THORLABS 2022 6-Wavelength High-Power LED Source User Manual

: June 8, 2024
: THORLABS

Table of Contents

THORLABS 2022 6-Wavelength High-Power LED Source
General Information
Download and Installation
Graphical User Interface (GUI)
- Connect
Master Tab CW
- Example for C++
- Example for C
64 bit Operating System
Appendix
References
Read User Manual Online (PDF format)
Download This Manual (PDF format)

THORLABS 2022 6-Wavelength High-Power LED Source

THORLABS-2022-6-Wavelength-High-Power-LED-Source-
PRODUCT

General Information

We aim to develop and produce the best solutions for your applications in the field of optical measurement techniques. To help us to live up to your expectations and constantly improve our products, we need your ideas and suggestions. We and our international partners are looking forward to hearing from you.

Warning: Sections marked by this symbol explain dangers that might result in personal injury or death. Always read the associated information carefully before performing the indicated procedure.

Attention: Paragraphs preceded by this symbol explain hazards that could damage the instrument and the connected equipment or may cause loss of data.

Note: This manual also contains “NOTES” and “HINTS” written in this form.Please read this advice carefully

General Information
The Chrolis software is a graphical user interface for straightforward use of the Chrolis 6-color light source. The Chrolis provides light from six LEDs as continuous wave or as user-defined pulse train sequences.The software allows the user to set the power value and to define the pulse lengths, pulse tim- ings, and internal and external trigger signals for each LED independently.

Requirements
The requirements for the PC intended to be used for remote operation of the Chrolis software are as follows:

Hardware Requirements

CPU: 2.4 GHz or Faster
RAM: Graphic Card: Min. 4 GB
Hard Disc: Min. 1024 x 768 Pixel Graphic Resolution
Min. 1 GB of Available Free Disk Space (32 bit Operating System) Min. 2.3 GB of Available Free Disk Space (64 bit Operating System)
Interface: Free USB 2.0 Port, USB Cable According the USB 2.0 Specification

Software Requirements
The CHROLIS software is compatible with the following operating systems:

Windows® 7 (SP1+) (32 bit, 64 bit)
Windows® 8.1 (32 bit, 64 bit)
Windows® 10 (32 bit, 64 bit)

Download and Installation

The Chrolis software package, including this manual, can be downloaded from the Thorlabs website:
https://www.thorlabs.com/software_pages/viewsoftwarepage.cfm?code=CHROLIS

Note: Do not connect the Chrolis software to the PC during software installation! Exit all running ap-plications on your PC as the installer may require a reboot of your PC during installation!Please make sure that the installation is carried out completely, including the reboot requests.

Save the ZIP file to your computer and unpack the archive.
Double click the setup.exe to install Shield Wizard.
Read and accept the End-User License Agreement.
After installing the Chrolis software, connect the CHROLIS to the PC.

Start Application
Start the Chrolis software from the desktop icon:

or access the Chrolis software from the START button:

Graphical User Interface (GUI)

In this manual, the Chrolis software interface is described based on a set up using a Chrolis with the LEDs of the CHROLIS-C1 configuration, connected to a PC running with OS Win-dows® 10.

When first starting the software and no Chrolis software device is connected to the PC, the fol-lowing interface will appear. THORLABS-2022-6-Wavelength-
High-Power-LED-Source-FIG-3

Note: The software will recognize an already connected Chrolis device upon starting the software.

Menu Bar
Connect: Connect or Disconnect Chrolis devices to the software
Save: Save software settings
Load: Load previously saved software settings
Options: Name LEDs, choose temperature units and change steps (1% or 10%) on the LED slider
Update: Search for new versions of the software. The firmware update button will be functional once there is a first firmware update.
Support: Technical Contact Informatio
Help: Software Help File

Connect

The software will automatically try to connect to the Chrolis 6-Wavelength High-Power LED Source.
In case no device was conntected when starting the software, a newly connected Chrolis can be linked to the software.
Use the “Connect” button. THORLABS-2022-6-Wavelength-High-Power-LED-Source-
FIG-4

This will open a dialog showing the recognized devices. Select the device and press OK.

Press “Refresh” in order to search for new devices. Connected devices can be disconnected by using the “Disconnect” button.

