Software Installation and Quick Start Guide PowerMax-Pro PC
Software Installation and Quick Start Guide PowerMax-Pro PC 27650 SW 95th Ave. Wilsonville, OR 97070
This document and software is copyrighted with all rights reserved. Under the copyright laws, this document and software may not be copied in whole or in part or reproduced in any other media without the express written permission of Coherent, Inc. Permitted copies must carry the same proprietary and copyright notices as were affixed to the original. This exception does not allow copies to be made for others, whether or not sold, but all the material purchased may be sold, given or loaned to another person. Under the law, copying includes translation into another language. Coherent, the Coherent Logo, LabMax, and PowerMax are trademarks or registered trademarks of Coherent, Inc. All other trademarks or registered trademarks are the property of their respective owners. Every effort has been made to ensure that the data given in this document and software is accurate. The information, figures, tables, specifications, part numbers, schematics and software contained herein are subject to change without notice. Coherent makes no warranty or representation, either expressed or implied with respect to this document and software. In no event will Coherent be liable for any direct, indirect, special, incidental or consequential damages resulting from any defects in its documentation. ii
TABLE OF CONTENTS Signal Words and Symbols in this Manual... iv Signal Words... iv Symbols...v Preface... vii Software Installation... 1 Quick Start... 3 Initial Setup Instructions...3 Taking a Standard-Speed Measurement...6 Taking a High-Speed Measurement...10 Taking a Snapshot Measurement...15 Measuring Real-time Integrated Energy using Host Commands...25 Setting up the Cursor Feature...29 iii
Signal Words and Symbols in this Manual This documentation may contain sections in which particular hazards are defined or special attention is drawn to particular conditions. These sections are indicated with signal words in accordance with ANSI Z-535.6 and safety symbols (pictorial hazard alerts) in accordance with ANSI Z-535.3 and ISO 7010. Signal Words Four signal words are used in this documentation: DANGER, WARNING, CAUTION and NOTICE. The signal words DANGER, WARNING and CAUTION designate the degree or level of hazard when there is the risk of injury: DANGER! Indicates a hazardous situation that, if not avoided, will result in death or serious injury. This signal word is to be limited to the most extreme situations. WARNING! Indicates a hazardous situation that, if not avoided, could result in death or serious injury. CAUTION! Indicates a hazardous situation that, if not avoided, could result in minor or moderate injury. iv
The signal word NOTICE is used when there is the risk of property damage: NOTICE! Indicates information considered important, but not hazard-related. Messages relating to hazards that could result in both personal injury and property damage are considered safety messages and not property damage messages. Symbols The signal words DANGER, WARNING, and CAUTION are always emphasized with a safety symbol that indicates a special hazard, regardless of the hazard level: This symbol is intended to alert the operator to the presence of important operating and maintenance instructions. This symbol is intended to alert the operator to the danger of exposure to hazardous visible and invisible laser radiation. This symbol is intended to alert the operator to the presence of dangerous voltages within the product enclosure that may be of sufficient magnitude to constitute a risk of electric shock. v
This symbol is intended to alert the operator to the danger of Electro-Static Discharge (ESD) susceptibility. This symbol is intended to alert the operator to the danger of crushing injury. This symbol is intended to alert the operator to the danger of a lifting hazard. vi
Preface This guide includes: Installation instructions for the LabMax-Pro PC software a program that supplies an easy-to-use interface between the PowerMax-Pro USB/RS system and a PC. (This same software platform is used with LabMax-Pro SSIM hardware it functions with both hardware platforms.) A separate Quick Start section that describes how to connect the system to a PC and start taking different types of measurements within minutes. vii
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SOFTWARE INSTALLATION To install the LabMax-Pro PC software and PowerMax-Pro USB drivers: 1. Close all programs. 2. Insert the CD that shipped with the product into the CD-ROM drive of your computer. 3. If Autorun is enabled on your system, installation will start automatically; otherwise, double-click the Setup.exe file in the main folder on the CD. 4. Follow the on-screen instructions to complete the installation. For complete operating instructions, refer to the PowerMax-Pro USB/RS User Manual (part number 1303659), available in Adobe PDF format on the CD-ROM sent with the product. 1
