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Gentec-EO U-LINK User Manual

Pc interface for power and energy detectors
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U-LINK User Manual
Revision 1.0
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WARRANTY

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Summary of Contents for Gentec-EO U-LINK

  • Page 1 U-LINK User Manual Revision 1.0 WARRANTY...
  • Page 2 The warranty does not cover recalibration, or damages related to misuse. Gentec-EO will repair or replace at our option any U-LINK which proves to be defective during the warranty period, except in the case of product misuse.
  • Page 3 Revision 1.0 SAFETY INFORMATION Do not use the U-LINK if the device or the detector looks damaged, or if you suspect that the U-LINK is not operating properly. Appropriate installation must be done for water-cooled and fan-cooled detectors. Refer to the specific instructions for more information.

  • Page 4: Table Of Contents

    Connect the U-LINK ........................ 9 4.3. Serial Command Format ................... 10 4.4. Binary Mode output Format ................11 4.5. List of Serial Commands for the U-LINK ............12 4.6. Detailed Description of the Serial commands For U-LINK ......... 14 4.6.1. Display ........................... 14 4.6.2.
  • Page 5 Figure 3 U-LINK RS232 Front Panel ......................4 Figure 4 U-LINK USB and RS232 Rear Panel....................5 Figure 5 DB9: View looking into female connector on RS-232 U-LINK Cable ..........6 Figure 6 Opening U-LINK for Recycling Disposal ..................37 Table of Tables Table 1 Table of Specifications ........................

  • Page 6: U-Link Single Channel Laser Power And Energy Meter

    The U-LINK USB and RS-232 versions have enhanced communication capabilities that take advantage of the USB or RS-232 port for data acquisition and remote control depending on the U-LINK version. It can transfer data to a PC for more sophisticated data analysis and respond to commands through the communication interface.

  • Page 7: Specifications

    U-LINK User Manual Revision 1.0 1.3. SPECIFICATIONS The following specifications are based on a one-year calibration cycle, an operating temperature of 18 to 28℃ (64 to 82℉) and a relative humidity not exceeding 80%. Table 1 Table of Specifications U-LINK...

  • Page 8: External Trigger Timing Requirements

    Voltage bias can introduce an error into low power measurements with low sensitivity detectors. It is essential to use the Zero Offset to re-zero the U-Link before making a measurement in these conditions. It is always good practice to use the Zero Offset.

  • Page 9: Connections

    U-LINK User Manual Revision 1.0 Figure 1 Valid External Trigger Window 1.4. CONNECTIONS Figure 2 U-LINK USB Front Panel Figure 3 U-LINK RS232 Front Panel...

  • Page 10: Figure 4 U-Link Usb And Rs232 Rear Panel

    Figure 4 U-LINK USB and RS232 Rear Panel USB COMMUNICATION AND POWER The U-LINK USB allows remote control and data transfer between the U-LINK and a computer that has a USB communication port. The U-LINK is also powered via this port on the USB model.

  • Page 11: Figure 5 Db9: View Looking Into Female Connector On Rs-232 U-Link Cable

    SYNC OUTPUT The U-LINK USB can trigger another U-LINK USB via its Sync Output. Use Gentec-EO Part Number 205117 and a BNC cable to connect two U-LINKs together. The U-LINK with the Sync Output enabled must...

  • Page 12: Operating Instructions

    2.1. INSTALLING THE USB DRIVER Plug the U-LINK into a USB port on the PC. If the PC supports USB 1.1, Windows detects the new device and prompts you for the software drivers. A window will open that says “Found New Hardware – USB...

  • Page 13: Quick Measurement Procedure

    Adjusting the zero (step 10-A for power heads and 10-B for photodiode heads) 10. The power read by the U-LINK when no laser beam is incident on the detector may not be exactly zero. For power measurements, this is because the detector is not thermally stabilized and/or there is a heat source in the field of view of the detector.

  • Page 14: User Interface

    It’s a real USB connection. The U-LINK RS232 features a typical RS232 port and port settings do have an effect. Be sure to use the correct settings, indicated later in this section.

  • Page 15: Serial Command Format

    The commands you type will not appear in the HyperTerminal window unless you set up the HyperTerminal to do so. Only the response from the U-LINK will be displayed. If you prefer to see the commands you are typing on the HyperTerminal window click the File menu and execute the following sequence: File →...

