A


MS-4-360R
Scanning Stage System














A
pplied
S
cientific
I
nstrumentation, Inc.

29391 W Enid Rd.
Eugene, OR 97402 USA

Phone: (800) 706-2284
(541)
461-8181
Fax: (541)
461-4018
E-mail: info@ASIimaging.com





2
Care and Maintenance



Cleaning the painted or plastic surfaces

Avoid the use of any organic solvents such as thinner, alcohol, ether, etc. to clean the
painted or plastic surfaces of the accessory. Instead, use a mild solution of soap and water
or a neutral detergent.


Never attempt to dismantle

Never attempt to dismantle the instrument, thereby avoiding the possibility of impaired
operational efficiency or accuracy. Contact ASI for service and repair.


When not is use

When not is use, turn off power to the accessory with the power switch on the Controller
Module. When unit is not in use for an extended period unplug transformer from its
120VAC 60Hz outlet.

Handle with care

Handle all equipment with care. Install equipment in a environment with limited exposure
to direct sunlight, dust, high temperatures, humidity and vibration. Avoid any mechanical
or electrical shocks.

3
Introduction


The Motorized Stage 4360 is designed to allow the electronic control of the stage and a
z-axis focus system.

Features of the Motorized Stage 4360


Natural feeling joystick control of speed, with speed proportional to joystick
deflection. This permits easy selection of speeds from as slow as single step jogging
to full turbo traverse speed.


Three user selectable joystick speed sensitivities


Cast aluminum controller case shields against RFI radiation from internal
microprocessor


Table top control unit size is 7D x 10.5W x 3H


LED display of X,Y and Z coordinates


RS232-C serial communications


Maximum speed is in excess of 25mm/sec


3 Axis coordinated motion


15 Micron accuracy with submicron resolution


Remote focus of the z-axis via rotary knob on controller


Adjustable limit stops
4


Control Unit Diagram
5
Installation



Installation of Motorized Stage 4360

Install the stage onto your microscope stand. Hook up the stage cable by plugging it into
the back of the controller. Plug one end of the z-focus cable into the back of the controller
and the other end into the Motor Mount Unit.

There are four adjustable limit sensors/stops on the stage. These sensors/stops are located
near each end of both the x & y limit of travel. The two y-axis limits can be easily
accessed from the top of the stage and are mounted in a rail on the right side of the
bottom plate. The x-axis limit sensors are accessed from the bottom of the unit and are
located in a rail on the front of the top plate. The right limit x-axis sensor is easily
accessed. However, the left x-axis sensor is hidden by the middle plate. To access the set
screw for the left x-axis sensor a hole has been drilled in the middle plate.

Check to see if the stage hits the neck of the stand when pushed to the extreme rear limit.
If it hits, adjust the rear y-axis limit stop, use the 0.05 allen wrench to loosen the set
screw on the stop. Slide the stop along the rail that it sits in to the desired position and
retighten the set screw. The set screw should be securely tightened to prevent the sensor
from moving out of alignment.

Caution: If a limit stop is moved too close to the outside edge of the stage, the
physical limit may be reached before the limit stop is encountered. If that happens, a
racheting noise will be heard and an error will occur. Readjust the limit stop in,
toward the center of the stage, until the limit stop is encountered.

Connect Power Cables

Plug power supply cable into the round power connector on the back panel of stage
controller. Be sure to connect the power supply to the controller prior to plugging it into
the wall and prior to turning on the unit. Plug the power supply into a 120VAC 60Hz
receptacle.

Installation of the Motor Mount Unit

Remove the fine focus knob that has the locking ring (may be on either side depending on
microscope) from the microscope using the shorter of the two allen wrenches included in
the parts package. Retain the spring washer on the fine focus shaft.
6

Attach the pulley to the fine focus shaft with the pulley groove toward the microscope
stand. Align pulley set screw to bear on the flat portion of the fine focus shaft. Use the
longer of the two allen wrenches supplied in the parts package. Be sure to press the right
fine focus knob and pulley towards each other while securing the pulley to compress the
spring washer and ensure proper pulley position.

Note: Pulley must be installed with pulley groove towards the microscope stand for
correct operation of the accessory.

Attach the Motor Unit to the Coarse Tension Adjusting Ring of the coarse focus knob
with the two thumb screws.

Note: Some microscope stands have a small access plate near the Coarse Focus
Knob toward the rear of the stand. This access plate and screws must be removed as
it will prevent the Motor Unit from mounting flat against the microscope stand.

Note: Make sure you plug the power connector into the control unit prior to
plugging the supply into a wall receptacle.

7
Operation
Motorized Operation of the Stage 4360


1. Turn on Motorized Stage Controller by flipping Power On Switch on left side of
controller.


2. The 3 position Speed Select Switch (located on right side of controller) allows you to
change the speed of the stage relative to the deflection of the joystick, slow, medium,
fast.


3. Moving the joystick to the right moves the stage rightward and moving the joystick to
the left moves the stage leftward, etc. If the direction of the stage is opposite of what
you desire, you can change the dip switch setting (refer to Dip Settings section of this
manual) to invert the orientation of either the X-joystick or Y-joystick motion.


4. Pushing the joystick to an extreme position in one direction causes the stage to move
quickly, while pushing gently on the joystick causes the stage to move relatively
slowly. The speed of the stage is proportional to the deflection of the joystick.


5. Pressing the button on the joystick causes the stage to move many times faster. You
can still control the speed by the amount of deflection from the center of the joystick.



NOTE: During Power Up the computer senses the position of the joystick, this
location becomes the dead zone. Do not deflect the joystick during Power Up.
8
Computer Control



Communication Specifications

The Stage 4360 communications interface is an interface between a host computer and
the controller. The communications is established through an RS232-C serial connection.
A wiring diagram showing the wire communication link is given in Appendix 1. The
programming protocol is with text (standard ASCII alpha-numeric characters), along with
some special control characters such as carriage returns, spaces and tabs. The controller
responds to a set of built-in commands with unique names. The commands can be
executed by simply sending the command name with some parameters (if required). The
controller will respond in ASCII and may include the result requested.

General Format of Commands

Each line sent to the controller should have a command and be terminated with a carriage
return character. The first item on the line should be the command. Each line can contain
only one command and the controllers commands are not case sensitive. The allowable
commands are listed below. After the command are the parameters. Some commands
have no parameters. Finally, each command must be terminated with a carriage return
character. The carriage return indicates to the controller the end of a command. The
specific items can be separated with white space characters (such as spaces, tabs). The
entire command string cannot exceed 40 characters.

(command) [data] <cr>
where:

(command) any valid ASCII command

[data]
ASCII numeric data (if applicable)

For Example:
Command:
Where Z<cr>
or
W
Z<cr>
Response:
:A 1002<cr>

For Example:

Command:
Where X<cr>
or
W
X<cr>
Response:
:A 6000<cr>


9

Response

:A <DATA><cr>
Everything
is
ok<returned data>
:N <ERROR CODE><cr><lf>
Error

Every command returns a response: The response is in the form of a colon followed by a
status character (either an A or N). The colon is sent by the controller as soon as the
command is received. The status character is not sent until the function has completed
(i.e. after the motor has moved/stopped). Do not send another command until the last
function has been completed and returned a response. If for some unknown reason the
controller does not respond with a colon, then the command was not received properly
(due to communications problems) and the command must be resent. In this case, the
contro