Save / Load
The “Save” button saves all software settings to an XML file. These include all slider settings in the master tab, all pulse settings in the pulse tab as well as the parameters in the Options menu. Previously saved settings can be loaded with the “Load” button prior to activating the LEDs.

Note: When settings are loaded while LEDs are switched on, the LEDs will turn off and the settings will be loaded.

Options: Upon selection of the “Options” button, the following dialog appears:

THORLABS-2022-6-Wavelength-High-Power-LED-Source-FIG-6

Settings-Tab:
LED Labels: Shows basic information for all installed LEDs. For each LED it is possible to insert a custom name in the “User-defined label” column.
Use …: Define which label is used to name the LED in the master GUI.
Unit: Switch between the temperature units for the displayed measured CHROLIS temperature.
Slider Step: Change the step of the LED power slider between 1 % and 10%.

Demo-Tab: Pressing “Run Demo” will run a selection of on-off sequences and color combina-tions. The demo can be terminated by pressing “Stop Demo”.
Language: Select English or Chinese for the GUI language.
About: The software version number is displayed.

Master Tab CW

Click in the top left corner to switch to the Master Tab to control the LEDs in CW mode. THORLABS-2022-6-Wavelength-High-Power-LED-Source-
FIG-8

Activate an LED of choice and adjust the power in % with the respective slider on the left side. To power on the desired LEDs, proceed with the following sequence:

Set the intensity of each LED using the slider or enter the value in the corresponding field
Switch on the desired LEDs
Switch on the Master switch

Note

Master settings: The LEDs will only be powered when the Master switch is turned on.
The Master slider will change the intensity of all LEDs simultaneously while keeping the ratio constant.

LED Spectra
The plot on the right side shows the spectra of the activated LEDs. The height of each spectrum will change according to the set intensity. All spectra are normalized to 1 when the intensity is set to 100%.

LED Temperature
The table below the plots shows the temperatures of each LED as measured inside the Chrolis. In case the temperature of one LED is too high, all LEDs will be switched off.

Master Tab Pulsed Mode

Clicking on the top left corner switches to the pulse mode. This allows for pulsing the individual LEDs and also configuring the behavior of 6 additional input/output channels.
Connect the Chrolis breakout box (BBC1) to the Chrolis device and a pulse generating device or a receiving device in order to pulse the LEDs with external signals or to use the additional in-put/output channels.

Internal Pulse Generation
To pulse the LEDs with an internally generated signal follow these steps:

Mark the check box next to the desired LEDs.
Set the signal to “INT” to choose internal pulse generation.
Double click on the LED name or click the gear button on the top right menu will open the following window:
Use this window to define the following parameters:
User-defined label as also described above 4 .
Time Unit: User can switch between “µs”, “ms”, “s” and “min”.
Signal Polarity: Can be used to define whether the LED is active upon “high” or “low” level
Delay Time: User defined delay before the pulse starts.
Power: Defines the intensity of the LED when active.
Duty Time/Frequency: On-time of the LED when set to “Time”; frequency of the pulses when set to “Frequency”.
Idle Time/Duty Cycle: Off-time when set to “Time”; Fraction of one period where the signal is active when set to “Frequency”.
Cycles: Number of pulse cycles that will be generated; check “Infinite Cycles” for continu-ous pulse generation.
After the pulses for all LEDs are set, start the pulse generation by clicking on the top right menu, circled below.

THORLABS-2022-6-Wavelength-High-Power-LED-Source-
FIG-14

External Pulse Generation
The LEDs can also be triggered from other external devices that generate a TTL signal. First, the CHROLIS Breakout Box BBC1 (available separately) needs to be connected to the Chrolis via a DSub25 cable. The input signal generator has to be physically connected to the BNC Breakout Box via one of the BNC connectors marked LED 1 to LED 6.

To use external signals the software has to be configured in the following way:

Mark the check box next to the desired LEDs.
Set the signal to “EXT” to enable external triggering by selecting EXT in the top right menu bar next to the gear icon.
Double click on the LED name or click to specify setting.
Specify the desired “Signal Polarity”; Choosing “high” will activate the LED when the external signal is “high” and vice versa.
Use “Power” to specify the desired intensity of the LED.
Click to activate external triggering.

Note: As the signal comes from an external device the parameters in “Delay Time” and the values in the “Time/Frequency” tab have no effects on the signal. They may be adjusted by the user so that the displayed pulse train resembles the external signal.

