THORLABS BBD201 User Manual
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THORLABS BBD201 User Manual

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BBD201
Brushless DC Servo Controller
User Guide
Original Instructions

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  • Page 1 BBD201 Brushless DC Servo Controller 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 APT PC Software Overview ..............7 2.2.1 Introduction......................7 2.2.2 APTUser Utility ....................8 2.2.3 APT Config Utility ....................
  • Page 3 Appendix D Specifications and Associated Parts ........69 Specifications ....................... 69 Appendix E Motor Control Method Summary ........... 70 Appendix F Regulatory ................74 Declarations Of Conformity ..................75 Waste Electrical and Electronic Equipment (WEEE) Directive ........76 Appendix G Thorlabs Worldwide Contacts ..........79...

  • 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 symbols may be used throughout the ha ndbook and on the equipment itself.

  • Page 5: Chapter 2 Overview And Setup

    3-phase DC motors of up to 2.5 Amp peak coil current. Integrated into the apt famil y of pro ducts, it offe rs Thorlabs standard control and programming interface, allowing easy integration into the customer’s own automated motion control applications.
  • Page 6 Fo r simplicity of operation, the apt™ software incorporates pre-configured settings for each of th e Thorlabs stages an d actuators, while still exp osing all parameters individually for use with other DC motor driven systems.

  • Page 7: Apt Pc Software Overview

    2.2 APT PC Software Overview 2.2.1 Introduction As a member of the APT range of controllers, the BBD201 DC motor controllers share many of the associated software benefits. This includes USB connectivity (allowing multiple units to be used together on a single PC), fully featured Graphical User Interface (GUI) panels, and extensive software f unction libraries for custom application development.

  • Page 8: Aptuser Utility

    Chapter 2 2.2.2 APTUser Utility The APTUser application allows the user to interact with a number of APT hardware control units connected to the ho st PC. This program displays multiple graphical instrument panels to allow multiple APT units to be controlled from the same screen. All basic operating parameters can be altered and, similarly, all operations (such as motor moves) can be initiated.

  • Page 9: Apt Config Utility

    With the APT system, ActiveX Controls are deployed to allow direct control over (and also reflect the status of) the range of electronic controller units, including the BBD201 DC motor controllers. Software applications that use ActiveX C ontrols are often...
  • Page 10 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 ActiveX Control supplied for the BBD201 APT Brushless DC Servo Controller unit. This Control provides a complete user graphical instrument panel to allow the motor...

  • Page 11: Software Upgrades

    APT controllers. 2.2.5 Software Upgrades Thorlabs operate a policy of continuous product development and may issue software upgrades as necessary. Detailed instructions on installing upgrades are included on the APT Software...

  • Page 12: Chapter 3 Getting Started

    If you experience any problems when installing software, contact Thorlabs on +44 (0)1353 654440 and ask for Technical Support. DO NOT CONNECT THE CONTROLLER TO YOUR PC YET 1) Insert the CD into your PC.

  • Page 13: Mechanical Installation

    Single-Channel Brushless DC Servo Controller 3.2 Mechanical Installation 3.2.1 Siting The unit is designed to be mounted free standing on a shelf, benchtop or simil ar surface. Caution When siting the unit, it should be positioned so as not to impede the operation of the rear panel power supply switch or the control panel buttons.

  • Page 14: Electrical Installation

    The unit must be connected only to an earthed fused supply of 100 to 240V. Use only power supply cables supplied by Thorlabs, other cables may not be rated to the same current. The unit is shipped with appropriate power cables for use in the UK, Europe and the USA.

  • Page 15: Rear Panel Connections

    The USB cable length should be no more than 3 metres unless a powered USB hub is being used. HANDSET IN - Provides connection for the Thorlabs Joystick, MJC001 - see Section A.5. INTERCONNECT - For use in RS232 communications - see Section A.6.

