Click to Enlarge
Figure 1.1  Back and Top Views of the KBD101 K-Cube
(See the Pin Diagrams Tab for More Information)

Features

• Compact Footprint: 60.0 mm x 60.0 mm x 49.2 mm
• Differential Encoder Feedback (QEP Inputs) for Closed Loop Positioning
• Auto-Configure Function when Used with the 50 mm and 100 mm Fast Translation Stages
• Easy-to-Use Manual Controls
  • Velocity Wheel: Bidirectional Control
  • Digital Display Menu: Jogging Functionality with Position Presets
• Two Full Software Suites Available (See Kinesis and XA Software Tab for Details)
• Software Compatible with Other Motion Controllers for Integrated Systems Development
• Single- and Multi-Channel PSU Options Available Separately
• Multi-Axis Expansion Using Ethernet and USB Controller Hubs (Sold Separately)
• Magnetic, Clip-On Optical Table Mounting Adapter Included

The KBD101 K-Cube^® Brushless DC Servo Motor Controller is a part of Thorlabs' new and growing line of high-end, compact motion controllers and is ideal for fast (hundreds of mm/s), high-resolution (10 million encoder counts per second) applications. Designed to provide easy manual and automatic control of brushless DC servo motors, this single-channel driver is capable of driving a variety of rotary and linear brushless 3-phase DC motors with up to 2 A peak coil current. The controller has also been optimized for 'out-of-the-box' operation with Thorlabs' brushless DC servo motor equipped stages, such as the DDS050 and DDS100 fast translation stages. When paired with these stages, speeds up to 500 mm/s can be achieved. The highly flexible software settings and closed-loop tuning support operation with a wide range of third-party DC servo motors and associated stages and actuators.

The unit has a highly compact 60.0 mm x 60.0 mm x 49.2 mm footprint, allowing it to be positioned close to the motorized system for added convenience when manually adjusting motor positions using the top panel controls. Tabletop operation also allows minimal drive cable lengths for easier cable management. Each unit contains a front-located power switch that, when turned off, saves all user-adjustable settings. Please note that this switch should always be used to power down the unit. For convenience, a 1.5 m long Type A to Type Micro B USB 3.0 cable is included with the KBD101 cube.

USB connectivity provides easy 'Plug-and-Play' PC-controlled operation with our Kinesis or XA software packages. Both packages feature .NET controls which can be used by third-party developers working in the latest C#, Visual Basic, LabVIEW™, or .NET compatible languages. For more details on our Kinesis and XA software suites, please see the Kinesis and XA Software and Kinesis Tutorials tabs.

Optical Table Mounting Plate
Each unit comes with a mounting plate that clips onto the base of the controller. The plate contains two magnets for temporary placement on an optical table and two counterbores for 1/4"-20 (M6) cap screws for more permanent placement on the tabletop. Please see the Specs tab for details.

Power Supply Options
The preferred power supply (single channel or hub-based) depends on the end user's application and whether you already own compatible power supplies. To that end and in keeping with Thorlabs' green initiative, we do not ship these units bundled with a power supply.

Multiple units can be connected to a single PC by using the KEH3 or KEH6 Ethernet and USB Controller Hubs, available below, for multi-axis motion control applications. The KEH3 allows up to three K-cube controllers to be used, while the KEH6, shown in Figure G1.1, allows up to six K-Cube controllers to be used.

All power supply options compatible with the KBD101 Motor Controller can be found below.

K-Cube^® Mounting Options

Two options are available to securely mount our K-Cube controllers onto an optical table. An optical table mounting plate, provided with every K-Cube, allows for a single controller to be attached to an optical table. Alternatively, three- and six-port Ethernet and USB controller hubs are offered (sold separately) that can mount and power our K-Cube controllers. These options are described in further detail below.

Optical Table Mounting Plate
Each K-Cube unit comes with a mounting plate that clips onto the base of the controller, as shown in Video 815A. The plate contains two magnets for temporary placement on an optical table and two counterbores for 1/4"-20 (M6) cap screws for a more permanent placement on the tabletop.

Kinesis Ethernet and USB Controller Hubs
Multiple units can be mounted and connected to a single PC by using the KEH3 or KEH6 Ethernet and USB Controller Hubs. They consist of two parts: the hub, which can support up to three (Item # KEH3) or six (Item # KEH6) K-Cubes or T-Cubes™, and a power supply that plugs into a standard wall outlet. K-Cubes simply clip into place using the provided on-unit clips, while current- and previous-generation T-Cubes require the KAP101 Adapter Plate, shown in Video 815B. The hubs vastly reduce the number of Ethernet, USB, and power cables required when operating multiple controllers.

Software

Kinesis Version 1.14.58

XA Version 1.6.0

The Kinesis and XA Software Packages, which include a GUI for control of Thorlabs' motion controllers.

Also Available:

• Firmware Update Utilities
• Communications Protocol

Figure 789A  Kinesis GUI Screen

Thorlabs offers two platforms to drive our wide range of motion controllers: our XA software package and our Kinesis software package, which is being phased out. The Kinesis software supports most of Thorlabs' motion control products. The XA software is an improved platform for developers that currently supports some of our most popular motion control products (see the full list of supported products here). The software is undergoing continuous, intensive development and will eventually add support for our entire line of motion control products. The XA software application will be fully supported through the year 2040.

Kinesis Motion Control Software

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. A Central Sequence Manager supports integration and synchronization of all Thorlabs motion control hardware.

By providing a 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 single-axis to multi-axis systems and control all from a single, PC-based unified software interface.

Click to Enlarge
Figure 789B  XA GUI for KDC101 Brushed DC Servo Controller

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.

XA Motion Control Software: Improved Platform for Developers

Designed from the ground up to be straightforward to understand, XA provides a thread-safe and language-paradigm-agnostic set of application programming interfaces in C, C++, and C#/.NET with language wrappers available to allow for easy integration into your native, .NET language, Python, or LabVIEW applications. This enables the same functionality as mentioned for the Kinesis software development kit (SDK) while providing a more streamlined toolkit for developers. Coupled with the included developer guides and code examples in the SDK, this software is tailored toward users interested in creating complex, customized applications and interfaces. Full API documentation is provided for the native C library, and the .NET wrapper documentation is currently under development. Please contact Tech Support for more details on using the .NET wrapper.

XA also features a comparable GUI to Kinesis while adding improvements to the user experience, like the ability to save device states and a more consistent interface across devices of different types. In addition, further improvements are planned as XA will be fully supported through the year 2040, whereas the Kinesis software is being phased out. The current version of the XA software can only drive select Thorlabs motion controllers. However, the software is undergoing continuous, intensive development and will eventually add support for our entire line of motion control products. Information on software compatibility can be found in the XA User Guide, and additional details about the software, including a list of compatible devices, 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-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-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