Additional Channels
When the Chrolis breakout box BBC1 is connected, the user can configure up to 6 additional channels marked “AUX 1” through “AUX 6”. Each channel can be configured as either an input or an output. These channels can, for example, be used to generate trigger signals for other devices like cameras. In addition, they may also be used to start the internal pulse generation for a specific LED.

Additional Channels as INPUT
To use an AUX channel as input to send additional signal to the measurement, follow these steps:

Mark the check box next to the desired channel.
Set the signal to “Input”.
Double click on the channel name or click Create the desired link to other channels
Click to activate external triggering .

Note: As the signal comes from an external device, editing the channel settings (Signal Polarity, Power, Time/Frequency, …) has no effects on the signal. They may be adjusted by the user so that the displayed pulse train resembles the external signal.

Additional Channels as OUTPUT
To use the channel as output proceed in the following way:

Mark the check box next to the desired channel.
Set the signal to “Output”.
Double click on the channel name or click .
Specify the desired pulse parameters
Start the pulse generation by clicking

Linking Channels
The CHROLIS software allows for creating links in between channels. The starting point of the link is required to be of external nature: either channels LED 1 to LED 6 when set to “EXT”, or channels AUX 1 to AUX 6 when set to “Input”. The endpoint of the signal has to be the first edge of an internal/output signal, i.e. either LED 1 to LED 6 when set to “INT” or AUX 1 to AUX 6 when set to “Output”. This can, for example, be used to start LED pulses with a certain delay after receiving a trigger pulse. To link two channels follow these steps:

Left-click on the rising or falling edge of an external/input signal.
Keep pressing the mouse button and drag the mouse to the first edge of an internal/output signal. A dotted line with an arrow symbol will show up when two signals can be linked.
Release the mouse button to link the signals. A dialog appears to specify an additional delay between the linked signals.
To unlink two signals, click next to the channel name.

Write Your Own Application
In order to write your own application, a specific instrument driver and tools for use in different programming environments are required. The driver and tools are included in the installer pack-age and cannot be found as separate files in the installation package.
In this section the location of drivers and files, required for programming in different environ-ments, are given for installation under Windows® 8.1 and Windows® 10 (32 and 64 bit).
In order to fully support 64 bit LabView version, the installation offers an installer:

for Windows 8.1 (32/64 bit) and Windows 10 (32/64 bit): Install “CHROLIS_Vxxx_Setup.exe”

The 32 bit VXIpnp driver works with both 32 and 64 bit operating systems, while the 64 bit driver requires a 64 bit operating system.

Note: Chrolis software software and drivers contain 32 bit and 64 bit applications. In 32 bit systems, only the 32 bit components are installed to C:\Program Files\…
In 64 bit systems the 64 bit components are being installed to C:\Program Files\… while 32 bit components can be found at C:\Program Files (x86)\…

In the table below you will find a summary of what files you need for particular programming en-vironments.

Programming environ- ment	Necessary files
C, C++	*.h (header file)

*.lib (static library for linking)

*.dll (dynamic library)

CVI| *.fp (function panel)

*.h (header file)

*.lib (static library for linking)

*.dll (dynamic library)

C#| .net wrapper dll

*.Interop.dll (.net wrapper assembly)

LabView| *.fp (function panel)

*.llb

VXIpnp Instrument Driver

Beside that, LabVIEW driver vi’s are provided with the *.llb con- tainer file

In the next sections the location of above files is described in detail.

bit Operating System

Note: According to the VPP6 (Rev6.1) Standard the installation of the 32 bit VXIpnp driver includes both the WINNT and GWINNT frameworks.

VXIpnp Instrument driver

C:\Program Files\IVI Foundation\VISA\WinNT\Bin\TL6WL_32.dll
C:\Program Files\Thorlabs\CHROLIS\Drivers\Instr\bin\TL6WL_32.dll

Note: This instrument driver is required for all development environments! Header file

C:\Program Files\IVI Foundation\VISA\WinNT\Include\TL6WL.h or
C:\Program Files\Thorlabs\CHROLIS\Drivers\Instr\incl\TL6WL.h

Static Library

C:\Program Files\IVI Foundation\VISA\WinNT\lib\msc\TL6WL_32.lib
C:\Program Files\IVI Foundation\VISA\WinNT\Lib_x64\msc\TL6WL_64.lib or
C:\Program Files\Thorlabs\CHROLIS\Drivers\Instr\msvc\TL6WL_32.lib
C:\Program Files\Thorlabs\CHROLIS\Drivers\Instr\msvc64\TL6WL_64.lib