  • Page 16: Front Panel Controls And Indicators

    Chapter 3 3.4 Front Panel Controls and Indicators CHANNEL ENABLE Power Brushless Servo Controller Fig. 3.2 Front panel controls and indicators Power LED – Indicates that power is applied to the unit. Enable button – Used to enable/disable channel functionality. The associated LED is lit when the channel is enabled.

  • Page 17: Connecting The Hardware And Powering Up

    Single-Channel Brushless DC Servo Controller 3.5 Connecting The Hardware and Powering Up 1) Install the APT Software - see Section 3.1. 2) Connect the stage to the Controller unit. 3) Connect the Controller unit to your PC. Note The USB cable length should be no more than 3 metres unless a powered USB hub is being used.

  • Page 18: Verifying Software Operation

    Chapter 3 3.6 Verifying Software Operation 3.6.1 Initial Setup The APT Software sho uld be i nstalled (Section 3.1.) and the p ower up procedure performed (Section 3.5.) before software operation can be verified. 1) Run the APTUser utility and check that the Graphical User Interface (GUI) panel appears and is active.

  • Page 19: Chapter 4 Operation - Tutorial

    When the stage is controlled by the BBD201 controller, the maximum velocity is limited to safe values. However, if the output is disabled (with the controller connected and monitoring the position) and the stage is moved manually at high speeds, it is possible to exceed this limit.

  • Page 20: Using The Apt User Utility

    Hardware configurations and parameter settings can be saved to a file, which simplifies system set up whenever APT User is run up. Fig. 4.1 Typical APT User Screen 1) Run the APT User program - Start/All Programs/Thorlabs/APT User/APT User. HA0272T Rev D Feb 2016...

  • Page 21: Homing Motors

    Single-Channel Brushless DC Servo Controller 4.3 Homing Motors The need for homing comes from the fact that on power up the motor (stage) is at a random position, so the value of the position counter is meaningless. Homing involves moving the motor to a known reference marker and resetting the position counter to the associated absolute value.

  • Page 22: Moving To An Absolute Position

    Chapter 4 4.4 Moving to an Absolute Position Absolute moves are mea sured in real world units (e.g. millimetres), relative to the Home position. 1) Click the position display. Fig. 4.3 Absolute Position Popup Window 2) Enter 3.0 into the pop up window 3) Click ‘OK’.

  • Page 23: Changing Motor Parameters

    Single-Channel Brushless DC Servo Controller 4.6 Changing Motor Parameters Note Moves are performed using a Trapezoidal or S-Curve velocity profile (see Section 5.3.4.). The velocity settings relate to the maximum velocity at which a move is performed, and the acceleration at which the motor speeds up from zero to maximum velocity.

  • Page 24: Jogging

    Chapter 4 4.7 Jogging During PC operation, the motor actuators are jogged using the GUI panel arrow keys. There are two jogging modes available, ‘Single Step’ and ‘Continuous’. In ‘Single Step’ mode, the motor moves by the ste p size specifie d in the Ste p Distance parameter each time the key is pressed.

  • Page 25: Graphical Control Of Motor Positions (Point And Move)

    Note The channel functionality of the BBD201 controller is accessed via a single channel GUI panel. The left h and display shows a circle , which represents the current position of the motor associated with the specified controller (absolute position data is displayed in the 'Chan Pos' field).
  • Page 26 Chapter 4 Move Mode When ‘Move’ is selected, the motors move to an absolute position which corresponds to the position of the cursor within the screen. To specify a move: 1) Position the mouse within the window. For reference, the absolute motor position values associated with the mouse position is d isplayed in the ' Cursor Position field.

