THORLABS KPA101 Kinesis User Manual
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THORLABS KPA101 Kinesis User Manual

Beam position aligner
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KPA101
Beam Position Aligner
Kinesis User Guide
Original Instructions

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Summary of Contents for THORLABS KPA101

  • Page 1 KPA101 Beam Position Aligner Kinesis User Guide Original Instructions...

  • Page 2: Table Of Contents

    Contents Chapter 1 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 Software Overview ..............7 Chapter 3 Initial Installation ................ 10 3.1 Install The Software ................
  • Page 3 Appendices Appendix A Connector Pinout Details ............63 Appendix B PID Tutorial ................65 Appendix C Preventive Maintenance ............66 Appendix D Specifications and Associated Parts ........67 Appendix E Regulatory ................68 Appendix F Thorlabs Worldwide Contacts ..........71...

  • Page 4: Chapter 1 Safety

    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 symbo ls may be u sed throughout the h andbook and on the equipment itself.

  • Page 5: Chapter 2 Overview And Setup

    Chapter 2 Overview and Setup 2.1 Introduction The KPA101 beam position aligner K-Cube is designed to work with the Thorla bs PDP and PDQ series detector heads. As a member of the K-Cube family of controll e rs this unit ben efits from a unifie d ActiveX software interface, USB conn ectivity, very compact footprint and co mpatibility with the K-Cube Hub System.

  • Page 6: Power Options

    Important Note For convenience and consistency, all system descriptions and examples throughout this manual assume that the KPA101 is used with a pair of KPZ101 K-Cube Piezo Controllers. It is also possible to use the MDT693B or BPC303 controllers, or a 3rd party piezo amplifier, or even a non-piezo actuated positioning element, as long as they have suitable low voltage external control inputs and a manual adjustment facility.

  • Page 7: Kinesis Software Overview

    K-Cube Position Aligner 2.3 Kinesis 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.
  • Page 8 Chapter 2 Consider the Control supplied for a KPA101 position aligner (one panel is displayed for each controller). This Control provides a complete user graphical instrument panel to allow the unit to be manually operated, as well as a comple te set of software functions (often called methods) to allow all parameters to be set and control operations to be automated by a client application.
  • Page 9 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.

  • Page 10: Chapter 3 Initial Installation

    +44 (0)1353 654440 and ask for Technical Support. 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.

  • Page 11: Mechanical Installation

    (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 for the units, available at www.thorlabs.com. Caution When siting the unit, it should be positioned so as not to impede the operation of the control panel.

  • Page 12: Electrical Installation

    3.3.1 Rear Panel Fig. 3.2 Rear Panel Connections DETECTOR IN – used to conne ct the detector (compatible with Thorlabs PDQ and PDP series detectors) - see Section A.2. for pin out details. SUM, X DIFF and Y DIFF (Female SMA connectors) – Used to output the signals from the detector to the rest of the system.
  • Page 13 This signal is proportional to the total amount of light hitting the detector. Note Thorlabs supply a variety of SMA to BNC and SMC to BNC adaptor and extension cables. Please see our catalog, or visit www.thorlabs.com for further details.
  • Page 14 POWER - Eight pin connector for connecting the unit to a regulated DC power supply of the rating detailed in Section 3.3.2. Thorlabs offers a compact power supply unit (TPS002), allowing up to two Driver K- Cubes to be powered from a single mains outlet.
  • Page 15 DC power supply of the rating detailed in Section 3.3.2. 2) Switch on the Power Supply unit. Thorlabs offers a compact, two-way power supply unit (TPS002), allowing up to two position aligner or Piezo driver K-Cubes to be powered from a singl e mains outlet.

  • Page 16: Chapter 4 Getting Started - Basic Operation

    Throughout this section, the sensor described is a PDQ80A quad detector. However, the KPA101 unit is als o compatible with other Thorlabs detectors, such as the PDQ30C IR detector head or the PDP90A Lateral Effect Detector.

