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BBD302 Front Panel
(Shown Connected to DDS220 Linear Stage and
DDR100 Rotation Stage)


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BBD302 Rear Panel

Features

• Supports Thorlabs' Range of 3-Phase, Brushless DC Servo Motor Products
• Encoder Feedback for Closed-Loop Velocity and Position Control
• Front Panel Display and Control to Complement Remote PC Operation
• AUX I/O Port Exposes RS232 Communications and Digital Input and Output Signals
• USB and Ethernet Connectivity
• Supported by the Kinesis Software Control Suite
• New Features Supported by Kinesis:
  • Synchronized Moves
  • PID Settings
• Seamless Integration with All Kinesis Family Controllers
• Compact Controller Footprints (See the Specs Tab for Details)

The BBD300 Series of Brushless DC Motor Controllers are ideal for motion control applications demanding operation at high speeds (hundreds of mm/s) and with high encoder resolution (<100 nm). These controllers offer one, two, or three channels of high-precision motion control for a wide range of applications, particularly microscopy sample manipulation if paired with our MLS203 Series of Dual-Axis Scanning Stages or general motion applications using our 150 mm, 220 mm, 300 mm, or 600 mm translation stages or our direct drive rotation stage. For 19" rack applications or integration into our MMR601 Rack System Enclosure, please see our RBD201 controller or our MBD602 Controller Module, respectively.

Part of our Kinesis family of products, these controllers offer Thorlabs' standard control and programming interface, allowing for easy integration into automated motion control applications. As one of the newest members of the Kinesis family of controllers, these units are backed up by the fully featured Kinesis suite of PC software tools for immediate and easy out-of-the-box configuration and usage. These units are capable of being reprogrammed in-field, allowing the option of upgrading the units with future firmware releases as soon as new programming interfaces (such as microscopy standard command sets) are added.

USB connectivity provides easy plug-and-play PC operation. Multiple units can be connected to a single PC via standard USB hub technology for multi-axis motion control applications. Coupling this with the user friendly Kinesis software allows the user to get reasonably complex move sequences up and running in a short space of time. For example, all relevant operating parameters are set automatically for Thorlabs stage and actuator products. Advanced custom motion control applications and sequences are also possible using the extensive programming environment described in more detail on the Kinesis Software tab. These controls can be incorporated into a wide range of software development environments including LabVIEW, C++, and MATLAB.

Cabling
Cables for connecting actuators or stages to the controller are shipped with the actuators or stages, not the controller. If you need help identifying the appropriate replacement cable, please contact Tech Support.

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MJC2 Joystick for X-Y Axis Control

Comparison to BBD200 Series Controllers
Our BBD300 series controllers represent a significant upgrade in capabilities compared to our previous-generation BBD200 series controllers. The new front panel enables direct control of attached stages via manual controls and LCD output of key parameters including velocity and position, regardless of whether the unit is connected to a PC. Also, synchronized moves can now be configured in multi-channel versions, enabling advanced contouring movements. Lastly, the user can now control the PID motor settings, allowing adjustments to account for different load inertias and optimization of movement.

Not For Use with Brushed DC Motors
This controller is designed for use with high-power, brushless DC servo motors. For control of the Thorlabs brushed DC servo motor devices, please see the KDC101 DC Servo Motor Driver K-Cube.

Optional Joysticks
The MJC2 and MJC3 joysticks have been designed for microscope users, to provide intuitive, tactile, manual positioning of the stage. The joysticks feature a two-axis joystick knob for XY control or a three-axis joystick knob for XYZ control, respectively. In most applications, the default parameter settings saved within the controller allow the joystick to be used out-of-the-box, with no need for further setup, thereby negating the requirement to be connected to a host PC, and allowing true remote operation.

Front Panel Features

Our BBD300 series controllers can be used to drive attached stages directly via the front panel controls and display, without the specific need of a computer connection and its peripheral software; only a mains power connection is needed, together with electrical connections to each stage. Below is a quick overview of functionality for the BBD301 single-channel controller.

Software

Kinesis Version 1.14.50

The Kinesis Software Package, which includes a GUI for control of Thorlabs' Kinesis system controllers.

Also Available:

• Communications Protocol

Kinesis GUI Screen

Thorlabs offers the Kinesis^® software package to drive our wide range of motion controllers. The software can be used to control devices in the Kinesis family, which covers a wide variety of motion controllers ranging from small, low-powered, single-channel drivers (such as the K-Cubes™) to high-power, multi-channel benchtop units and modular 19" rack nanopositioning systems (the MMR60x Rack System).

The Kinesis Software features .NET controls which can be used by 3rd party developers working in the latest C#, Visual Basic, LabVIEW™, or any .NET compatible languages to create custom applications. Low-level DLL libraries are included for applications not expected to use the .NET framework and APIs are included with each install. A Central Sequence Manager supports integration and synchronization of all Thorlabs motion control hardware.

By providing this common software platform, Thorlabs has ensured that users can mix and match any of our motion control devices in a single application, while only having to learn a single set of software tools. In this way, it is perfectly feasible to combine any of the controllers from single-axis to multi-axis systems and control all from a single, PC-based unified software interface.

The software package allows two methods of usage: graphical user interface (GUI) utilities for direct interaction with and control of the controllers 'out of the box', and a set of programming interfaces that allow custom-integrated positioning and alignment solutions to be easily programmed in the development language of choice. 

Legacy Software
Select products are still capable of running the legacy APT™ software package. Information on software compatibility can be found in the product documentation (), and additional details about the APT software can be found here.

Thorlabs' Kinesis^® software features new .NET controls which can be used by third-party developers working in the latest C#, Visual Basic, LabVIEW™, or any .NET compatible languages to create custom applications.

C#
This programming language is designed to allow multiple programming paradigms, or languages, to be used, thus allowing for complex problems to be solved in an easy or efficient manner. It encompasses typing, imperative, declarative, functional, generic, object-oriented, and component-oriented programming. By providing functionality with this common software platform, Thorlabs has ensured that users can easily mix and match any of the Kinesis controllers in a single application, while only having to learn a single set of software tools. In this way, it is perfectly feasible to combine any of the controllers from the low-powered, single-axis to the high-powered, multi-axis systems and control all from a single, PC-based unified software interface.

The Kinesis System Software allows two methods of usage: graphical user interface (GUI) utilities for direct interaction and control of the controllers 'out of the box', and a set of programming interfaces that allow custom-integrated positioning and alignment solutions to be easily programmed in the development language of choice.

For a collection of example projects that can be compiled and run to demonstrate the different ways in which developers can build on the Kinesis motion control libraries, click on the links below. Please note that a separate integrated development environment (IDE) (e.g., Microsoft Visual Studio) will be required to execute the Quick Start examples. The C# example projects can be executed using the included .NET controls in the Kinesis software package (see the Kinesis Software tab for details).

Click Here for the Kinesis with C# Quick Start Guide Click Here for C# Example Projects Click Here for Quick Start Device Control Examples

LabVIEW
LabVIEW can be used to communicate with any Kinesis- or APT-based controller via .NET controls. In LabVIEW, you build a user interface, known as a front panel, with a set of tools and objects and then add code using graphical representations of functions to control the front panel objects. The LabVIEW tutorial, provided below, provides some information on using the .NET controls to create control GUIs for Kinesis- and APT-driven devices within LabVIEW. It includes an overview with basic information about using controllers in LabVIEW and explains the setup procedure that needs to be completed before using a LabVIEW GUI to operate a device.

Click Here to View the LabVIEW Guide Click Here to View the Kinesis with LabVIEW Overview Page