MC2000 Optical Chopper System Performance
Chopping Frequency, with Various Blades	1 Hz – 10 kHz
Frequency Drift	<20 ppm/°C
Ext. Reference Compatibility	TTL/CMOS
Frequency Resolution	0.01 Hz (2 slot blade) 1 Hz (all other blades)
External Reference Signal Synchronization
Harmonic	2 to 15x
Subharmonic	1/2 to 1/15x

Chopper Wheel Options
Item #	# of Slots	Chopping Frequency	Phase Jitter Max/Typ.^c
MC1F2^a	2	1 Hz – 99 Hz	0.05° rms Max
MC1F10^b	10	20 Hz – 1 kHz	0.42°/0.13° rms
MC1F15	15	30 Hz – 1.5 kHz	0.68°/0.27° rms
MC1F30	30	60 Hz – 3 kHz	1.10°/0.45° rms
MC1F60	60	120 Hz – 6 kHz	1.10°/0.78° rms
MC1F100	100	250 Hz – 10 kHz	1.30°/1.10° rms
MC2F57	Outer: 7 Inner: 5	Outer: 14 – 700 Hz Inner: 10 – 500 Hz	0.38°/0.08° rms

^a Please note the MC1F2 two-slot blade was updated to a newer version on September 21, 2011. This new blade is compatible with all units. If you purchased the older blade, please note that it can only be used with firmware version 3.11 and older. If you would like to update to the latest firmware and own the older style blade, please contact Tech Support for a free MC1F2 blade exchange.
^b The MC1F10 blade is supplied with the unit. All other blades specified may be purchased separately through Thorlabs.
^c Measured using internal reference signal.

Sample Screen Shot of the GUI in English

Features

Crystal-Stabilized, Phase-Locked Feedback Loop Suppresses Low Frequency Drift and Phase Jitter
Harmonic, Subharmonic, and Fractional Harmonic Chopping with Sum and Difference Reference Outputs
Microprocessor Controlled
2-Frequency Blades Available for Pump-Probe and Other Nonlinear Experiments
Save and Recall User Setups in Non-Volatile RAM
USB Interface
Control Software Package Available

The MC2000 Optical Chopper, utilizing advanced features to meet the most demanding applications, is a rotary chopper that is composed of a control console, motor head assembly and slotted chopper wheel. The MC2000 uses a phase-locked loop (PLL) motor speed control design to precisely maintain the chopping speed and phase relative to a reference signal. An internal, crystal-stabilized, frequency synthesizer provides an accurate and stable reference frequency for stable long-term performance.

Unlike conventional, open-loop speed control designs, the PLL speed control circuit also allows the MC2000 chopper to be synchronized to external reference signals, including other MC2000 choppers and reference sources such as DSP lock-in amplifiers. Please see the Operations tab for more details on the MC2000 chopper and its applications.

The MC2000 design features a high quality, rare earth magnet, DC motor. The photo-etched optical chopper wheel blade is made of 0.01" thick blued clock spring steel for high precision. The compact optical head has a wide base for extra stability, and the base is slotted for two 1/4"-20 mounting screws on 2" centers. The interface cable uses circular snap-on LIMO connectors for easy setup.

The MC2000 controller includes a 240 x 128 pixel graphics display for setting and monitoring chopper functionality. All of the functions are accessible through a front panel control knob with turn and push control. Multiple user setups can be easily saved and recalled from non-volatile memory. A USB interface is included as a standard feature for remote PC control of the MC2000. A software package with a GUI to control the MC2000 can be downloaded from the Software tab. The package also supports controlling the MC2000 via programs written in C++ or LabVIEW.

Current owners of an MC2000 controller may upgrade the unit with the newest firmware release, which can be downloaded by clicking on the link on the Software Downloads tab. Please note that the system must remain powered on and in an idle state until the firmware update is complete.

Please Note: The MC2000 should be shielded from stray light sources because light contamination in the optical sensor will cause jitter.