  • Page 17: Detector Head Descriptions

    The two difference signals are voltage analogs of the lig ht intensity difference sensed by the pairs of photodiode elements in the array. These three signals are sent in analog form to the KPA101 position aligner via its rear panel DETECTOR IN (6-pin HRS) connector.

  • Page 18: Use Of The Sum And Difference Signals For Alignment

    Chapter 4 One cathode electrode is connected to the back surface, which is covered with resistive material. When radiation is incident upon the sensor, a photocurrent is generated at that position and it is propo rtional to the incident light energy. The photocurrent is pro portionally distributed between the four electrodes on the front surface relative to th e position of the light spot on the sen sor.

  • Page 19: A Note About Bipolar Voltage Outputs

    KPZ101 will work correctly. In a closed loop system, the KPA101 acts like the controller and can output a positive voltage to increase the output voltage of the KPZ101 (make it more positive), or output a negative voltage to decrease it.

  • Page 20: Sensor Data Precision

    Chapter 4 4.2.6 Sensor Data Precision The precision of the beam alignment data for a sensor is dependent on the beam size, beam geometry, and beam power density characteristics. Given a beam size and geometry that fits within the recommended diameter of the sensor, a zero valu e for both the X and Y difference signals indicates the beam is centered with respect to power density (i.e.

  • Page 21: Control Panel Buttons And Indicators

    K-Cube Position Aligner 4.3 Control Panel Buttons and Indicators Position Aligner MENU Fig. 4.4 Panel Controls and Indicators These controls allow all operations to be initiated. Wheel - Used to move through the various set up menu options - see Section 4.5. Digital Display - Under normal operation, the display shows the horizontal and vertical position of the laser beam within the detector sensor array, together with the X-Diff and Y-Diff values, see Section 4.3.1.

  • Page 22: Digital Display - Operating Mode

    Chapter 4 4.3.1 Digital Display - Operating Mode Signals output to Operating Mode rear panel SMA Open Loop (O) connectors Closed Loop (C) Position Aligner Monitor (M) X - 9 . 6 9 + 0 . 0 0 C Automatic Loop Signals received Y + 1 .

  • Page 23: Settings Menu

    K-Cube Position Aligner 4.4 Settings Menu 4.4.1 Menu Overview X - 9 . 6 9 + 0 . 0 0 O Y + 1 . 4 6 + 0 . 0 0 Press the MENU button MENU M e n u o p t i o n s Use the wheel to scroll through the menu options U s e w h e e l Press the MENU button to enter a particular option...

  • Page 24: Menu Option - Brightness

    Chapter 4 4.4.3 Menu Option - Brightness X - 9 . 6 9 + 0 . 0 0 C In certain applications, it may be necessary to adjust the Y + 1 . 4 6 + 0 . 0 0 brightness of the LED display.

  • Page 25: Operating Modes

    K-Cube Position Aligner 4.5 Operating Modes The operating mode can be set via the Settings menu (see Section 4.4.), or by via the GUI panel (see Section 6.1.). 4.5.1 Monitor Mode When operating in 'Monitor ' mode, the X axis (XDIFF) and Y axis (YDIFF) difference signals from the detector, are fed through to the rear panel SMA connectors for use in a monitoring application - see Fig.

  • Page 26: Open Loop Mode

    Chapter 4 4.5.2 Open Loop Mode When in ‘Open Loop’ mode, the signa ls on th e rear pan el XDIFF and YDIFF connectors now represent the XOut a nd YOut position demand signals, used to position the beam steering element. These signals are either fixed at zero (0V), or held at the last Closed Loop value (depending on the ‘Position Demands In Open Loop Mode’...

