MSI MS-9252- Manuals

2 — Introduction to VariSpec Liquid Crystal Tunable Filters randomly-polarized beam. VIS models contain an integral, non-removable hot mirror for blocking unwanted NIR light. The product family includes the following models: • VIS: Visible-wavelength filters with a wavelength range of 400 nm to 720 ...

Introduction to VariSpec Liquid Crystal Tunable Filters — 3 Glossary of VariSpec LCTF Terminology Bandwidth The Full-Width at Half-Maximum (FWHM), measured as the spectral separation between the two points where the filter’s transmission attains 50% of the peak value. The passband center wavelength ...

4 — Introduction to VariSpec Liquid Crystal Tunable Filters Operator and Equipment Safety It is the responsibility of the purchaser to ensure that all persons who will operate the VariSpec LCTF are aware of the following cautionary statements. As with any scientific instrument, there are important s...

Introduction to VariSpec Liquid Crystal Tunable Filters — 5 Your particular VariSpec LCTF may include additional support documentation from third-party vendors. Bear in mind that the VariSpec LCTF may have been modified or custom-designed, so treat such third-party documentation as supplemental mate...

6 — Introduction to VariSpec Liquid Crystal Tunable Filters VariSpec Hardware Components VariSpec filters consist of either a single module containing both the optics and electronics assemblies or a matched set of two modules. The XNIR-09-20 model, due to its unique optical construction, utilizes tw...

Introduction to VariSpec Liquid Crystal Tunable Filters — 7 Figure 3. LNIR-06-20, Dual VariSpec with 20 mm Optics VariSpec Filter Module • The entrance aperture receives the light, and for VIS models is the side that contains the integral hot mirror. For filters with a blue and silver housing, the e...

8 — Introduction to VariSpec Liquid Crystal Tunable Filters • Init LED flashes during data communication between the electronics controller module and the host computer. • Status LED momentarily flashes Green during power-up and initialization (approximately 30 seconds). The rear panel contains four...

Introduction to VariSpec Liquid Crystal Tunable Filters — 9 Figure 5. Mounting Block and Adapters for 20 mm Filter Figure 6. Mounting Block and Adapters for 35 mm Filter VariSpec Software Developer’s Kit (SDK) installation CD The CD-ROM that comes with each filter is a Windows ® -compatible CD-ROM c...

Setting Up a VariSpec Filter — 11 Chapter 2 Setting Up a VariSpec Filter Topics in this chapter: Page • Unpacking the VariSpec Filter and Accessories ................................................ 11 • Installing the VariSpec Software ..................................................................

12 — Setting Up a VariSpec Filter Installing the VariSpec Software CRi supplies a Windows-compatible SDK installation CD-ROM with each VariSpec filter. Included hardware drivers are specific to the Windows operating system. However, you may contact CRi if you are interested in drivers for other oper...

Setting Up a VariSpec Filter — 15 VsGui Program for Windows XP and Windows 7 The VsGui demonstration program on the host can be used to verify correct filter operation and demonstrate the filter’s capabilities. 1. When launched (select Start > Programs > CRi > VsGui.exe ), the VariSpec Cont...

Controlling VariSpec Filters — 17 Chapter 3 Controlling VariSpec Filters Topics in this chapter: Page • Components of the VariSpec SDK .................................................................... 17 • Controlling VariSpec Filters with Direct Serial Commands.............................. 18 •...

18 — Controlling VariSpec Filters National Instruments ® LabVIEW ™ Sub-VIs CRi provides five sub-VI (virtual instrument) files for basic control of VariSpec filters. The .VI files may be copied to the user library directory within LabVIEW and then accessed from the functions palette to drag and drop...

Controlling VariSpec Filters — 19 Palette Commands After the VariSpec filter has been initialized, there are two ways to select the passband wavelength. The first is to issue a request to tune to a wavelength using the “W” command. This is the easiest method with current-generation filters.Another m...