Function Panel

C:\Program Files\IVI Foundation\VISA\WinNT\TL6WL\TL6WL.fp or
C:\Program Files\Thorlabs\CHROLIS\Drivers\Instr\CVI\TL6WL.fp

Online Help for VXIpnp Instrument driver:

C:\Program Files\IVI Foundation\VISA\WinNT\TL6WL\Manual\TL6WL.html or
C:\Program Files\Thorlabs\CHROLIS\Drivers\Manual\TL6WL.html

NI LabVIEW driver

The LabVIEW Driver is a 32 bit driver and compatible with 32bit NI-LabVIEW versions 8.5 and higher only. C:\Program Files\National Instruments\LabVIEW xxxx\instr.lib\TL6WL\…

…TL6WL.llb

(LabVIEW container file with driver vi’s and an example. “LabVIEW xxxx” stands for actual LabVIEW installation folder.)

.net wrapper dll

C:\Program Files\Microsoft.NET\Primary Interop Assemblies\… …Thorlabs.TL6WL_32.Interop.dll
…Thorlabs.TL6WL_64.Interop.dll or
C:\Program Files\IVI Foundation\VISA\VisaCom\… …Primary Interop Assemblies\Thorlabs.TL6WL_32.Interop.dll .net wrapper dll – NuGet Package
C:\Users\Public\Documents\Thorlabs\NuGet\…
…Thorlabs.TL6WL_32.Interop.x.x.x.x.nupkg
…Thorlabs.TL6WL_64.Interop.x.x.x.x.nupkg
(“x.x.x.x” stands for the driver version)

Example for C++

Solution file:

C:\Program Files\IVI Foundation\VISA\WinNT\TL6WL\Examples\C\… …CHROLIS_CSample.sln

Project file:

C:\Program Files\IVI Foundation\VISA\WinNT\TL6WL\Examples\C\… …CHROLIS_CSample\CHROLIS_CSample.vcxproj

Source file:

C:\Program Files\IVI Foundation\VISA\WinNT\TL6WL\Examples\C\… …CHROLIS_CSample\CHROLIS_CSample.cpp

Example for C

Project file

C:\Program Files\IVI Foundation\visa\WinNT\TL6WL\Samples\… …MS.NET_CS\Thorlabs.TL6WL_32.Sample.csproj

Example for LabView

C:\Program Files\National Instruments\LabVIEW xxxx\Instr.lib\TL6WL\… …TL6WL.llb
(LabVIEW container file with driver vi’s and an example. “LabVIEW xxxx” stands for actual LabVIEW installation folder.)

64 bit Operating System

Note: According to the VPP6 (Rev6.1) Standard the installation of the 64 bit VXIpnp driver includes the WINNT, WIN64, GWINNT and GWIN64 frameworks. That means, that the 64 bit driver includes the 32 bit driver as well.In case of a 64 bit operating system, 64bit drivers and applications are installed to “C:\Program Files”
while the 32 bit files – to “C:\Program Files (x86)”
Below are listed both installation locations, so far applicable.

VXIpnp Instrument driver:

C:\Program Files (x86)\IVI Foundation\VISA\WinNT\Bin\TL6WL_32.dll C:\Program Files\IVI Foundation\VISA\Win64\Bin\TL6WL_64.dll or
C:\Program Files\Thorlabs\CHROLIS\Drivers\Instr\bin\TL6WL_32.dll C:\Program Files\Thorlabs\CHROLIS\Drivers\Instr\bin\TL6WL_64.dll

Note: This instrument driver is required for all development environments! Header file

C:\Program Files\IVI Foundation\VISA\Win64\Include\TL6WL.h or
C:\Program Files\Thorlabs\CHROLIS\Drivers\Instr\incl\TL6WL.h

Static Library

C:\Program Files (x86)\IVIFoundation\VISA\WinNT\lib\msc\… …TL6WL_32.lib
C:\Program Files\IVI Foundation\VISA\Win64\Lib_x64\msc\TL6WL_64.lib or
C:\Program Files\Thorlabs\CHROLIS\Drivers\Instr\msvc\TL6WL_32.lib C:\Program Files\Thorlabs\CHROLIS\Drivers\Instr\msvc64\TL6WL_64.lib