  • Page 27: Closed Loop Mode

    K-Cube Position Aligner 4.5.3 Closed Loop Mode In ‘Closed Loop’ mode, the signal from the detector is interpreted by the unit, and the feedback circuit sends position demand signals (XOut and YOut) to the rear panel XDIFF and YDIFF connectors, which can be used to drive a pair of positio ning elements (e.g.
  • Page 28 Chapter 4 feedback signals. Later when the beam is restored, closed loop operation will resume and continue control starting from the last valid beam position. Note that because automatic switchover assumes the knowled ge of the last valid closed loop beam position that is lost when the controller is powered down, this option cannot be persisted.
  • Page 29 K-Cube Position Aligner PDQ80A Proportional Quad coefficient Detector Subtract Multiply e (x) error Multiply XDIFF Summing Integral XPOS Stage coefficient setpoint Integrator YDIFF now (t) (same as e(x) dt XDIFF) Multiply Demand Sense Polarity Differential coefficient Differentiator de(x) Derivative Filter Multiply To rear Panel SUM O/P From Proportional Multiplier...

  • Page 30: Basic Application Example

    Chapter 4 4.6 Basic Application Example 4.6.1 Introduction It is likely that the KPA101 position aligner will be used as a closed loop controller in a potentially complicated op to-mechanical system. This section illustrates its deployment in a beam stabilization application, and describes the main steps required to build a working closed loop system.

  • Page 31: Basic Operation

    K-Cube Position Aligner Caution During item (6) ensure the power switch on the front panel of the unit is turned OFF before connecting to the K-Cube units. DO NOT connect the K-Cube units to a 'live' power supply. Doing so (i.e. “hot plugging”) carries the risk of PERMANENT damage to the unit.
  • Page 32 Chapter 4 demand sense is positive - se e Fig. 4.10. If they move to the right, the demand sense is negative. Note The default settings for the Position Demand Sense is ‘Positive’, which is correct for the set up shown in Fig. 4.9. If the check described at item (5) shows a negative demand sense, then it will be necessary to connect a PC to change the Position Demand Sense parameter in the Settings panel - see Section 6.2.

  • Page 33: Signs Of Instability

    K-Cube Position Aligner 8) Press the MODE button on the position aligner to select ‘Closed Loop’ mode, i.e. the CLOSED LOOP LED is lit. The position aligner unit now takes over the alignment, and controls the piezo units to drive the piezo mirror to direct the laser beam to the central position. The beam position within the sensor array is indicated by the target display on the top panel.

  • Page 34: Using The Target Display

    Chapter 4 4.6.6 Using the Target Display The ‘target’ display shows the horizontal and vertical position of the laser beam within the detector sen sor array. Whe n used in conjunction with the display on the p iezo cubes, it can also be used to show when the piezo actuators are near the ends of their travel and need re-centering.
  • Page 35 K-Cube Position Aligner 1) Press the MENU button on the position aligner and select ‘Open Loop’ mode. 2) Adjust the voltage on the piezo drivers until both displays read 37.5 V. 3) Adjust the manu al actuators on the turn ing mirror as necessary to position the laser beam in the detector array.

  • Page 36: Chapter 5 Pc Operation - Tutorial

    This tutorial shows how the Kinesis application provides all of the functionality necessary to operate the hardware. Power up the hardware, and wait until the KPA101 has finished booting up, then run the Kinesis software - Start/All Programs/Thorlabs/Kinesis/Kinesis. Note For maximum accuracy, wait approximately 30 mins for the unit to thermally stabalize to the environment.
  • Page 37 The Kinesis software will be used throughout the rest of this tutorial to interface with the position aligner. Throughout this section, the sensor described is a PDQ80A quad detector. However, the KPA101 unit is also compatible with other Thorlabs detectors, such as the PDQ30C IR detector head or the PDP90A Lateral Effect Detector.

  • Page 38: Building An Auto-Alignment System - Pc Operation

    Note There are only enough hub lines to facilitate comms between one KPA101 unit and a pair of KPZ101 units. If a second KPA101 unit is used with 2 KPZ101 units, then SMA to SMA connections are required. This configurations are by no means the only possible options, and indeed any piezo controller (MDT693B, BPC series etc.) co uld be used to provide the drive voltage...

