Galvo Mirror set up

[ssiddharth]

I am new to LabVIEW. I need to make the smooth movement of  Galvo mirror (GVS 212) oscillating from 0 to 60 degree. Can anyone provide me the steps I need to follow to make the circuit on LabVIEW.

Thanks in Advance

Siddharth

[Bob_Schor]

Well, you don't tell us anything about the GVS-212 (and a Web search I did found nothing that looked like a Galvanometer), didn't tell us what hardware you had to drive this system, only told us that you were "new to LabVIEW" (which I took to mean you had never done LabVIEW programming, as you didn't seem to understand that LabVIEW produced programs, not circuits).

I think the quickest, safest, most-likely-to-succeed thing you could do is to hire a good Engineer (or consultant) and have them design and construct your Servo Controller.  Let them use LabVIEW, Python, C++, whatever they already know to do the job.

On the other hand, if you want to do this yourself, first learn LabVIEW, starting by immersing yourself in the Tutorial material listed on the first page of this Forum.  You should also avail yourself of classes at your University (knowing something about circuit design, control theory, signal theory, and such would also be a very good idea).  

Bob Schor

[cbutcher]

So the good news is that based on the User Guide, you can easily control the Thorlabs 212 mirror system using appropriate configuration and an analog output.

The bad news is it looks like 60 degrees might be out of the question.

I'd like to second the suggestion that the learning materials at the top of this forum could be useful. Beyond that, when asking questions here, a little more information and links to other useful sources can help others help you more easily/quickly.

How far have you managed to get so far? What problems are you having, or do you anticipate having?

[ssiddharth]

Thanks a lot for the reply. It was very helpful. Now I am a bit familiar with LabVIEW now. Actually I need to move a mirror from 0 degree to say 60 degree. 0 degree will correspond to 10 volts and 60 degree will correspond to let say 30 volts. So we will get a square wave like shown in the attached file. I need to make that graph smooth or continuous (like shown by dotted lines in the attached image) to make the mirror oscillating from zero to 60 degree.

[Bob_Schor]

There was recently another discussion on moving Galvo mirrors.  See if this post and discussion are helpful to you.

Also, most DAQmx devices have a ±10v output, so if you need to go from +10v to +30v, you may need some external circuitry (well outside my area of expertise, but I have access to helpful Engineers ...). 

Bob Schor

[siddharth_singh]

Yes, the voltage range would be from -10 to +10 V. In my  view point, basically I need to control the motor. But I am not sure how to do that. 

[cbutcher]

Please read the manual that I linked to, in particular pages 14 (connecting to the command system), 16 (setting the scaling, by default 0.5 V / deg, giving +-20 degress for +-10V input), and 17/18 (describing connecting a DAQ board, and on p18 the maximum scanning angles, which will NOT reach +-60 degrees).

For a narrow beam, you can apparently get ~+-30 degrees, which gives a 60 degree range. It's not clear to me from the Appendix A (specifications, list input range as +-10V) and p16 (minimum V/deg is 0.5V/deg) how you'd get that. Perhaps there's some tuning necessary in the application software you write based on beam diameter to effective angle?

[Bob_Schor]

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@siddharth_singh wrote:

Yes, the voltage range would be from -10 to +10 V. In my  view point, basically I need to control the motor. But I am not sure how to do that. 

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Have you looked at the Post I referenced?  Granted, it discusses making the Voltage Waveforms that you need, you still need to turn those Waveforms into voltages.  For this, you need some "hardware", say an NI USB-6002 (it's called a "Multi-function DAQ" device -- do a Web search and you'll find that it has Analog Input, Analog Output, Digital Input, Digital Output, and Timing (very important) capabilities for not a whole lot of money.  Or, if you are a Student, you could look into the NI myDAQ (which is really good for students learning basic electronics, as it can serve as Your Own Personal Oscilloscope, VOM, Function Generator, Power Supply, and comes with a Breadboard that "plugs in" so you can build/test circuits without needing a soldering iron and $2000 worth of test equipment.  Plus you can take it home with you and "experiment" to your heart's content ...

Bob Schor