20 — Controlling VariSpec Filters TABLE 1. Control Modes LED Behavior If the VariSpec filter receives an incorrect communication, the Status LED turns Red and an Error Code is recorded. Error Code can be read out using the “R” command as described later in this section. The LED remains lit Red until...

Controlling VariSpec Filters — 21 The Status-Check character “@” provides various information on filter status. The VariSpec filter responds with a single, printable ASCII character response. Each bit in the response character indicates something about the filter status, listed in the table below.Th...

22 — Controlling VariSpec Filters Auto-Confirm format is selected using the “B” command, described later in this section. Upon power-up the VariSpec filter uses the normal format. Table of Commands TABLE 4. Commands Descriptions of VariSpec Serial Commands Awaken A <arg> <term>Command: a...

Controlling VariSpec Filters — 23 Brief B <arg> <term>Command: If <arg> is 0, it selects the VariSpec filter’s normal format for replying to queries. If <arg> is 1, it selects the brief format. If <arg> is 2, it selects the auto-confirm format. At power-up, the default ...

24 — Controlling VariSpec Filters In brief format, the response would be:3<term>450<term>550<term>650<term> Exercise E <arg> <term>Command: exercises the filter <arg> times. This places the liquid crystal elements into a known state. An <arg> of 3 is s...

Controlling VariSpec Filters — 25 amount from its present wavelength, upon receipt of an eXecute command or an external hardware trigger pulse in mode 4. At power-up Jump is set to 5.00. The jump step can be any value consistent with the tuning range of the filter, given the specifications.Legal <...

26 — Controlling VariSpec Filters Note: it is bad practice to query the awake/sleep status, as a sleeping filter will not reply. Version V <arg> <term>This can be issued only as a query. It returns the VariSpec firmware revision number and other configuration data, in the following forma...

Controlling VariSpec Filters — 27 Query reply: temperature of LC elements inoptics module in centigrade Escape <esc> (ASCII character code 27)This character is processed immediately, with no need for a <term> character. The VariSpec filter stops processing all pending commands immediatel...

28 — Controlling VariSpec Filters TABLE 5. Error Codes Programming Examples Here are several examples of how the VariSpec filter may be programmed, using the USB port and the command set described in the previous section. In the examples, commands sent to the VariSpec are shown in bold text and repl...

Controlling VariSpec Filters — 29 W 500 <c/r> {tune filter to 500 nm} W 600 <c/r> {tune filter to 600 nm} W 488 <c/r> {tune filter to 488 nm, altered spacing is okay} W 900 <c/r> {wavelength out of range, Status LED lights Red} W ? <c/r> {what wavelength is the filter c...

30 — Controlling VariSpec Filters Example 3. Cycling through various wavelengths using the TTL Sync port on the XNIR-09-20 Here we define a palette and then use a 10 Hz TTL signal generator at the TTL Sync port to cycle through the palette elements in sequence. {plug VariSpec filter into USB port an...

Frequently Asked Questions & Troubleshooting — 31 Chapter 4 Frequently Asked Questions & Troubleshooting FAQs I want to clean the glass surface of the VariSpec optics module from fingerprints and other debris. How do I clean it? Use a compressed air can to clean surface dust off the glass su...

System Specifications & Dimensions — 37 Appendix A. System Specifications & Dimensions Operating Specifications Note that these specifications represent typical VariSpec filters as of August 2010 and are subject to change. Parameter VariSpec VIS VariSpec SNIR VariSpec LNIR VariSpec XNIR Vari...

38 — System Specifications & Dimensions Mechanical Dimensions (Optics Module) VariSpec 22 mm Aperture Standard Enclosure Figure 12. Exterior of a 22 mm Aperture Enclosure VariSpec 22 mm Aperture Dual-Housing Enclosure Figure 13. Exterior of a 22 mm Dual-Aperture Enclosure DWG# MD15284 DWG# MD152...