  • Page 39: Wiring And Software Settings For Hub Operation

    USB comms connections to all controller cubes. The following procedure describes a typical set up, with the KPA101 position aligner cube being used with a pair of KPZ101 piezo driver cubes on the KCH601 controller hub - see Fig.
  • Page 40 Wait while Windows installs the drivers for the new hardware. 10) Run the Kinesis software Start/All Programs/Thorlabs/Kinesis/Kinesis. 11) Click the ‘Settings’ button on GUI of the Piezo Driver fitted in bay 1. The Settings panel is displayed. Note To identify the piezo unit associated with a GUI panel, click the ‘Ident’...
  • Page 41 20) Click the Display tab and set the LV Signal Routing parameter to PositionAligner Hub and SMA, as shown in Fig. 5.4.. Fig. 5.4 KPA101 Settings Panel - Hub Operation Note When signals are routed via the hub, the YDIFF signal is routed via Channel 1 and XDIFF is routed via channel 2.

  • Page 42: Hub Mounting Options

    Chapter 5 5.3.3 Hub Mounting Options When the K-Cube position aligner and two piezo drivers are used together on the hub, signals can be routed via dedicated internal communication channels. These channels are selected via the GUI Settings panel. If Channel 2 is selected, the feedback signals run between adjacent pairs of K-Cube bays (i.e.
  • Page 43 K-Cube Position Aligner bay 1 bay 3 KPZ101 KPZ101 Hub Channel 2 Hub Channel 1 Position Aligner Piezo Controller Piezo Controller MENU MENU MENU bay 3 KPZ101 Hub Channel 1 Position Aligner Piezo Controller Piezo Controller MENU MENU MENU bay 2 KPZ101 Hub Channel 2 bay 4...

  • Page 44: Basic Operation

    X-axis piezo actuator. Turn the control knob on the piezo GUI to increase the piezo drive voltage. The spot in the main display of the KPA101 GUI should move along the X axis with very little Y axis movement. If the beam moves in the Y-axis, or diagonally, the piezo controller is connected to the wrong actuator.
  • Page 45 K-Cube Position Aligner Fig. 5.8 X-axis Position Demand Sense Check 6) Check that the piezo controller connected to the Y DIFF connector, is driving the Y-axis piezo actuator. Turn the control knob on the piezo controller to increase the piezo drive voltage. The laser beam should move along the Y axis with very little X axis movement.
  • Page 46 Chapter 5 Using the GUI Displays The small left hand display shows the detector XDiff, YDiff and Sum signal values in Volts. Also shown are the XOut and YOutvalues, which are applicable in ‘closed loop mode only. These values show the low voltage position demand signals applied to the piezos in order to keep the beam central in the detector.
  • Page 47 K-Cube Position Aligner When the unit is switched to closed loop mode, the spot moves towards the center of the display as the piezo units drive the piezo mirror to reposition the laser beam. Fig. 5.10 Repositioning the Laser Beam But the X Out and Y Out values are nearly ‘10’, which means that the piezos are near the limit of their travel.

  • Page 48: Signs Of Instability

    Chapter 5 14) The piezos drivers will position the piezo mirror such that the laser beam is held central within the detector array, i.e. for a 75V piezo, the X Out and Y Out values show around 0V (37.5V piezo drive) and the spot is central within the display as shown below.

  • Page 49: Troubleshooting

    K-Cube Position Aligner Note The default settings for the PID parameters are correct for the set up shown in Fig. 4.9. If any of the above signs are apparent, it will be necessary to adjust the PID settings in the Settings panel - see Section 6.2. Once the PID parameters have been adjusted, check that the system is unconditionally stable.