  • Page 27: Setting Move Sequences

    Single-Channel Brushless DC Servo Controller 4.9 Setting Move Sequences This section explains how to set move sequences, allowing several positions to be visited without user intervention. For details on moving to absolute positions initiated by a mouse click – see Section 4.12.
  • Page 28 Chapter 4 3) Select 'New' to display the 'Move Editor' panel. Fig. 4.9 Move Editor Window Move data is entered/displayed as follows: Dist/Pos: - the distance to move from the current position (if 'Relative' is selected) or the position to move to (if 'Absolute' is selected) (values entered in mm). Dwell Time: - after the move is performed, th e system can be set to wait for a specified time before performing the next move in the sequence.
  • Page 29 Single-Channel Brushless DC Servo Controller 4) Enter the required move data into the Move Editor and click OK. The move data is displayed in the main window as shown below. Fig. 4.10 Main Window with Move Data 5) Repeat step 4 as n ecessary to b uild a sequence of moves. Move data can be copied, deleted, cut/pasted and edited by righ t clicking the data line(s) and selecting the appropriate option in the pop up menu (shown below).

  • Page 30: Using A Joystick Console

    Chapter 4 4.10 Using A Joystick Console The MJC001 joystick console has been designed for microscope users, to provide intuitive, tactile, manu al positioning of the stage. The console features a two axi s joystick for XY control. Up to 3 joysticks can be connected to each other, interfacing neatly into a multi-channel control application.

  • Page 31: External Triggering

    For example, an application program can be w ritten, then tested and debugged remotely, before running with the hardware. To create a simulated configuration proceed as follows: 1) Run the APT Config utility - Start/All Programs/Thorlabs/APT/APT Config.
  • Page 32 Chapter 4 2) Click the 'Simulator Configuration' tab. Fig. 4.13 APT Configuration Utility - Simulator Configuration Tab 3) Enter a name (e.g. ‘LAB1’) in the Configuration Names field. 4) In the 'Simulator' field, check the ‘Enable Simulator Mode’ box. The name of the most recently used configuration file is d isplayed in the 'Current Configuration' window.
  • Page 33 During sub-item (5), the system recognises the BBD201 controller as a multi-channel unit (i.e. BBD103), fitted with only one driver card. The prefixed digits relating to the BBD103 stepper controller are: 73xxxxxx - 3 Channel Brushless DC Driver (BBD103) Note.
  • Page 34 Chapter 4 8) Repeat items (1) to (7) to build the required system. (A unit can be removed from the configuration by selecting it in the 'Loaded Configuration Details' window and clicking the ' Remove' button or by rig ht clicking it and selecting the 'Remove' option from the pop up window).

  • Page 35: Chapter 5 Software Reference

    ‘73’ prefix being replaced with ‘94’ and the subsequent 6 digit number incremented by ‘1’ for each card in the system, e.g. a 1-channel BBD201 unit with a base serial number 73123456 will have card serial numbers 94123457.
  • Page 36 Calib File - the calibration file associated with the specified channel. Note Calibration files are not applicable for the Thorlabs Brushless DC motor stages such as the DDS220. Min/Max V - the minimum velocity at which a move is initiated, and the maximum velocity at which the move is performed.

  • Page 37: Settings Panel

    Single-Channel Brushless DC Servo Controller Settings button - Displays the 'Settings' panel, which allows the motor drive’s operating parameters to be entered - see Section 5.3. Ident - when this button is pressed, the LED (on the front panel of the unit) associated with the selected channel will flash for a short period.
  • Page 38 Chapter 5 Accn/Dec - the rate at which the velocity climbs from zero to maximum, and slows from maximum to zero (in mm/sec Note Under certain velocity parameter and move distance conditions, the maximum velocity may never be reached (i.e. the move comprises an acceleration and deceleration phase only).
  • Page 39 Single-Channel Brushless DC Servo Controller motor actuator will accelerate and move at the jog velocity while the button is held down.. Single Step mode velocity jog step size jog velocity distance button button button pressed pressed pressed Continuous mode velocity button released jog velocity jog acceleration...
  • Page 40 Note. Setting a negative value for backlash correction also results in zero correction. Persist Settings to Hardware - Many of the parameters that can be set for the BBD201 series drivers can be stored (persisted) within the unit itself, such that when the unit is next powered up these settings are applied automatically.