Function Panel

C:\ Program Files\IVI Foundation\VISA\Win64\TL6WL\TL6WL.fp or
C:\Program Files\Thorlabs\CHROLIS\Drivers\Instr\CVI\TL6WL.fp

Online Help for VXIpnp Instrument driver:

C:\Program Files\IVI Foundation\VISA\Win64\TL6WL\Manual\TL6WL.html or
C:\Program Files\Thorlabs\CHROLIS\Drivers\Manual\TL6WL.html

NI LabVIEW driver

The LabVIEW Driver supports 32bit and 64bit NI-LabVIEW version 2009 and higher.
C:\Program Files\National Instruments\LabVIEW xxxx\Instr.lib\TL6WL\… …TL6WL.llb

(LabVIEW container file with driver vi’s and an example.
“LabVIEW xxxx” stands for actual LabVIEW installation folder.)

.net wrapper dll

C:\Program Files (x86)\Microsoft.NET\Primary Interop Assemblies\…
…Thorlabs.TL6WL_32.Interop.dll
…Thorlabs.TL6WL_64.Interop.dll
C:\Program Files\IVI Foundation\VISA\VisaCom64\…
…Primary Interop Assemblies\Thorlabs.TL6WL_64.Interop.dll

.net wrapper dll – NuGet Package

C:\Users\Public\Documents\Thorlabs\NuGet\…
…Thorlabs.TL6WL_32.Interop.x.x.x.x.nupkg
…Thorlabs.TL6WL_64.Interop.x.x.x.x.nupkg
(“x.x.x.x” stands for the driver version)

Example for LabView

C:\Program Files\National Instruments\LabVIEW xxxx\Instr.lib\TL6WL\… …TL6WL.llb
(LabVIEW container file with driver vi’s and an example. “LabVIEW xxxx” stands for actual LabVIEW installation folder.)

Appendix

Copyright

Thorlabs’s end-user-licence agreement included in the installer applies to this software product.
The Software is owned by Thorlabs, and is protected by United States Copyright Law and Inter-national Treaty provisions. You agree not to modify, adapt, translate, reverse engineer, decom-pile, disassemble, or otherwise attempt to discover the source code of the Software. You may not rent, lease, or sublicense the Software.
All rights reserved. This document may not be reproduced, transmitted or translated to another language, either as a whole or in parts, without the prior written permission of Thorlabs.

No Warranty and Limitation of Liability
Thorlabs’s end-user-licence agreement included in the installer applies to this software product.
The Software is being delivered to you AS IS and Thorlabs makes no warranty as to its use or performance. THORLABS DOES NOT AND CANNOT WARRANT THE PERFORMANCE OR RESULTS YOU MAY OBTAIN BY USING THE SOFTWARE OR DOCUMENTATION. THORLABS MAKES NO WARRANTIES, EXPRESS OR IMPLIED, AS TO NON-INFRINGEMENT OF THIRD PARTY RIGHTS, MERCHANTABILITY, OR FITNESS FOR ANY PARTICULAR PURPOSE. IN NO EVENT WILL THORLABS BE LIABLE TO YOU FOR ANY CONSEQUENTIAL, INCIDENTAL, OR SPECIAL DAMAGES, INCLUDING ANY LOST PROFITS OR LOST SAVINGS, EVEN IF A THORLABS REPRESENTATIVE HAS BEEN ADVISED OF THE POSSIBILITY OF SUCH DAMAGES, OR FOR ANY CLAIM BY ANY THIRD PARTY. You acknowledge that good data processing procedure dictates that any software ap-plication must be thoroughly tested with non-critical data before you rely on it, and you hereby assume the entire risk of using this Software product including the compatibility of the Software with your processor, other hardware and other system applications on such equipment. This disclaimer of warranty constitutes an essential part of this License. Some states or jurisdictions do not allow the exclusion or limitation of incidental, consequential, or special damages, or the exclusion of implied warranties or limitations on how long an implied warranty may last, so that above limitations may not apply to you.

Thorlabs Worldwide Contacts
For technical support or sales inquiries, please visit us at www.thorlabs.com/contact for our most up- to-date contact information.

THORLABS-2022-6-Wavelength-High-Power-LED-Source-
FIG-18