  • Page 50: Chapter 6 Software Reference

    6.1 GUI Panel Fig. 6.1 Position aligner Software GUI Note The serial number of the KPA101 position aligner associated with the GUI panel, is displayed in the top right hand corner. This information should always be provided when requesting customer support.
  • Page 51 K-Cube Position Aligner Digital Display - Shows the X ax is (XDiff) and Y axis (YDiff) difference signals and the Sum sign al values from the detector array. If a PDQ series position aligner head is connected, the display shows the XDiff and YDiff values in Volts. If a PDP series Lateral Effect sensor is connected, the display shows the XPos and YPos values in mm - see Section 4.2.
  • Page 52 Chapter 6 Monitor, Open Loop and Closed Loop - These three buttons are used to togg le between Monitor, Open Loop and Closed Loop modes. The LED in the button is lit when a particular mode is selected - see Section 4.5.

  • Page 53: Settings Panel

    K-Cube Position Aligner 6.2 Settings Panel When the 'Settings' button on th e GUI pan el is clicked, the 'Settings' window is displayed. This panel allows data such as output modes and operating modes to be entered. Note that all of these parameters have programmable equivalents accessible through the functions on this Control (refer to the Kinesis API helpfile for further details.

  • Page 54: Control Settings Tab

    Chapter 6 6.2.2 Control Settings Tab Fig. 6.2 Position aligner Control Settings panel Feedback Loop Settings - When operating in Closed Loop mode, the proportional, integral and differential (PID) constants can be used to fine tune the behaviour of the feedback loop to cha nges in the output voltage or p osition.
  • Page 55 K-Cube Position Aligner Low Pass Filter - The output of the derivative (differential) part of the PID controller can be passed through a tuneable low pass filter. Whilst the derivative component of the PID lo op often improves sta bility (as it acts as a re taining force against abrupt changes in the system), it is prone to amplifying noise present in the system, as the derivative component is sensitive to changes between adjacent samples.
  • Page 56 Chapter 6 closed loop system. The notch filter is an adjustable electronic anti-resonance that can be used to counteract the natural resonance of the mechanical system. As the resonance frequency of actuators var i es with load in addition to the minor variations from product to product, the notch filter is tuneable so that its characteristics can be adjusted to match those of the actuator.
  • Page 57 K-Cube Position Aligner of the notch (or the equivalent quality factor, often referred to as the Q-factor) can also be adjusted. In simple terms, the Q factor is the centre frequency/bandwidth, and defines how wide the notch is, a higher Q factor defining a narrower ("higher quality") notch. Optimizing the Q factor requires some experimentation but in general a value of 5 to 10 is in most cases a good starting point.

  • Page 58: Display Tab

    Chapter 6 6.2.3 Display Tab Fig. 6.3 Display tab Detector The unit can be configured for use with a number of sensor/detector heads. This parameter allows the user to set the type of detector head being used as follows: PDQ80A PDQ80A Quadrant Detector Head.
  • Page 59 K-Cube Position Aligner For use with pi ezo K-Cubes, select ‘PositionAligner Hub and SMA’ to use the internal comms lines or ‘PositionAligner SMA Only’ to use just the external SMA connectors - see Section 5.3.3. for more details. Open Loop Position Outputs - This parameter sets the value of the drive signal from the XDiff and YDiff connecto rs when the unit is switched to from closed loop to open loop mode.

  • Page 60: Triggertab

    Chapter 6 6.2.4 TriggerTab Fig. 6.4 Panel/Triggering tab Triggering Introduction The K-Cube position aligner has two bidirectional trigger ports (TRIG1 and TRIG2) that can be independently configured either as an input or an output and assigned a function from the list of options described in the following section. The polarity (logic HIGH / LOW or rising / falling edge) can also be configured to suit the requirements of the equipment connected to these ports.
  • Page 61 K-Cube Position Aligner Warning Do not drive the TRIG ports from any voltage source that can produce an output in excess of the normal 0 to 5 Volt logic level range. In any case the voltage at the TRIG ports must be limited to -0.25 to +5.25 Volts. Trigger Settings The mode for each trigger port is set in the appropriate Trigger Mode parameters as follows:...
  • Page 62 Chapter 6 TrigOut - Diff - The state of the TRIG port is asserted depending on whether both the XDIFF and the YDIFF signals coming from the position sensor are below the Trig Diff Threshold parameter. If both XDIFF and YDIFF are below the limit, the state will be the logic state selected in Triggering Polarity and conversely if either of them falls outside these limits, it will assume the opposite logic state.