  • Page 16: Binary Mode Output Format

    If the measurement is over-range, this byte is 0x7F. Example 1: Using *CAU or *CVU U-LINK is measuring 151 mJ in a 300mJ scale. The data sent by U-LINK will be: 0x40B4 Decode this as follows. 1. Look at bit 7 of each byte to determine the high and low bytes.

  • Page 17: List Of Serial Commands For The U-Link

    Always 0x03, which is ASCII ETX. Lets the host know this is the end of data. Example 2: Using *CEU and *CTU U-LINK is measuring 151 mJ in a 300 mJ scale. The pulse frequency is 20 Hz. The data sent by U-LINK will be: 0x0297A0B681DBDAFC03.
  • Page 18 U-LINK User Manual Revision 1.0 *CVU Query Current Value Gets the value currently in ASCII or binary *CAU Send Continuous Transmission Sends the values in ASCII or binary to the serial port with the of Data data sampling setting *CEU...

  • Page 19: Detailed Description Of The Serial Commands For U-Link

    U-LINK User Manual Revision 1.0 4.6. DETAILED DESCRIPTION OF THE SERIAL COMMANDS FOR U-LINK 4.6.1. Display *SCS - Set Scale This command is used to force the display of the current data into a specific scale. The minimum value of each scale is always zero.
  • Page 20 U-LINK User Manual Revision 1.0 Example The following example sets the scale to 3 nanowatts or nanojoules: Command: *SCS07 Answer: *SSU - Set Scale Up This command is used to force the display of the current data into the next higher scale.
  • Page 21 U-LINK User Manual Revision 1.0 0: Off Example Command: *GAS Answer: AutoScale: 1<CR><LF> *DVS - Display Valid Scale This command is used to display all of the valid scales the connected head supports. The scales are displayed alongside their scale index. Please refer to the Set Scale section for the list of scales.

  • Page 22: Data Acquisition

    U-LINK User Manual Revision 1.0 *STL00.2 (0.2%) *GTL - Get Trigger Level This command returns the trigger level in %. The value is between 0.1% and 99.9%. This is for joulemeters and watt-meters in Energy mode only. Command Parameters Answer None Returns the trigger level in %.
  • Page 23 U-LINK User Manual Revision 1.0 Examples For example, a 506.601W reading and a -12.25631mW reading would be displayed like this: Command: *CVU Answer: +5.066010e+02<CR><LF> Command: *CVU Answer: -1.225631e-02<CR><LF> *CAU - Send Continuous Transmission of Data This command is used to send data to the serial port according to the data sampling setting. For Joulemeters, the data can also be in binary format (refer to section 4.4)
  • Page 24 *CEU - Send Continuous Values with Frequency U-LINK will send continuous energy data and the pulse repetition rate in Hz. They are comma separated. This is for joulemeters only. For joulemeters, the data can also be in binary format (refer to section 4.4)
  • Page 25 U-LINK User Manual Revision 1.0 *NVU – Query New Value Ready This command is used to check whether a new value is available from the device. Though optional, its use is recommended when used with single pulse operation This is for joulemeters only.

  • Page 26: Setup

    U-LINK User Manual Revision 1.0 Command: *GBM Answer: Binary Joulemeter Mode: 0<CR><LF> *TIM – Set Moving Average Window This command will set the window for the moving average calculation. This moving average is applied as a smoothing factor to all power measurements. The window value is in seconds.
  • Page 27 U-LINK User Manual Revision 1.0 Default: Calibration wavelength, (typically 1064 nm, varies with the detector model) Example The following example sets the wavelength to 1550 nm. Command: *PWC01550 Answer: *PWM - Set Personal Wavelength Correction in microns This command is used to specify the wavelength in microns for THZ detectors only. The EEPROM in the detector contains measured spectral data for a wide range of wavelengths.

