THORLABS DC4104 Operation Manual
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THORLABS DC4104 Operation Manual

THORLABS DC4104 Operation Manual

4 channel led driver
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4 Channel LED Driver
DC4104
Operation Manual
2018

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Summary of Contents for THORLABS DC4104

  • Page 1 4 Channel LED Driver DC4104 Operation Manual 2018...
  • Page 2 Version: 2.1.0 Date: 16-Jul-2018 Item No.: M0009-510-522 Copyright © 2018 Thorlabs...

  • Page 3: Table Of Contents

    Contents Foreword 1 General Information 1.1 Safety 1.2 Ordering Codes and Accessories 1.3 Requirements 1.3.1 Hardware Requirements 1.3.2 Software Requirements 1.3.3 Interface Requirements 2 Installation 2.1 Parts List 2.2 Operating Elements 2.3 Preparation 3 Operating Instruction 3.1 Operation Modes 3.1.1 Constant Current Mode 3.1.2 Brightness Mode...
  • Page 4 6.4.23 Get Forward Bias 6.4.24 Status Reporting 6.5 Firmware Update 6.6 Tutorial 6.7 Letter of Volatility 6.8 Certifications and Compliances 6.9 Warranty 6.10 Copyright and Exclusion of Reliability 6.11Thorlabs 'End of Life' Policy 6.12 List of Acronyms 6.13 Thorlabs Worldwide Contacts...

  • Page 5: Foreword

    Paragraphs preceeded by this symbol explain hazards that could damage the instrument and the connected equipment or may cause loss of data. Note This manual also contains "NOTES" and "HINTS" written in this form. Please read these advices carefully! © 2018 Thorlabs...

  • Page 6: General Information

    DC4104 1 General Information The LED driver DC4104 is designed for general purpose LED control. It is a 4 channel LED driver, which can supply a high current (up to 1 A) for each channel independently to a high- power LED. This LED driver can also be used to drive the 4 color LED microscope illumination source LED4Cx Series.
  • Page 7 · Consult the dealer or an experienced radio/T.V. technician for help. Thorlabs GmbH is not responsible for any radio television interference caused by modi- fications of this equipment or the substitution or attachment of connecting cables and equipment other than those specified by Thorlabs GmbH. The correction of interference caused by such unauthorized modification, substitution or attachment will be the re- sponsibility of the user.

  • Page 8: Ordering Codes And Accessories

    ® Windows 7 (32-bit, 64-bit) For operation of the DC4104, also an NI-VISA™ (version 5.1.1 or higher) is required. This NI- VISA™ engine comes with the Thorlabs DC4104 installation CD, but can be downloaded also from National Instruments' website www.ni.com.

  • Page 9: Installation

    Inspect the shipping container for damage. If the shipping container seems to be damaged, keep it until you have inspected the contents and you have inspected the DC4104 mechanically and electrically. Verify that you have received the following items within the package: ·...

  • Page 10: Preparation

    6. After the device is powered up, the graphics display will show a 'Welcome' screen for a few seconds. 7. The DC4104 is immediately ready to use after turning on. The rated accuracy is reached, however, after a warming-up period of approximately 10 minutes.

  • Page 11: Operating Instruction

    3 Operating Instruction 3 Operating Instruction The DC4104 is controlled by three buttons and the multicontrol knob on the front panel. The two buttons below the graphics display have an Enter and Escape functionality. The button with LED indicator is used to switch the LED on or off. The multicontrol is used to select the desired menu or to change the settings.

  • Page 12: Constant Current Mode

    The 'Constant Current Mode' provides a constant non-modulated LED current. The actual current for each channel is displayed. If you connect a Thorlabs LED with an internal EEPROM or the 4 Color LED LED4Cx, the corresponding wavelength will displayed instead of the channel number.

  • Page 13: Brightness Mode

    100%. Each channel can be set individually or all channels can be set simultaneously. The actual brightness in percent for each channel is displayed. If you connect a Thorlabs LED with an internal EEPROM or the 4 Color LED LED4Cx the corresponding wavelength will dis- played instead of the channel number.

  • Page 14: External Control Mode

    20% resolution. 3.1.3 External Control Mode This mode allows to control the DC4104 by an external signal. The appropriate LED channel must be enabled in the External Control Mode menu. The 'External Control Mode' has no parameter settings. The LEDs can only be controlled via the Push-Pull connector at the rear panel of the DC4104.

  • Page 15: Settings And Configuration

    Certain LED sources have an EEPROM, which contain data about the LED like maximum cur- rent. LEDs without an EEPROM will show 1000mA as maximum LED current limit. Note The User Limit current corresponds to 100% brightness in the 'Brightness Mode'. © 2018 Thorlabs...

  • Page 16: Settings

    For LEDs with an EEPROM, the LEDs maximum current can be temporarily reconfigured. This value remains valid until the DC4104 is switched off. After switching on, the individual LED's limit current is read out from the EEPROM and becomes valid.

