ....................................................................................... 11
4.6.3 LNR or NRT Stage Mounting Plate .................................................................. 11
4.6.4 Vertical Mounting bracket ................................................................................. 12
4.6.5 General Purpose Carriage Plate ...................................................................... 13
4.6.6 Grooved Carriage Plate ................................................................................... 13
Chapter 5 Specification ................................................................................14
Chapter 6 Parts List ......................................................................................15
Chapter 7 Regulatory ....................................................................................16
7.1 Declarations Of Conformity ...................................................................16
7.1.1 For Customers in Europe ................................................................................. 16
7.1.2 For Customers In The USA .............................................................................. 16
7.2 Waste Electrical and Electronic Equipment (WEEE) Directive .............16
7.2.1 Compliance ...................................................................................................... 16
7.2.2 Waste treatment on your own responsibility .................................................... 17
7.2.3 Ecological background ..................................................................................... 17
7.3 CE Certificate.........................................................................................18
Chapter 8 Thorlabs Worldwide Contacts....................................................19

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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.

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Chapter 2 Overview
2.1 Description
The NanoRotator NR series rotation stage provides arc-second resolution when
driven from a microstepping stepper motor controller. The low profile design,
measuring just 55mm high, is made possible by the use of two compact precision
bearings. The rotating carriage of the stage provides continuous rotation of load of up
to 50kg and has a 50mm clear aperture to allow the passage of the optical path
directly through the stage. The main body of the stage is made from lightweight
aluminum and can attach directly to an optical table, or be mounted at any orientation
via the 9 mounting holes provided along four surfaces of the device. A worm gear
assembly is used to transfer the rotary motion of the stepper motor into rotary motion
of the carriage. There is a mechanical reduction in this gear assembly that provides
one revolution of the carriage for every 66 turns of the stepper motor.
An electrical limit switch has been fitted to allow the user to datum the Nanorotator but
this limit switch is only active in the negative direction. This means that the
Nanorotator will run to infinity in the positive direction, but will not pass zero in the
negative direction. If a movement is programmed that takes the manipulator past its
negative limit, the limit switch will trip and stop the motor. It is then only be possible to
execute moves in the positive direction until the limit switch is no longer tripped.
The Nanorotator is designed specifically to operate with the BSCxxx benchtop
stepper motor controllers or the MST60x modular stepper motor control unit.
For further information on these controllers, please refer to the relevant manuals.

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NR360S Motorized 360° Rotation Stage
2.2 Accessories
Several mounting plates are available which allow the stage to be fixed to an optical
table in either horizontal or vertical configurations. The adapter plates allow device
holders to be fitted to the rotating platform. The stage can also be mounted onto one
of our NST or TravelMax long travel stages.
NR360SP1 - Table Mounting Plate: This adapter plate is used to mount the NR360S
rotation stage to a large flat surface such as an optical table. The 10mm thickness
provides clearance for the stepper motor body which extends below the bottom
surface of the stage, and ensures that the stage sits flat on the mounting surface.
NR360SP2 - Vertical Mounting Bracket: Allows the NR360S rotation stage to be
mounted in a vertical orientation.
NR360SP4 - Grooved Carriage Plate: This adapter plate provides an easy means to
integrate all of the miscellaneous accessories from our fiber launch systems product
line. These accessories include optical mounts, tip-tilt mounts, as well as fiber
holders. Please see the Accessories tab on the main NR360S stage page for more
details on the range of accessories available.
NR360SP5 - Mounting Plate: This mounting plate allows the NR360S stage to be
attached to a LNR50 TravelMax, or NRT stage.
NR360SP8 - SM1 Apapter Plate: This mounting plate features an SM1 threaded
through hole and allows 1" optics and our SM1 product line to be mounted to the
NR360S.
NR360SP9 - 1/4"-20 and 8-32 Threaded Adapter Plate: Provides numerous options
for attaching devices to the NR360S: includes 17 1/4"-20 Mounting holes, and four 8-
32 fixing holes.
NR360SP9/M - M6 and M4 Threaded Adapter Plate: Provides numerous options for
attaching devices to the NR360S: includes 17 M6 Mounting holes, and four M4 fixing
holes.

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Chapter 3 Operation
3.1 Using the Nanorotator with the APT System
3.1.1 Background
The hybrid stepper motor used in the actuator, with its rotor that consists of 50
individual magnetic teeth, is ideally suited for micro-stepping applications. Aside from
the obvious increase in resolution provided by increasing the steps per revolution
from 200 to 409,600, micro-stepping also ensures smoother low speed motion by
allowing the discrete 1.8º step size, which produces vibrational noise, to be reduced
to much smaller steps with inherently lower resultant vibrational noise.
The rotation stage utilizes a worm gear assembly which provides one complete
rotation of the platform for every 66 turns of the stepper motor. When used with the
APT™ Series stepper motor controller, the stepper motor provides 409,600 steps per
revolution resulting in 66 x 409,600 steps per revolution of the stage. This results in a
360/(66 x 409,600)° or 13.3 x 10-6 degrees of platform rotation per microstep.
The Nanorotator is connected to the Stepper Motor Controller via a flying lead
terminated in a D-type type connector.
Manual control of the Nanorotator can be achieved by switching off the drive to the
motors. Please refer to the relevent controller manual.
3.1.2 System Setup
1) Install the electronic hardware and connect the modules to the relevent axes of
the associated stages (see the handbooks supplied with the APT Controllers).
2) For each Stepper Motor Controller in your system, fit the interlock plug (supplied)
to the MOTOR CONTROL connector on the rear panel.
3) Shut down all applications using the APT server (e.g. APT User or your own
custom application).
4) Run the APT Config utility - Start/All Programs/Thorlabs/APT Config/APT Config.
Caution
The relevant stepper motor controller or channel must be switched off/
disabled before the Nanorotator is plugged in or unplugged. Failure to
switch the controller off may result in damage to either the controller, the
Nanorotator, or both.
Caution
The electrical limit switch does not operate when the motor is being
turned by hand. Care must be taken to to avaid fouling if the drive is
turned past the limit switch.