  • Page 41: Stage/Axis Tab

    They need to be set accordingly such that a particular stage is driven properly by the system. For Thorlabs stages, the APT server will automatically apply suitable defaults for the parameters on this tab during boot up of the software.
  • Page 42 Chapter 5 Note The Min Pos and Max Pos parameters can be used to restrict the working range of the stage to a particular area of interest. Pitch - the pitch of the motor lead screw (i.e. the distance (in mm or degrees) travelled per revolution of the leadscrew).
  • Page 43 Persist Settings to Hardware - Many of the parameters that can be set for the BBD201 series drivers can be stored (persisted) within the unit itself, such that when the unit is next powered up these settings are applied automatically.

  • Page 44: Advanced - Control Loop Settingstab

    Chapter 5 5.3.3 Advanced - Control Loop SettingsTab Fig. 5.5 Advanced Control Loop Settings Position Loop Control Settings The motion processors within the BBD series controllers use a position control loop to determine the motor command output. The purpose of the position loop is to match the actual motor position and the demanded position.
  • Page 45 Single-Channel Brushless DC Servo Controller position during motion. i.e. sticksion, vibration…etc .If the proportional term is too high this can lead to overshoot and general instability. If this is too low it can result in a sloppy response. It accepts values in the range 0 to 32767. Integral term - Increasing the integral (Int) term minimises following error and final position error.
  • Page 46 Chapter 5 Position PID Settings Summary Stage overshoots the intended position - reduce Int and increase Deriv and Prop terms. Stage doesn't attain final position - increase the Int and Prop terms. Motion is unstable - reduce Prop and Int, increase Deriv. Stage sounds noisy - reduce Deriv.
  • Page 47 PI filter. It accept values in the range 0 to 32767. Persist Settings to Hardware - Many of the parameters that can be set for the BBD201 series drivers can be stored (persisted) within the unit itself, such that when the unit is next powered up th ese settings are applied automatically.

  • Page 48: Advanced - Misc. Tab

    Chapter 5 5.3.4 Advanced - Misc. Tab Fig. 5.6 Advanced Miscellaneous Settings Motor Output Settings Caution The default values programmed into the APT software will give acceptable performance in most cases. The following parameters are set according to the stage or actuator type associated with the driver and have already been optimized.
  • Page 49 Single-Channel Brushless DC Servo Controller Motor Bias – Whe n an a xis is su bject to a cons tant external force in one direction (such as a vertical axis pulled downwards by gravity) the servo filter can compensate by adding a co nstant DC bi as to t he output. This bias is set in the Motor Bias parameter, which accepts values in the range -32768 to 32767.
  • Page 50 Chapter 5 Position Profiling To prevent the motor from stalling, it must be ramped up gradually to its maximum velocity. Certain limits to velocity and acceleration result from the torque and speed limits of the motor, and the inertia and friction of the parts it drives. The system incorporates a trajectory gen erator, which performs calculations to determine the instantaneous position, velocity and acceleration of each axis at an y given moment.
  • Page 51 Joystick If the optional Thorlabs joystick console is be ing used (MJC001) the follo wing parameters are used to set the velocity and acceleration limits and the direction sense of any moves initiated from the joystick.- see Section 4.10. for more details on joystick use.
  • Page 52 Chapter 5 Persist Settings to Hardware - Many of the parameters that can be set for the BBD201 series drivers can be stored (persisted) within the unit itself, such that when the unit is next powered up these settings are applied automatically. This is particularly important when the driver is being used manually via a joystick, in the absence of a PC and USB link.
  • Page 53 Single-Channel Brushless DC Servo Controller Trigger In options are set as follows: Disabled – triggering operation is disabled Rel Move (Trig Rise) – a relative move (specified using the latest MoveRelative or MoveRelativeEx method settings) is initiated on the specified channel when a rising edge input signal is received on the TRIG IN connector.