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QUICK START In this section: Initial setup instructions (this page) Taking a Standard-Speed measurement (p. 6) Taking a High-Speed measurement (p. 10) Taking a Snapshot measurement (p. 15) Measuring real-time integrated energy using host commands (p. 25) Setting up the Cursor feature (p. 29) Initial Setup Instructions Complete the following instructions before you use any of the Quick Start tutorials given in this section. 1. Install the LabMax-Pro PC software (p. 1). 2. Attach the PowerMax-Pro USB/RS sensor to the PC through a USB 2.0 High- Speed port, or a RS-232 port if using an RS model. 3. (USB model) The USB port supplies power. Note: If the USB port on your PC or hub does not provide sufficient current to power the device, you can provide power through the auxiliary external 5V power input. (RS model) Connect a 5V external power supply (optional accessory) to the PowerMax-Pro RS sensor. The hardware turns on automatically when power is applied. 4. Start LabMax-Pro PC. 3
5. If a dialog screen similar to the one shown at right appears, click OK. 6. [Main menu] Click Open Meter. 7. Select the COM port from the popup screen. Click the Select button to close the dialog. 8. View system information to confirm LabMax-Pro PC is detecting the meter and the sensor. 4
WARNING! Follow all laser safety procedures. Block or switch OFF the laser before you start any of the tutorials described in this section. NOTICE! Do not exceed the power or energy density limits of the sensor. The following illustration shows the areas of the graphical user interface you need to access while using the tutorials in this section. Quick Access Toolbar Tabs Information and Help Main Menu Measurements Panel Graphics Panel Status Bar Statistics Panel 5
Taking a Standard-Speed Measurement This tutorial describes how to take a standard (10 Hz sampling rate) power measurement. Notes This mode gives almost instant average power readings. However, because data is sampled every 100 milliseconds, temporal pulse information is not displayed. Use High-Speed or Snapshot modes to view temporal information. Standard-Speed mode can be used for measuring the average power of CW or pulsed lasers. Use Standard-Speed mode when measuring the average power of high repetition rate shortpulsed lasers, for example, picosecond, femtosecond, and nanosecond lasers. In this 10 Hz sampling mode, PowerMax-Pro gives very fast average power readings on these lasers. (Because Ultrafast and q-switched laser pulses are too fast for PowerMax-Pro to resolve temporal pulse information, and High-Speed and Snapshot mode sampling rates alias with the high khz pulse repetition rates, operate in Standard-Speed mode with these lasers.) Procedure 1. Complete the Initial Setup Instructions (p. 3). 2. [Home tab] Verify the High- Speed Mode checkbox is not checked. 3. Make sure the laser is in the OFF position or the beam is blocked. 6
4. [Home tab] Press the Zero button to zero the sensor. A dialogue displays the zeroing process, which will only take a second or two. 5. [Measurement tab] Select your laser wavelength from the dropdown menu. If your laser wavelength is not available, select the one closest to it or, alternatively, type in your specific wavelength to add it to the Wavelength Table. 6. [Data Buffer tab] Enter a value in the Capacity field that represents the sample size you want to collect. This is also the sample size used to calculate Statistics. Check the Continuous Mode checkbox if you want data collection to continue until you stop it. Uncheck the checkbox to have data collection end after the Data buffer is full (which is when it reaches the value that you entered in the Capacity field). 7. [Data Buffer tab] Enter a value in the Sample Count field. This value shows how many samples are displayed in the Trending chart at one time. 7
8. [Graphics panel] Click the Trending window. 9. Expose the sensor to the laser beam. 10. [Quick Access toolbar or Home tab] Press the Start icon to begin data collection. 8
During data collection, the data is visible in the Trending chart, statistics update in real time (based upon data entering the buffer), and the Measurements panel displays a live reading. Here is an example output screen: End of tutorial. 9
Taking a High-Speed Measurement This tutorial describes how to take a high-speed (20 khz sampling rate) power measurement. Notes A data point is sampled every 50 microseconds, making this mode very useful for real-time visualization of temporal shape of modulated lasers with pulse lengths hundreds of microseconds or longer. This mode also provides fast feedback about changes in power output from CW sources. High-Speed mode is also used to set up Snapshot mode primarily by confirming the meter is accurately triggering on the laser pulses before moving into Snapshot mode. Refer to Taking a Snapshot Measurement (p. 15). To avoid aliasing effects between the meter sampling rate and the laser pulses, do not use this mode with lasers modulated at over 2.5 khz pulse repetition frequency. Procedure 1. Complete the Initial Setup Instructions (p. 3). 2. [Home tab] Confirm the High- Speed Mode checkbox is checked. 3. Make sure the laser is OFF or the beam is blocked. 10