  • Page 17: About

    Mode' any configuration and up to all four LEDs can be switched on together. 3.2.3 About The item 'About' gives information about the firmware version, serial number of the DC4104 and the connected LED head if available. © 2018 Thorlabs...

  • Page 18: Computer Interface

    'Autorun\Autorun.exe' file on the CD. Note For remote operation of a DC4104, a 'NI-VISA™ Engine' of version 5.1.1 or higher must be in- stalled on your system. The DC4100 Series software installer package contains this VISA Runtime Engine and checks your system. If it's not installed, or an earlier version is recognized, the installer will automatically install it to your computer.
  • Page 19 4 Computer Interface The NI-VISA Runtime installer comes up. Click 'Next >>' to continue: © 2018 Thorlabs...
  • Page 20 DC4104 If you do not wish that your IP address will be submitted to NI, please uncheck the box. Click next to continue. © 2018 Thorlabs...
  • Page 21 4 Computer Interface Select "I accept..." if you do so, then "Next >>". © 2018 Thorlabs...
  • Page 22 DC4104 Please select "Restart" in order to continue software installation. After restarting the PC, the DC4100 Series Software Install Wizard automatically continues in- stallation: Please select "I accept.." if you do so, then click "Next >" © 2018 Thorlabs...
  • Page 23 4 Computer Interface Please switch to the appearing Device Driver Installation Wizard screen and click "Next >": In the following two screens please select "Install": © 2018 Thorlabs...
  • Page 24 DC4104 The drivers were installed successfully, please click "Finish". The DC4100 Series remote control software and instrument drivers are installed successfully and it's ready for use now. © 2018 Thorlabs...

  • Page 25: Driver Installation

    4.3 Operating the DC4100 Series remotely 4.3.1 Connecting a Device Please connect the DC4104 to your PC with the shipped USB cable. The USB socket is labeled 'USB' at the back of the main control. Windows recognizes the connected instrument and auto- matically loads the necessary drivers: To start the remote application, double click to the "DC4100 Series"...

  • Page 26: Constant Current Mode

    DC4104 Select your DC4104 - 4 Channel LED Driver and click 'Accept'. The device will be connected and the last active mode will be entered. The upload of the actual values on the system may take some seconds. You can disconnect the DC4104 by clicking on the 'Disconnect' button or by selecting 'Menu ->...

  • Page 27: Brightness Mode

    If no LED is connected the controls for the corresponding channel are disabled. Some LEDs feature an EEPROM, which contains information such as current limit and wavelength. The wavelength is displayed as color. In the above picture a Thorlabs LED4C2 is connected. If no wavelength information is available the LED is displayed grey.

  • Page 28: External Control Mode

    In this mode, the LEDs can be controlled only via the 4 channel Push-Pull connector at the rear panel of the DC4104. The applied voltage corresponds to the LED current. 1V is equivalent to a LED current of 100mA. A maximum voltage of 10V can be applied, which will result in a current of 1A.

  • Page 29: Device Information

    4 Computer Interface 4.3.6 Device Information Select 'Info -> Device Information...' from the menu to obtain data about the DC4104 and the connected LED. The following screen appears containing the serial number, device name, manufacturer, driver version and firmware revision.

  • Page 30: Help Menu

    DC4104 4.3.7 Help Menu Within the topic 'Help' of the menu you can access the help file of the DC4104, visit the Thorlabs website, view the license agreement and get information about applications. © 2018 Thorlabs...

  • Page 31: Maintenance And Service

    5.2 Troubleshooting The DC4104 features protection circuits to prevent damage of the unit. The user will be in- formed about the occurrence of errors. Example: The following table summarizes possible errors: © 2018 Thorlabs...
  • Page 32 5V or less. temperature within Make sure that the ventilation slots Over Tempera- DC4104 case reached the max- are not covered. It is necessary to ture Error imum limit and all channels are ensure an air ventilation through switched off.

  • Page 33: Appendix

    Line Frequency (Ext. Power Supply) 50 ... 60Hz Power Consumption (max) 45VA Supply mains over Voltage Category II (Cat II) Input Voltage (DC4104 chassis) 12VDC General 0 to +40 °C Operating Temperature Range Storage Temperature Range -40 to 70 °C Max.

  • Page 34: Trigger Input Cable

    A cable for the modulation signals is provided. The following table shows the correlation of the single wires: Connector # Description Color LED Channel 1 Pink Green LED Channel 2 Blue LED Channel 4 Brown Yellow LED Channel 3 Grey White © 2018 Thorlabs...

  • Page 35: Dimensions

    6 Appendix 6.3 Dimensions Dimensions in inches / [mm] © 2018 Thorlabs...

  • Page 36: Command Reference

    Get percental Brightness DC4100_setDispBright Set Display Brightness DC4100_getDispBright Get Display Brightness DC4100_getStatusRegister Get Status Register DC4100_errorMessage Error Message DC4100_identificationQuery Identification Query DC4100_revisionQuery Revision Query DC4100_getHeadInfo LED Head Identification Query DC4100_getWavelength Get LED Wavelength DC4100_getForwardBias Get LED Forward Bias © 2018 Thorlabs...