  • Page 54: Troubleshooting And Restoring Default Parameters

    Chapter 5 Trigger Out options are set as follows: Disabled – triggering operation is disabled In Motion (Trig HI) – The output trigger goes high (5V) when the stage is in motion. In Motion (Trig Lo) – The output trigger goes low (0V) when the stage is in motion. Move Complete (Trig HI) Move Complete (Trig HI) - The output trigger goes high (5V) when the current move is completed.
  • Page 55 Single-Channel Brushless DC Servo Controller If adjustment of the parameter values previously described has resulted in unstable or unsatisfactory system response, this tab can be used to reset all parameter values to the factory default settings. To restore the default values: 1) Select the ‘Defaults’...

  • Page 56: Appendix A Rear Panel Connector Pinout Details

    Appendix A Rear Panel Connector Pinout Details A.1 Rear Panel MOTOR DRIVE Connectors The ‘MOTOR DRIVE’ connector is a female, round, 8-pin DIN type and provides drive connection to the motors. The pin functions are detailed in Fig. A.1.. Description Description Motor Phase V Stage ID...

  • Page 57: Rear Panel User Io Connector

    A.3 Rear Panel USER IO Connector The ‘USER I/O’ connector is a mal e, 15 pin D-Type that exposes a number of electrical signals useful for monitoring purposes or fault diagnosis. Description Description (iii) (iii) Trigger In (ii) (iii) Trigger Out Ground (iii) Ground...
  • Page 58 Appendix A A.3.1 Trigger Out (Digital Output) The digital output (AxisOut) is driven by the non-inverting output of an AM26C31 line driver, with a 100R resistor between the output of the line driver and the connector pin. The output voltage levels are compatible with most logic families (approx. 4V for logic High and 0V for logic Low unloaded).
  • Page 59 Single-Channel Brushless DC Servo Controller A.3.3 Differential Outputs All differential outputs (QA, QB and IX/Ref) are driven by an AM26C31 line driver, with a 100 Ohm resistor between the output of the line driver and the connector pin. When the stage is being controlled by a joystick, in the absence of a PC, these outputs could be connected to an oscill oscope or custome circuit to fa cilitate monitoring of the position output.

  • Page 60: Rear Panel Aux I/O Connector

    Appendix A A.4 Rear Panel AUX I/O Connector A.4.1 Pin Identification The AUX I/O connector is a female, 15 pin D-Type exposes a numbe r of internal electrical signals. For convenience, a number of logic inputs and outputs are included, thereby negating the need for extra PC based IO hardware.
  • Page 61 Single-Channel Brushless DC Servo Controller A.4.2 Digital Outputs All digital outputs are of the open-collector type, with a 330 Ohm series resistor. When the output is set to a logic zero (which is also the d efault state), it behaves as open circuit.
  • Page 62 Appendix A A.4.3 Digital Inputs The digital inputs used in the controller are of the standard CMOS logic gate type with TTL compatible input levels and a built-in pull-up resistor (10 kOhm to +5V). They can be connected directly to mecha nical switches, open-collector type outputs or most type of logic outputs.

  • Page 63: Rear Panel Handset Connector

    TX (controller output) Ground Note Pins 2, 3 and 6 are common (connected) ground connections. Pin 4 is for use only with Thorlabs joystick MJC001. It should not be used to power any other device. Fig. A.11 HANDSET Connector Pin Identification...

  • Page 64: Rear Panel Interconnect (Rs232) Connector

    Appendix A A.6 Rear Panel INTERCONNECT Connector (RS232) A.6.1 Pin Identification The INTERCONNECT terminal is a male, 9 pin D-Type that exposes electrical signals for use in RS232 communications. This allows control of the device using the low level communications protocol, or other software environments such as micromanager. A 9-way D-type female to female crossover (null modem) cable is required for connecting to the host PC.