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NR360S Motorized 360° Rotation Stage
5) From the 'APT Configuration Utility' window, click the 'Stage' tab.
Fig. 3.1 APT Configuration Utility - Stage Tab
6) In the ‘Motor’ field, select the serial number of the stepper motor controller to be
configured (this number can be found on the rear panel of the controller unit).
7) In the ‘Stage’ field, select ‘HS NanoRotator’ from the list displayed.
8) Click the 'Add Stage Association' button.
9) A default configuration is set at the factory and stored in the non-volatile memory
of the motor controller. The server reads in the stage and controller information on
start up. See the handbook supplied with the stepper motor controller for further
information.
Note
To ensure correct operation, it is important to select the correct stage type
for your controller. If using a BSC20x series controller, select the ‘HS
NanoRotator’ option. If using a legacy BSC0xx or BSC10x controller,
choose an option without the ‘HS’ prefix.
Selecting an incompatible stage type could result in reduced velocity and
resolution.
Note
In applications where continuous rotation is necessary for prolonged
periods, it is possible that the position register inside the controller could
overflow. In this case, the stage will continue to operate, but the position
readout is no longer accurate. Homing the stage will restore the positional
accuracy.

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Chapter 4 Installation
4.1 Unpacking
4.2 Transportation
4.3 Electrical Connections
Note.
* The limit switch ground is connected to the motor body.
Cautions
Once removed from its packaging, the NanoRotator is easily damaged by
mishandling. The unit should only be handled by its base, not by the top
platform or any attachments to the top platform.
Do not carry the Nanorotator by the drive actuator. Serious damage may
occur if excessive force is applied to the drive.
Caution
When packing the unit for shipping, use the original packing. If this is not
available, use a strong box and surround the NanoRotator with at least
100 mm of shock absorbent material.
Pin Description
1 Limit Switch Ground *
2 Not Used
3CWLimitSwitch
4PhB-ve
5PhB+ve
6PhA-ve
7PhA+ve
8 to 14 Not Used
15 Earth
15
610
11 15

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NR360S Motorized 360° Rotation Stage
4.4 Attaching to a Work Surface
Several mounting plates are available which allow the stage to be fixed to an optical
table in either horizontal or vertical configurations. The adapter plates allow device
holders to be fitted to the rotating platform. The stage can also be mounted onto one
of our NRT or LNR series long travel stages.
See Section 2.2.for a description of the mounting and adapter plates. Dimensions are
detailed in Section 4.6.
4.5 Attaching Components and Devices
Caution
To prevent excessive distortion, use nylon washers under the heads of
the securing screws.
Accessory Part Number
Table Mounting Plate (Imperial) NR360SP1
Table Mounting Plate (Metric) NR360SP1/M
Vertical Mounting Bracket (Imperial NR360SP2
Vertical Mounting Bracket (Metric) NR360SP2/M
Grooved Carriage Plate (Imperial NR360SP4
Grooved Carriage Plate (Metric) NR360SP4/M
Mounting Plate to NST or LNR (Imperial) NR360SP5
Mounting Plate (Metric) NR360SP5/M
SM1 Adapter Plate NR360SP8
Caution
Users must ensure that components and devices fitted to the unit are
properly secured to the moving platform

10 HA0040T Rev 10 Mar 2016
Chapter 4
4.6 Dimensions
4.6.1 NanoRotator Dimensions
Fig. 4.1 NanoRotator dimensions
TOP PLATE (OPTIONAL) NR360SP3/M (SP3) or NR360SP4/M (SP4)
TABLE ADAPTOR (OPTIONAL) NR360SP1/M (SP1)
10.0
10.0
FOR MOUNTING TOP ADAPTOR PLATE
(OPTIONAL)
4 HOLES M4 EQUALLY SPACED
ON A 59.0 PCD
2 HOLES
M6 ON 3 SIDES
ø50.0 CLEAR
APERTURE THROUGH
4 HOLES ø7.5 THROUGH
C/BORED ø11.5 X 7.5 DP.
›
› ›
0°-360° IN 1° DIVISIONS
SQUARE
GRADUATED KNOB
(SCALE 0-100)
CENTRE
›
NUMBERS AT 20°
13.0 (0.51)
26.0(1.02)
50.0 (1.97)
50.0
(1.97)
34.5
(1.36)
32.0 (1.26)
115.5 (4.55)
8.0
(0.32)
100.0 (3.94)
Ø98.0 ROTATION PLATFORM
50.5 (1.99)50.5 (1.99)
50.5 (1.99)
42.2 (1.66)
197.0 (7.75)
all dimensions in millimetres (inches)