System Specifications & Dimensions — 39 VariSpec 22 mm Aperture Enclosure for the XNIR-09-20 Model Figure 14. Exterior of the Unique XNIR-09-20 Dual-Aperture Enclosure DWG# MA20415

40 — System Specifications & Dimensions VariSpec Mounting Adapters for 22 mm Aperture Models Figure 15. Stainless Steel Insert — Default, Blank Figure 16. Stainless Steel Insert — Female C-mount DWG# MM70226 DWG# MM70228

42 — System Specifications & Dimensions Figure 19. 52 mm Camera Lens Thread Adapter Standard 22 mm Aperture Filter Mounting Block Figure 20. VariSpec Mounting Block for 20 mm Aperture Filters DWG# MI10408 DWG# MM70225

System Specifications & Dimensions — 43 VariSpec 22 mm Aperture Enclosure for the LNIR-20-20 Model Figure 21. Exterior of the Unique LNIR-20-20 Enclosure VariSpec 35 mm Aperture Enclosure Figure 22. Exterior of a 35 mm Aperture Enclosure DWG# MD15369 DWG# MD15470

44 — System Specifications & Dimensions Dovetail Spacer Figure 23. Dovetail Spacer, Large Aperture Dovetail C-Mounts Figure 24. Dovetail, Female C-Mount, Large Aperture DWG# MM70226-LA DWG# MM70228-LA

46 — System Specifications & Dimensions Electronics Controller Module Figure 27. Electronics Controller Module (for the XNIR-09-20 model only) Optics-to-Electronics Cable Figure 28. End Connectors of the 26-pin HD Cable with Specified Length (for the XNIR-09-20 model only) Waiting for ME35036-VS...

Operating Considerations — 47 Appendix B. Operating Considerations This section supplies operating considerations with which you should be familiar to maximize the operation of your VariSpec filter. Variation of FWHM with Pass Wavelength The bandwidth of the VariSpec filter is defined as the full-wi...

48 — Operating Considerations Response Time versus Temperature The liquid crystal variable retarders set the response time of the filter, and their viscosity varies with the temperature. At 35 ºC, the viscosity is only half its 20 ºC value, allowing faster operation in a warm environment. Elevated t...

Operating Considerations — 49 Given sufficient heat, delamination may occur. To cause delamination, two factors must be present: heat and stress. Mechanical stress may be produced by the thermal expansion of the LC cells and other components. It seems remarkable, but heat can travel through an entir...

Legacy Hardware and Software Considerations — 51 Appendix C. Legacy Hardware and Software Considerations Optics and Electronics Controller Modules Previous-generation VariSpec filters utilize an RS-232 serial interface. The rear panel of the VariSpec electronics module features an RJ-12 connector an...

VariSpec ™ Quick Start Guide for a Windows ® -based Host Computer MD15473 Rev. B, August 2010 CRi, 35-B Cabot Road, Woburn, MA, 01801, USA :: (Toll-Free US) 1-800-383-7924, (P) +1-781-935-9099, (F) +1-781-935-3388 :: [email protected] :: www.cri-inc.com CRi supplies a Windows-compatible SDK installa...

Index — 59 Index A aluminum inserts, dimensions 44 angle-of-acceptance, specification 37 aperture dual-housing enclosure, 22 mm 38 aperture enclosure, 20 mm, XNIR 39 aperture enclosure, 22 mm, LNIR 43 aperture enclosure, 35 mm 43 aperture filter mounting block, 22 mm 42 aperture sizes 31 aperture st...

CRi, 35-B Cabot Road, Woburn, MA, 01801, USA :: (Toll-Free US) 1-800-383-7924, (P) +1-781-935-9099, (F) +1-781-935-3388 :: [email protected] :: www.cri-inc.com Warranty CRi warrants its VariSpec LCTFs for a period of one (1) year from date of shipment against defects in material and/or workmanship, ...