Optical Head Specifications
Chopping Blade Diameter	Ø4.0" (Ø101.6 mm)
Chopping Blade Thickness	0.010" (0.254 mm)
Mounting Base	1/4"-20 (or M8) Clearance Slots Spaced 3.0" (Compatible with Thorlabs Breadboards)
Mounting Hole	1/4"-20 with 1/4" Max Screw Depth
Blade Specifications
Chopping Blade Slots^d
MC1F2^a	2
MC1F10 (Default Blade)	10
MC1F15	15
MC1F30	30
MC1F60	60
MC1F100	100
MC2F57	7 Outer, 5 Inner
Slot Angle
MC1F2	180°
MC1F10 (Default Blade)	36°
MC1F15	24°
MC1F30	12°
MC1F60	6°
MC1F100	3.6°
MC2F57	51.4° Outer, 72° Inner
Physical Features
Dimensions (W x H x D)	5.8" x 2.8" x 12.5" (147 mm x 71 mm x 317.5 mm)
Input and Output Connectors	BNC
Menu Control	Twist / Push-Button Knob
Input Power Connection^e	IEC Connector
Weight	5 lbs (9.1 lbs Shipped Weight)
Operating Temperature	10 – 40 °C
Display Type	240 x 124 Pixel LCD Graphics Display
Frequency Resolution	0.01 Hz (2 slot blade) 1 Hz (all other blades)
Power Supply
Supply Type	Linear
Voltage Selection	115 / 230 VAC Switchable
Input Voltage	100/115 VAC ± 10%, 230 VAC ± 10%
Line Frequency	50 – 60 Hz
Input Power	20 VA Max
Fuse Ratings	250 mA @ 115 VAC 125 mA @ 230 VAC
Fuse Type	IEC60127-2/III (250 V, Slo-blo Type ‘T’)
Fuse Size	5 x 20 mm

Performance Specifications
Chopping Frequency
MC1F2 (2 slot)	1 Hz – 99 Hz
MC1F10 (10 slot, Default Blade)	20 Hz – 1 kHz
MC1F15 (15 slot)	30 Hz – 1.5 kHz
MC1F30 (30 slot)	60 Hz – 3 kHz
MC1F60 (60 slot)	120 Hz – 6 kHz
MC1F100 (100 slot)	250 Hz – 10 kHz
MC2F57 (2f slot)	Outer: 14 – 700 Hz Inner: 10 – 500 Hz
Phase Jitter (@ Max Frequency)
MC1F2 (2 slot)^a	0.05° rms Max
MC1F10 (10 slot, Default Blade)	0.42° rms (0.13° rms Typ.)
MC1F15 (15 slot)	0.68° rms (0.27° rms Typ.)
MC1F30 (30 slot)	1.10° rms (0.45° rms Typ.)
MC1F60 (60 slot)	1.10° rms (0.78° rms Typ.)
MC1F100 (100 slot)	1.30° rms (1.10° rms Typ.)
MC2F57 (2f slot)	0.38° rms (0.08° rms Typ.)
Frequency Drift	<20 ppm/°C
Chopping Range
Harmonic	2 to 15x
Sub-Harmonic	1/2 to 1/15x
Input/Output Specifications
Ext. Input Compatibility	TTL/CMOS
Ext. Input Voltage Range^b	0 – 5 V
Input High	>2 V
Input Low	<0.8 V
Ext. Input Impedance	200 Ω
Ref Out Compatibility	TTL/CMOS
Ref Out Voltage Range^b	0 – 5 V Typical
Ref Out Impedance	200 Ω
Min Load Impedance^c	500 Ω
Ref Out Signals	Inner/Outer Slot Chopping Blade, Synthesizer, Sum & Diff Frequencies
Ref Out Selection	Selectable Menu or USB command ‘O’
Communications
Communications Port	USB
Protocol	USB (RS232 Emulated)
Baud Rate	115,200 (fixed)
Data Bits	8
Stop Bits	1
Parity	None
Handshaking	None

Please note the MC1F2 two-slot blade was updated to a newer version on September 21, 2011. This new blade is compatible with all units. If you purchased the older blade, please note that it can only be used with firmware version 3.11 and older. If you would like to update to the latest firmware and own the older style blade, please contact Tech Support for a free MC1F2 blade exchange.
The reference output and external input is short circuit protected by limiting the current to 25 mA. Overvoltage and undervoltage protection is available, but continued use will degrade or damage the unit.
The Min Load Impedance represents the smallest allowable terminating resistance. Applying lower impedances will cause the short circuit protection to limit the output voltage. Continued use in this mode will cause circuit degradation and eventual circuit failure.
The MC1F10 blade is supplied with the unit. All other blades specified may be purchased separately through Thorlabs.
The MC2000 is shipped with a 120 VAC US style power cord and the MC2000-EC is shipped with a 230 VAC power cord for use in Europe.