4. [Home tab] Press the Zero button to zero the sensor. A dialogue displays the zeroing process, which will only take a second or two. 5. [Home tab] Click the Range dropdown menu and select one of the three ranges that are available: AUTO (for auto-range), and two fixed ranges signified by power limits (High and Low). 6. [Measurement tab] Select your laser wavelength from the dropdown menu. If your laser wavelength is not available, choose the one closest to it or, alternatively, type in your specific wavelength to add it to the Wavelength Table. 11
7. [Data Buffer tab] Confirm that the Enable Snapshot Mode checkbox is not checked. 8. [Data Buffer tab] Enter a value in the Capacity field that represents the sample size you want to collect. This is also the sample size used to calculate Statistics. Check the Continuous Mode checkbox if you want data collection to continue until you stop it. Uncheck the checkbox to have data collection end after the Data buffer is full (which is when it reaches the value you entered in the Capacity field). Tip: If the application displays a Missing warning, data was lost while transferring the data in real time from the meter's buffer to the PC. This usually occurs because the computer can not keep up with the high rate of data continuously streaming from the meter. If this warning occurs, make sure the USB connection is a USB 2.0 High-Speed port and close other open applications. Another option is decrease the Capacity buffer size. You can also export the data file to examine the error indicators to determine where and how much data was lost. 9. [Data Buffer tab] Enter a value in the Sample Count field. This value represents the number of samples you want displayed in the Trending window at one time. 12
10. [Graphics panel] Click the Trending window. 11. Expose the sensor to the laser beam. 12. [Quick Access toolbar or Home tab] Press the Start icon to begin data collection. Note the loading indicator ( ) turns green while the data is loading. 13
During data collection, the data is visible in the Trending chart, statistics are updated in real time (based upon data entering the buffer), and the Measurements panel displays a live reading. Here is an example output screen: End of tutorial. 14
Taking a Snapshot Measurement This tutorial describes how to take a Snapshot (625 khz sampling rate) power measurement. Notes This is a special acquisition mode that captures bursts of highspeed data at 625 khz or 1.6 microseconds per sample (capture rate to the internal buffer inside the hardware). Because of the high rate of data acquisition in this mode, it is necessary to temporarily store the data in the instrument's hardware buffer, as it is not possible to upload it in real-time via USB. When the data acquisition is complete, the instrument uploads the data to the PC, where it is put in the Capture buffer and displayed in the software. To avoid aliasing effects between the meter sampling rate and the laser pulses, do not use this mode with lasers modulated at over 80 khz pulse repetition frequency. Process During Snapshot mode, the hardware waits for a trigger event before acquiring data. The process works like this: 1. You define the data acquisition settings (including trigger settings), enable Snapshot mode, and press Start. 2. The meter searches for a trigger and the user interface waits for the meter to start sending data. 3. When a trigger is found, the meter starts filling its own Capture buffer. 4. When the buffer is full, the data is sent to the user interface, which displays it. 15
Procedure The first part of the procedure is to define the data acquisition settings, including trigger settings. This is done in High-Speed mode. 1. Complete the Initial Setup Instructions (p. 3). 2. [Home tab] Confirm the High- Speed Mode checkbox is checked. 3. Make sure the laser is OFF or the beam is blocked. 4. [Home tab] Press the Zero button to zero the sensor. A dialogue displays the zeroing process, which will only take a second or two. 5. [Home tab] Click the Range dropdown menu and select one of the two fixed ranges (which signify the maximum power limits for each range). Note: Snapshot does not support Auto ranging. 16
6. [Measurement tab] Select your laser wavelength from the dropdown menu. If your laser wavelength is not available, choose the one closest to it or, alternatively, type in your specific wavelength to add it to the Wavelength Table. 7. [Data Buffer tab] Confirm that the Enable Snapshot Mode checkbox is not checked. 8. [Data Buffer tab] Confirm that the Continuous Mode checkbox is not checked then enter a value in the Capacity field (20,000 represents one second of data collection, which should be adequate to set up Snapshot mode). The purpose of this step is to confirm good data collection and proper pulse triggering. 9. [Data Buffer tab] Enter a Sample Count of 1500 and an Update Period of 0.5. These are good values with which to start. 17
10. [Trigger tab] Enter a Level setting in Watts that represents a level approximately 50% between zero and the peak power you expect each pulse to have. If you do not know peak power, enter a Level setting between zero and the average power. Verify that Source is set to Internal, Edge is set to Positive, and Delay is set to 0 (zero). 11. [Trending window] Verify the Show Trigger Markers checkbox is checked (Settings drop-down menu, under the Views tab). This lets you to confirm the meter is auto triggering on the pulses, which is required before entering Snapshot mode. 12. Expose the sensor to the laser beam. 13. [Quick Access toolbar or Home tab] Press the Start icon to begin data collection. 18