  • Page 65: Appendix B Using The Rs232 Or Virtual Comm Port

    Appendix B Using the RS232 or Virtual Comm Port When using the low level communications protocol messages to develop client applications outside of the APT software, communication with the device is facilitated by using the RS232 comms pins on the rear panel INTERCONNECT connector - see Section A.6.
  • Page 66 Appendix B 3) The ‘USB Device Properties’ window is displayed. 4) Select the ‘Advanced’ tab, and check the ‘Load VCP’ box. 5) Click OK, then power cycle the device being configured. HA0272T Rev D Feb 2016...
  • Page 67 Single-Channel Brushless DC Servo Controller 6) In the device manager, click ‘Ports (COM & LPT)’, and note the ‘APT USB Device Serial Port’ COM port number (e.g. COM3). This COM port can then be used by the client application to communicate with the device using the low level protocol messages.

  • Page 68: Appendix C Preventive Maintenance

    The equipment contains no user servicable parts. There is a risk of severe 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 69: Appendix D Specifications And Associated Parts

    Appendix D Specifications and Associated Parts D.1 Specifications Drive Connector: 8-Pin DIN, Round, Female (Motor Phase Outputs, Stage ID Input) FEEDBACK Connector: 15-Pin D-Type Brushless Continuous Output: 2.5A PWM Frequency: 40 kHz Operating Modes: Position, Velocity Control Algorithm: 16-bit Digital PID Servo Loop with Velocity and Acceleration Feedforward Velocity Profile: Trapezoidal/S-Curve Position Count: 32 Bit...

  • Page 70: Appendix E Motor Control Method Summary

    Appendix E Motor Control Method Summary The 'Motor' ActiveX Control provides the functionality required for a client application to control one or more of the APT series of motor controller units. To specify the particular controller being addressed, every unit is factory programmed with a unique 8-digit serial number.
  • Page 71 Single-Channel Brushless DC Servo Controller GetHWCommsOK Gets the hardware communications OK flag. GetJogMode Gets the jogging button operating modes. GetJogMode_Mode Get the jogging button operating mode (returned by value). GetJogMode_StopMode Gets the jogging button stopping mode (returned by value). GetJogStepSize Gets the jogging step size.
  • Page 72 Appendix E GetVelParams_MaxVel Gets the mo ve maximum velocity (returned by value). Identify Identifies the controller by flashing unit LEDs. LLGetDigIPs Gets digital input states encoded in 32 bit integer. LLGetStatusBits Gets the controller status bi ts encoded in 32 bit integer.
  • Page 73 Single-Channel Brushless DC Servo Controller StopCtrl Stops the ActiveX Control (stops co mmunication with controller) StopImmediate Stops a motor move immediately. StopProfiled Stops a mo tor move in a p rofiled (decelleration) manner. GetDCCurrentLoopParams Gets the Current servo loop PID parameter settings applied when the unit is moving GetDCPositionLoopParams Gets the Position servo loop PID parameter settings...

  • Page 74: Appendix F Regulatory

    Appendix F Regulatory F.1 Declarations Of Conformity F.1.1 For Customers in Europe This equipment has been tested and found to comply with the EC Directives 2004/108/EC ‘EMC Directive’ and 2006/95/EC ‘Low Voltage Directive’. Compliance was demonstrated by conformance to the following specifications which have been listed in the Official Journal of the European Communities: Safety EN61010-1: 2010 Safety requirements for electrical equipment for...
  • Page 75 OEM laser driver cards) • components • mechanics and optics • 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.

  • Page 76: Waste Electrical And Electronic Equipment (Weee) Directive

    Appendix F F.2.2 Waste treatment on your own responsibility If you do not return an "end of life" unit to the company, 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 77 Single-Channel Brushless DC Servo Controller 6.3 CE Certificate...
  • Page 78 Appendix F HA0272T Rev D Feb 2016...

  • Page 79: Appendix G Thorlabs Worldwide Contacts

    Single-Channel Brushless DC Servo Controller Appendix G Thorlabs Worldwide Contacts For technical support or sales inquiries, please visit us at www.thorlabs.com/contact for our most up-to-date contact information. USA, Canada, and South America UK and Ireland Thorlabs, Inc. Thorlabs Ltd. sales@thorlabs.com sales.uk@thorlabs.com...
  • Page 80 www.thorlabs.com...

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