  • Page 63: Appendix A Connector Pinout Details

    Connector Pinout Details A.1 Power Connector Thorlabs recommends that the position aligner cube is operated with Thorlabs power supply TPS002, as it was specifically designed for use with this product. However, to enable customers to use th e cube in install ations where a ±15V and 5V power is already available, the pi ezo cube can be operated with a di fferent external power supply, such as a bench or lab supply.
  • Page 64 Appendix A A.2 DETECTOR IN Connector The DETECTOR IN conne ctor on the rear panel is a HIROSE HR 10A-7R-6S connector, which mates with the connector on the sensor cable. Fig. A.2 show s the pin con figuration as vi ewed by lo oking at th e rear pa nel of the cube..

  • Page 65: Appendix Bpid Tutorial

    Appendix B PID Tutorial The KPA101 implements a PID control loop for cl osed loop control. A PID (Proportional-Integral-Derivative) controller is a widely used feedback mechanism that is relatively easy to tune. The reason why tuning is required in most cases is because individual setups can be very different.

  • Page 66: Appendix C Preventive Maintenance

    The equipment contains no user serviceable parts. There is a risk of electrical shock if the equipment is operated with the covers removed. Only personnel authorized by Thorlabs Ltd. and trained in the maintenance of this equipment should remove its covers or attempt any repairs or adjustments.

  • Page 67: Appendix D Specifications And Associated Parts

    KCH601 SMA Male to SMA Male Cable 12” CA2912 SMA to BNC Converter Cable 12” CA2812 SMA Female to BNC Male Converter T4289 SMA Male to BNC Female Converter T4290 Other cables and lengths are also available, please see www.thorlabs.com.

  • Page 68: Appendix E Regulatory

    Appendix E Regulatory E.1 Declarations Of Conformity E.1.1 For Customers in Europe SeeSection 5.3. E.1.2 For Customers In The USA This equipment has been tested and found to comply with the li mits for a Class A digital device, persuant to part 15 of the FCC rules. These limits are designed to provide reasonable protection against harmful interference when the equipment is operated in a commercial environment.
  • Page 69 • left over parts of units disassembled by the user (PCB's, housings etc.). If you wish to return a unit for waste recovery, please contact Thorlabs or your nearest dealer for further information. E.2.2 Waste treatment on your own responsibility If you do not return an "end of life"...
  • Page 70 Appendix E 5.3 CE Certificate HA0373T Rev Ck Apr 2017...

  • Page 71: Appendix F Thorlabs Worldwide Contacts

    Fax: +46-31-703-40-45 www.thorlabs.de www.thorlabs.com Email: europe@thorlabs.com Email: scandinavia@thorlabs.com France Brazil Thorlabs SAS Thorlabs Vendas de Fotônicos Ltda. 109, rue des Côtes Rua Riachuelo, 171 78600 Maisons-Laffitte São Carlos, SP 13560-110 France Brazil Tel: +33 (0) 970 444 844 Tel: +55-16-3413 7062...
  • Page 72 Thorlabs Inc. Thorlabs Ltd. 56 Sparta Ave Saint Thomas Place, Ely Newton, NJ07860 Cambridgeshire CB7 4EX, Tel: +1 973 579 7227 Tel: +44 (0) 1353 654440 Fax: +1 973 300 3600 Fax: +44 (0) 1353 654444 www.thorlabs.com www.thorlabs.com...

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