14. [Trending window] After data collection is complete, confirm that each pulse has a trigger marker, represented by a red vertical line plotted at each trigger event. The green line represents the trigger threshold level. If the red trigger markers are not visible, or are not consistently triggering on each pulse event, go back and adjust the Trigger Level setting in the Trigger tab. Keep repeating this process until trigger events occur as expected. Now that trigger events are occurring and pulses are correctly displaying, it is time to move into Snapshot mode. The laser does not need to be firing onto the sensor during the next several steps of this tutorial. You will fire the laser again in step 20. 15. [Data Buffer tab] Check the Enable Snapshot Mode checkbox. 19
16. When Snapshot mode is activated, a warning dialog such as the one shown below will appear if particular settings (such as Range and Data Buffer) are not set up correctly. If this occurs, click the Confirm Changes button and the application will automatically adjust those settings for you. 17. [Data Buffer tab] Click the Change Settings button. 20
18. [Data Buffer tab] Adjust the capacity up or down by typing in a new value or using the slider. How long a Snapshot you need depends on the laser pulse length and how many pulses you want to capture. In this example, the default setting is the maximum capacity of 25000 samples, which is collected in 40000 milliseconds. Add pre-trigger examples if you want to capture the portion of the first pulse before the trigger event. (If this is 0 (zero), Snapshot will begin at the time the trigger event occurs, which is after the first pulse begins.) Click the Save button to close the dialog. Tip: Reducing the number of samples lets pulses be viewed with higher resolution in the trend chart. If you do not see as high a resolution as desired, try setting the capacity duration lower, for example, ten times the pulse repetition period. 19. [Quick Access toolbar or Home tab] Press the Start icon to begin data collection. A Snapshot Mode icon ( ) appears in the Status bar at the bottom of the application and displays a red oscillating bar until the laser fires and a trigger event is detected. 21
20. Fire the laser. If no trigger event is detected, the Snapshot icon will remain in the red waiting mode. If this occurs, there are two options: 1) Press the Force Trigger button (to the right of the red oscillating bar). This will force the meter into collecting Snapshot data, regardless of whether or not it finds a trigger. 2) Press Stop and readjust the trigger settings in High-Speed mode. If a trigger event is detected, the Snapshot Mode icon ( ) turns green and actively displays the progress of loading the data from the internal Snapshot buffer in the meter to the PC application. This can take several seconds, depending upon the size of the Snapshot Capacity setting. After the Snapshot data is loaded, the result is plotted in the Trending window. Zoom in to observe detailed temporal pulse information, as shown in the examples below. There are three ways to zoom a view: 1. Drag the mouse to define a portion of the display. 2. Use the mouse wheel to zoom in or out. 3. Use the scroll bar to define a portion of the display (by dragging either the left or right handle of the scroll bar) or scroll the display (by dragging the scroll bar to the left or right). 22
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End of tutorial. 24
Measuring Real-time Integrated Energy using Host Commands This mode provides real-time pulse-to-pulse integrated energy readings through direct host commands. The hardware samples the PowerMax-Pro output at 40 MHz and begins integrating pulses upon an internal or external trigger signal. After each pulse is integrated the value is available in the host interface buffer. This feature enables high-speed measurement of high pulse energy modulated lasers (such as QCW fiber lasers) real-time within laser processing systems. An eleven-line com port utility is used to demonstrate the host command sequence in the following example. It shows what a typical host command sequence looks like using this mode. Lines shown in bold are the required command sets and required sequence to collect an energy measurement. Entering these commands out of sequence causes error codes. 25
Answer: CMD>SYST:*IDN? REPLY>OK SYSTEM INFORMATION CMD>CONF:PRI,FLAG,SEQ,PER REPLY>OK CMD>CONF:MEAS:SOUR:SEL FAST REPLY>OK CMD>CONF:MEAS:MOD J REPLY>OK CMD>TRIG:SOUR:INT REPLY>OK CMD>CONF:ZERO REPLY>OK CMD>TRIG:LEV MIN REPLY>OK CMD>CONF:MEAS:WIN 20000 REPLY>OK CMD>STAR REPLY>OK CMD>STOP The SCPI commands shown below give additional information on the commands used in the exercise just discussed. For a complete listing of user commands, refer to the Host Interface section of the PowerMax-Pro USB/RS User Manual (1303659), available in Adobe PDF format on the installation CD sent with your system. SCMD>SYST:*IDN? The first command validates the connection settings. A standard *idn? queries the sensor for its identity. If the sensor does not return with a response, then the connection is not valid. 26