Controller Pin Out Diagrams

Interface Connector

HR10-7R-6S

6 Pin HRS Connector

Pin	Description	Pin	Description
1	Motor +	4	Feedback Sensor
2	Motor -	5	Phase Sensor
3	VCC	6	Ground

External Input**

BNC Female

BNC

**TTL/CMOS, 200 Ω Input Impedance, 0 - 5 V Input Range

Computer Connection

USB Type B*

USB Type A

*USB 2.0 Type A to B Cable

Reference Output***

BNC Female

BNC

***TTL/CMOS, 200 Ω Output Impedance, 0 - 5 V Input Range, 500 Ω Min Load Impedance

Operation

An optical chopper is an electromechanical instrument that periodically interrupts a beam of light. The MC2000 Optical Chopper is a rotary type composed of a control console, motor head assembly, and slotted chopper wheel.

Applications

MC2F57 2 Frequency Blade

For more advanced measurements, the MC2000 can lock to a harmonic, sub-harmonic, or fractional-harmonic of an external reference frequency. The on board microprocessor is used to multiply the external reference up to the 15th harmonic or to divide the reference down to the 15th sub-harmonic. By combining both the frequency multiplication and division together, a fractional harmonic can be obtained.

The MC2000 also supports 2-frequency chopping from a single chopper blade (shown at right). A special blade is available with 7 outer slots and 5 inner slots. This slot combination allows a single beam to be split and individually modulated for ratiometric experiments. Another example application is a pump-probe experiment where the pump beam is modulated at the outer frequency while modulating a probe beam at the inner frequency. The MC2000 provides the sum and difference frequencies of the 2-frequency blade for accurate lock-in detection of the frequency-mixed response.

Sample screen shot of the
controller in Chinese.

New Chinese Language Option As part of our new multilingual interface initiative, we have released the MC2000 with a Chinese language display option. The display can be changed by sending a command using the command line language through the USB interface. The language display setting is stored in the unit’s non-volatile memory. Current MC2000 controllers can be upgraded with the new display language by down loading the newest firmware release found on the Software Downloads tab.

Software with GUI for Remote Operation and Firmware Updates for the MC2000 Chopper Controller

Software

Version 1.0

Software package to control the MC2000. The installer includes the necessary drivers. This software package is compatible with the lastest firmware for the system and supports writing programs to control the MC2000 using C++ or LabVIEW.

Firmware

Version 3.15/4.15

The MC2000 hardware has been revised several times and each revision requires different firmware versions. Versions 1.0 and 2.0 are incompatible with the newest firmware, however, these devices are eligible for a free hardware upgrade. Please contact Technical Support for details.

Hardware versions 3.0 and 4.0 are eligible for the firmware update available below.

To determine your hardware version, please attempt to update the firmware. Users of version 1.0 or 2.0 devices will be prompted that the firmware cannot be updated, and the device should be returned for a hardware upgrade.

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Posted Comments:

Poster: marco.cammarata

Posted Date: 2013-04-24 04:14:55.51

Do you have any idea about the damage threshold for the MC* blades for nanosecond pulses ? I would like to send a ~1W beam (few mm^2 area) on the wheel but - of course - I don't want to damage it. Thanks, marco

Poster: tcohen

Posted Date: 2013-04-25 16:27:00.0

Response from Tim at Thorlabs to Marco: The chopper blades are blued clock spring steel nominally .010” thick. The blade itself is not meant for high power applications but we have not tested the damage threshold with ns pulses.

Poster: dursch

Posted Date: 2013-02-06 13:49:02.57

Our MC200 seems to run uncontrollable, meaning the chopper is always on. I have tried updating the firmware to the newest version, but that didn't help. Any suggestions on how to remedy this problem.

Poster: jlow

Posted Date: 2013-02-06 16:41:00.0

Response from Jeremy at Thorlabs: We will contact you directly to troubleshoot this issue.

Poster: orich

Posted Date: 2013-01-27 12:06:59.47

Do you have chopper blades with duty factor smaller than 0.5. This is very useful for average smaller light intensity but with high quasi CW light intensity.

Poster: tcohen

Posted Date: 2012-09-24 09:17:00.0

Response from Tim at Thorlabs: Thank you for pointing this out! While we are fixing this please reference the following values: MC1F2 = 0; MC1F6 = 1; MC1F10 = 2; MC1F15 = 3; MC1F30 = 4; MC1F60 = 5; MC1F100 = 6; MC2F57 = 7

Poster: martin.fertl

Posted Date: 2012-09-21 07:38:36.0

To whom it may concern, in section 6.3 of the manual the command "blade=n". The number n is said to be found in section 6.5.2. But neither in the printed nor in the pdf version of the manual this section exists. Can you please add this information to the manual. Thank you very much

Poster: jlow

Posted Date: 2012-08-27 17:12:00.0

Response from Jeremy at Thorlabs: The maximum frequency for the REF IN is 10kHz.

Poster: schoeps

Posted Date: 2012-08-27 12:58:41.0

What maximum frequency is allowed as ref-in? Will I be able to use my 30kHz signal?