  • Page 37: Set User Current Limit

    Gets the LEDs maximum current limit in ampere. This value is specific for each LED channel. 6.4.5 Set Operation Mode Command: DC4100_setOperationMode Parameter: Operation mode Response: None Description: Sets the operation mode. 6.4.6 Get Operation Mode Command: DC4100_getOperationMode Parameter: None Response: Operation mode Description: Gets the actual operation mode. © 2018 Thorlabs...

  • Page 38: Set Selection Mode

    Sets the current for one channel used in the constant current mode. 6.4.12 Get Constant Current Command: DC4100_getConstCurrent Parameter: LED channel Response: Constant current in ampere Description: Gets the current of a specified channel used for the constant current mode. © 2018 Thorlabs...

  • Page 39: Set Percental Brightness

    Reporting 6.4.18 Error Message Command: DC4100_errorMessage Parameter: Error Code Response: User readable message string Description: This function takes the error code returned by the instrument driver functions, interprets it and returns it as an user readable string. © 2018 Thorlabs...

  • Page 40: Identification Query

    LED channel Response: LED wavelength Description: This function returns the wavelength information for specified channel. 6.4.23 Get Forward Bias Command: DC4100_getForwardBias Parameter: LED channel Response: LED forward bias Description: This function returns the forward bias for specified channel. © 2018 Thorlabs...

  • Page 41: Status Reporting

    6 Appendix 6.4.24 Status Reporting The DC4104 stores the status in a register. It can be accessed via the 'DC4100_getStatusRegister' command. The following table lists all status numbers and the according descriptive messages. Each bit represents an error. Status Name...

  • Page 42: Firmware Update

    Connect the DC4100 with a USB cable to your computer. Check the COM port of the DC4104. It has to be COM1, COM2, COM3 or COM4. If not please change the COM port to one of the listed COM ports.

  • Page 43: Tutorial

    For this reason it is advantageous for fluorescence micro- scopy illumination. Thorlabs DC3100 and DC4100 LED drivers use this principle of operation. The disadvantage is the low efficiency of the linear current control: linear regulators waste en- ergy as they operate by dissipating excess power as heat.
  • Page 44 As soon as the threshold is reached, the current increases non-linearly. A suitable driver for such an LED should have a compliance voltage ≥ 4.0V in order to ensure, that the max. current can be delivered into this LED. © 2018 Thorlabs...

  • Page 45: Letter Of Volatility

    6 Appendix 6.7 Letter of Volatility Manufacturer: Thorlabs GmbH Model Number: DC4104 Memory Type Pur- Memory Size Volatility User Data Method of Clearing pose SRAM (AT- mega1281): 8kByte Power down · Program SRAM FLASH (AT- Cannot be mega1281): 128kByte cleared by user ·...

  • Page 46: Certifications And Compliances

    Ext Trig port capped at IEC 61000-4-3 test. Performance Criterion C was reached at voltage interruptions test level 0% for 250 / 300 cycles and is permit- ted at this test level. Replaces 73/23/EEC, amended by 93/68/EEC © 2018 Thorlabs...

  • Page 47: Warranty

    Thorlabs warrants material and production of the DC4104 for a period of 24 months starting with the date of shipment. During this warranty period Thorlabs will see to defaults by repair or by exchange if these are entitled to warranty.

  • Page 48: Copyright And Exclusion Of Reliability

    DC4104 6.10 Copyright and Exclusion of Reliability Thorlabs has taken every possible care in preparing this document. We however assume no li- ability for the content, completeness or quality of the information contained therein. The content of this document is regularly updated and adapted to reflect the current status of the hardware and/or software.

  • Page 49: Thorlabs 'End Of Life' Policy

    Waste treatment on your own responsibility If you do not return an “end of life” unit to Thorlabs, you must hand it to a company specialized in waste recovery. Do not dispose of the unit in a litter bin or at a public waste disposal site.

  • Page 50: List Of Acronyms

    Federal Communications Commission FLIM Fluorescence Lifetime Imaging Graphical User Interface International Electrotechnical Commission Liquid Crystal Display Light Emitting Diode Personal Computer Printed Circuit Board Pulse Width Modulation Universal Serial Bus WEEE Waste Electrical and Electronic Equipment Directive © 2018 Thorlabs...

  • Page 51: Thorlabs Worldwide Contacts

    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: +33-970 444 844 Tel: +55-16-3413 7062 Fax: +33-825 744 800 Fax: +55-16-3413 7064 www.thorlabs.com...
  • Page 52 Graphical User Interface Hardware Help Menu Installation Getting Started Parts List Operation Operating elements Parts List Preparation Operation Mode Brightness Mode 11, 25 Constant Current Mode 10, 24 External Control Mode 12, 26 Remote Application Remote Operation © 2018 Thorlabs...
  • Page 56 www.thorlabs.com...

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