CMD>CONF:PRI,FLAG,SEQ,PER In this example the user samples the incoming period (rep rate) of the incoming pulses. This command lets you clearly read the energy level, sequence number, and rep rate in the sample. More information is available under Data Item Select in the Host Interface section of the PowerMax-Pro USB/RS User Manual. CMD>CONF:MEAS:SOUR:SEL FAST This command puts the PowerMax-Pro into a fast measurement (20 khz). Use this command before setting the meter to Joules mode and setting up the trigger. The PowerMax-Pro defaults to SLOW unless told to run in FAST mode. CMD>CONF:MEAS:MOD J This command prepares the sensor for an energy measurement. The Joules mode is set and default ranges based on the sensor are automatically applied. CMD>TRIG:SOUR:INT The Trigger source is now set to Internal and the Sensor tries to capture pulses based on a trigger level. Default trigger levels are applied. External triggering is also possible in this mode. For setup details, refer to the trigger parameters in the Host Interface section of the PowerMax-Pro USB/RS User Manual. CMD>CONF:ZERO Always zero the sensor before taking measurements. Make sure the laser is gated off when you configure Zero. Having any laser power causes a bias and, more importantly, this bias also determines the range of the energy permitted in the software. Low and high ranges are based on the sensor first and then on the bias applied during the zeroing operation. 27
CMD>TRIG:LEV MIN This command selects the value of the trigger level used in the measurement, based on the range found in an earlier step. The minimum range in this mode is essentially an autoset trigger level. The meter analyzes the baseline noise and sets a minimum trigger above the noise. When using Joules mode, try the MIN internal trigger setting before you try to enter absolute trigger percentages. The MIN internal trigger also makes the most efficient use of the pre-trigger (buffer). The trigger level can be set at minimum maximum in addition to percentage values. You can query the values of any given setting. For more information, reference the host commands in the Host Interface section of the PowerMax-Pro USB/RS User Manual. CMD>CONF:MEAS:WIN 20000 The configure measurement window sets the range where the PowerMax-Pro looks for and integrates a pulse. Always set a window that is just slightly longer than the laser pulse length, but not so long that the next pulse arrives before the window closes. If the window is set shorter than the laser pulse length, not all of the pulse will be captured and integrated. The algorithm integrates baseline noise if the window is set longer than the laser pulse length. This is likely to result in a low amount of error, so caution on the side of a slightly longer pulse length window than one that is too short. The value is in microseconds. In the above example, to set a measurement window of 20 milliseconds enter CONF:MEAS:WIN 20000. You can increase and decrease this value based on the application. CMD>STAR The Start command tells the system when to start collecting measurements. There are variations of commands for how many lines to collect and different times to use. For more information on SCPI, refer to the Host Interface section of the PowerMax-Pro USB/RS User Manual. CMD>STOP The Stop command discontinues the measurements. End of tutorial 28
Setting up the Cursor Feature This tutorial describes how to set up the Cursor feature within the LabMax-Pro PC software. The Cursor feature is a powerful tool for analyzing pulses that are captured in the LabMax-Pro software. You can use it after stopping live data collection or after importing a saved data file into the software. Procedure 1. [Graphics panel] Right-click in the Graphics panel to open the Trending Window Options menu. Trending Window Options menu Right-click in this general area to open the Trending Window Options menu. 29
2. Click the Show Selection Bounds Cursors checkbox in the drop-down menu. Cursors are dragged within the trend screen to fit around certain pulse shapes or features. Selection Bound cursors 30
Based on the region of the plot selected by the cursors, the Selection Bounds statistics automatically update. You can use the Time Axis - Width measurement to determine pulse width, rise-time, or fall-time of a pulse in the plot. The software also shades the area under the curve within the cursors and calculates the energy of a pulse or pulses within that region. The Energy Baseline setting can be used to determine if the pulse energy calculation is based on the 0 mw baseline level or the lower cursor level. 31
The Snap To Triggers setting can be used to set the cursors to the trigger point at the start of successive pulses. Then the Time Axis - Width measurement can be used to determine the period between pulses. Trigger points To reset the cursors to their original positions, make sure Snap To Triggers is not checked, then uncheck and recheck the Show Selection Bounds Cursors checkbox. This will reset the cursors in the Trend display. uncheck/recheck uncheck Original position of cursors End of tutorial 32
PowerMax -Pro PC Software Installation and Quick Start Guide Coherent Inc., 11/2015, printed in the USA Part No. 1303658 Rev. AA