Poster: jcanseco

Posted Date: 2012-07-19 16:54:29.0

In your catalog, I saw that the MC1F2 blade was updated as follows: "Please note the MC1F2 two-slot blade has been updated to a newer version. This new blade is only compatible with units that have firmware version 3.11 and later. For all older firmware versions, the old-style blade must be used. This blade is not backwards compatible. " When was this update made? What is the better properties of this new wheel? Better phase-locking or phase stability? If I purchased a MC1F2 in 2009, is it an old-style blade? I am having a problem with the phase stability with MC1F2, while one of my colleagues does not with the same setup. I guess he bought it in 2010 or 2011. Could it be due to the update of the blade?

Poster: tcohen

Posted Date: 2012-07-19 15:29:00.0

Response from Tim at Thorlabs: Thank you for contacting us. The new blade was introduced around 12/2011. Devices with firmware <= 3.10 should be updated to the latest firmware to make use of phase control on the 2-slot blade. There were many improvements with this firmware update including reduced jitter to most blades. However, please note that the previous blade design is incompatible with >=3.11 firmware. To determine your edition of hardware and firmware, you can attempt to update the firmware as indicated on the “Software Downloads” tab. To determine your blade edition, you can check for the outer rim which is a characteristic of the new design. I will contact you directly to continue this conversation, but we will also make this information more visible on the web.

Poster: tcohen

Posted Date: 2012-07-05 14:12:00.0

Response from Tim at Thorlabs to Vasili: Thank you for contacting us! Devices with the 1.0 series of firmware must have a free hardware upgrade in order to use the new firmware. The firmware upgrader on the web will be replaced with a newer version soon. If there is any hardware incompatibility, this new version will provide this information along with instructions for inquiring about our free hardware upgrade.

Poster: vasili.savitski

Posted Date: 2012-07-04 16:10:33.0

Dear Sir/Madam, We have recently purchased an MC1F100 blade to use it with our MC2000 chopper driver. Unfortunately it’s appeared that there is no such blade in the menu of the driver. We tried to update the software of MC2000 to newer version available at your web site (3.11), but update failed: ”hardware allows you to update only to version 1.05”. But we were not able to update even to this 1.05 version. So, could you please help us with this issue and explain how to use the blade MC1F100 with MC2000? We haven’t been informed on your web site that this blade can only be used only with the certain version of the software and therefore believe that this issue should be solved by you. Best regards, Vasili.

Poster: bdada

Posted Date: 2012-03-27 13:07:00.0

Response from Buki at Thorlabs to customers that have experienced problems installing drivers: One common reason driver installations fail is because users do not have administrative privileges. Administrative privileges allow users to modify essential software in the computer. Starting with Windows Vista, programs which require administrative access to a user's machine must also first ask for and receive approval through the "User Account Control" dialog. Starting with Windows Vista, users will typically receive a notification of failure when a program requests but does not receive administrative access. In some cases (and especially on Windows XP), these programs will "silently fail" - that is, the program will fail to properly execute but users will not be notified. If you have problems installing a driver, please verify you have administrative rights and then try installing it again. Please contact TechSupport@thorlabs.com if you have any questions.

Poster: bdada

Posted Date: 2012-03-13 11:41:00.0

Response from Buki at Thorlabs to chong.li: Thank you for your feedback. We are working on providing more guidance on our website regarding this issue. To confirm the drivers have been properly installed, we would like you to use HyperTerminal to test if you can communicate with the MC2000. Note that Hyper Terminal is only available on Windows Operating Systems older than Windows 7. We have sent you instructions for how to set up the HyperTerminal and test the MC2000. Thank you again for your feedback. We have contacted you with more information and will provide more information here soon.

Poster: chong.li

Posted Date: 2012-03-09 05:30:50.0

Hi There, I believe I have successfully installed the USB driver in my laptop but there isn't any response when I connect the USB cable from the powered-on chopper controller to my laptop. Can you please suggest any solutions? Thanks!

Poster: chong.li

Posted Date: 2012-03-08 06:07:54.0

Hi there, I have suffered the same problem as pavulurisumanth did. Can you please post the solution to the public instead contact individuals in order to save any followers time? Many thanks!

Poster: bdada

Posted Date: 2011-11-14 23:46:00.0

Response from Buki at Thorlabs: Thank you for your feedback. We have contacted you to troubleshoot the problem.

Poster: pavulurisumanth

Posted Date: 2011-11-12 16:08:56.0

Hi, I have a similar problem as for "zhoujw321". The USB driers do not install and and after MC2000 is attached to the PC, I couldnt see any response. Could you help me to solve this problem? Thank you.