  • Page 28: Control

    U-LINK User Manual Revision 1.0 Command: *GWL Answer: PWC: 1064<CR><LF> 4.6.4. Control *ANT - Set Anticipation This command is used to enable or disable the anticipation processing when the device is reading from a wattmeter. The anticipation is a software-based acceleration algorithm that provides faster readings using the detector’s calibration.
  • Page 29 U-LINK User Manual Revision 1.0 Number of samples to include in the moving average Example The following example sets the sampling size to 16 pulses. Command: *AVG016 Answer: Ok.<CR><LF> *SOU - Set Zero Offset This command subtracts the current value from all future measurements the moment the command is issued to set a new zero point.
  • Page 30 U-LINK User Manual Revision 1.0 *SDZ - Set Diode Zero Offset This command subtracts the current value for all available scales from all future measurements the moment the command is issued to set a new zero point. This is for photodiodes only. Please refer to *SOU for other detectors.
  • Page 31 U-LINK User Manual Revision 1.0 *OFF - Set User Offset This command is used to set the value of the user-specified offset. Command Parameters Answer 8-character numerical value None Default: 0 Example The following example sets the offset to 1.5 milliwatts or 1.5 millijoules.
  • Page 32 U-LINK User Manual Revision 1.0 None SSE: 0 SSE: 1 *ATT - Set Attenuator This command is used to adjust the processing of the monitor with the readings of the head, depending on whether the head is using an external attenuator or not.
  • Page 33 *SYN – Enable / Disable Sync Output Enables or disables the Sync Output feature. If this feature is enabled, the Sync Output Cable, Gentec-EO part number 100-205117 can be used along with a second U-LINK and External Trigger Cable 100-201956 to synchronize the two monitors.
  • Page 34 U-LINK User Manual Revision 1.0 *SFS – Set Analog Output Voltage Range Sets the output range of the Analog Output feature. The value entered is the maximum value of the analog output in Volts. Please see the Analog Output portion of the Connections section of this manual for more information.

  • Page 35: Instrument And Detector Information

    U-LINK User Manual Revision 1.0 Default: 0 (do not return to zero) Example The following example sets the analog output dwell time to 2 seconds. Command: *AOD2.00E+00 Answer: 4.6.5. Instrument and Detector Information *BPS - Change baud rate for RS-232 This command is used to default baud rate of the RS-232 model.

  • Page 36: Table 7 Sts Data Structure

    U-LINK User Manual Revision 1.0  Measure Mode  Maximum, minimum and current scale  Maximum, minimum and current wavelength with and without attenuation  Attenuator availability and status  Detector model  Detector serial number Command Parameters Answer None...

  • Page 37: Table 8 St2 Data Structure

    U-LINK User Manual Revision 1.0 0024 0000 0025 40 03 0026 00 1A 0027 00 00 0028 E1 20 á 0029 00 3A 002A 39 31 Detector serial number (You must convert the 002B 36 39 hexadecimal values in ASCII characters)
  • Page 38 Correction Multiplier MSB 0038 0000 0.0000 Correction Offset LSB 0039 0000 Correction Offset MSB 0000 0000 End of structure *GSV – Return firmware version Returns the version number of the firmware installed in the U-Link. Command Parameters Answer None Version number Example...

  • Page 39: Error Messages

    U-Link *MLK – Set M-LINK compatibility mode Allows the U-LINK to respond to legacy M-LINK commands. Please refer to the M-LINK manual for more details. Once activated, the U-LINK will stay in this mode, even after being unplugged. The M-LINK SQL command will not function.

  • Page 40: Declaration Of Conformity

    U-LINK User Manual Revision 1.0 5. DECLARATION OF CONFORMITY Application of Council Directive(s): 2014/30/EU The EMC Directive Manufacturer’s Name: Gentec Electro Optics, Inc. Manufacturer’s Address: 445 St-Jean Baptiste, suite 160 (Québec), Canada G2E 5N7 European Representative Name: Laser Components S.A.S.

  • Page 41: Table 10 Performance Criteria

    No permanent damage occurred to the DUT or any AE as a result of the disturbance. No incorrect data recorded while logging: U-Link with Thermal Detector – XLP12-3S-H2-DO measuring 420mJ ± 5mJ Additional Criteria U-Link with Optical Detector – PH100-SI-HA-DO measuring 100μW ± 1μW U-Link with Energy Detector –...

  • Page 42: Appendix A - Weee Directive

    This section is used by the recycling center when the monitor reaches its end of life. Breaking the calibration seal or opening the device will void the U-LINK’s warranty. The complete device contains: 1 Interface device 1 Power supply (RS-232 model – power supply not made by Gentec-EO) 1 USB cable (USB model) 1 Calibration certificate Separation...

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