Poster: bdada

Posted Date: 2011-08-23 12:43:00.0

Response from Buki at Thorlabs: Thank you very much for your feedback. Unfortunately, the REF OUT cannot be set to other frequencies. The possible options are listed on Page 10 of the manual: http://www.thorlabs.com/Thorcat/18400/18488-D02.pdf Please contact TechSupport@thorlabs.com if you have further questions or wish to discuss your application.

Poster: tomy

Posted Date: 2011-08-23 10:25:38.0

Dear Sir,Mme It is possible while spinning the chopper blade at a frequency f to set the REF OUTPUT signal to other frequency as reference signal for lock-in detection, for example 2f or 5f?

Poster: bdada

Posted Date: 2011-08-22 18:34:00.0

Response from Buki at Thorlabs: Thank you for your feedback. We have contacted you to set up a return of your unit for an upgrade.

Poster: jkim5

Posted Date: 2011-08-22 11:44:43.0

I have a problem when running MC2000 with MC1F2 wheel. When I run at a low frequency, for example, at 4 Hz, the jitter is huge (with the standard deviation in the display at 1.5 Hz). It becomes worse when I raise the chopper frequency with the standard deviation reaching up to 10 Hz at 25 Hz. As an effort to fix this problem, I tried to upgrade the firmware, but it does not improve. BTW, the firmware version I could upgrade to was 1.03. How can I upgrade to higher version of firmware? Do I have ship the unit back to Thorlabs, as written in the software downloads? If thats the case, I need to rent a demo version, otherwise my experiment have to be stopped.

Poster: bdada

Posted Date: 2011-07-28 20:03:00.0

Response from Buki at Thorlabs: Thank you for your feedback. We ran your setup here at Thorlabs and found the same issue. We believe this could be a firmware problem with the PID settings and are currently working to resolve this. To optimize the motor to the console at this frequency, returning the unit may be advisable. In any case, a software upgrade will probably be required. Please contact TechSupport@thorlabs.com with any questions.

Poster: gerald.auboeck

Posted Date: 2011-07-26 21:09:18.0

Hi. I just bought a MC2000 together with a MC1F100 blade for chopping at high frequencies. I need to chop a beam phase locked to an external reference at about 9.5 KHz. However, locking does not work (the controller says it is locked, but watching the reference signal directly and the actual output of the chopper it is clearly not). When I try for testing to lock at about 5kHz it locks but has a huge jitter (~10°) and goes out of lock every now and then. I would need this running quite urgently so it would be great if this can be solved fastly, Gerald

Poster: jjurado

Posted Date: 2011-06-16 08:39:00.0

Response from Javier at Thorlabs to alsturl: The PLL locks to the rising edge of the external reference signal when the chopper is driven in external reference mode. Please contact us at techsupport@thorlabs.com if you have any further questions or comments.

Poster: alsturl

Posted Date: 2011-06-10 16:50:43.0

Hi. Does the PLL lock to the rising edge or the falling edge of an external reference TTL signal? Thanks in advance.

Poster: jjurado

Posted Date: 2011-05-26 18:14:00.0

Response from Javier at Thorlabs to : kudayakumar85: Thank you very much for contacting us with your request. Here are my comments: (1) Manufacturing a custom blade - This would require a modification to the control software and firmware of the controller. I will contact you directly to discuss this a bit further. (2) Chopping a 1 cm diameter beam - One possible solution is to use an optical relay system to reduce and re-expand the beam. (3) Using a chopper wheel from a different company - The same answer as (1) applies. I will get in touch with you to discuss your application.

Poster: kudayakumar85

Posted Date: 2011-05-26 04:36:47.0

Hi I am going to purchase MC2000 optical chopper. For nonlinear operation you have 5/7 blade.But i need to chop the light with high frequency in kHz range.Can i get custom built blade from your company? 2. If i want to chop the 1cm dia light beam,at maximum up to what frequency can i chop. Is there any formula available to calculate relating diameter of the beam and frequency of chop. 3. And also i am having chopper blade of 30(outer)/3(inner)blade from perkin elmer company which we bought long ago. shall i use it with your optical chopper mc2000. 4. We have lockin amplifier also to sync the signal with optical chopper model. Thank you regards Udayakumar k

Poster: bdada

Posted Date: 2011-04-29 15:22:00.0

Response from Buki at Thorlabs: Thank you very much for your feedback. We have contacted you to troubleshoot the issue.

Poster: zhoujw321

Posted Date: 2011-04-28 15:20:03.0

Hi, I have some trouble with installing the USB driver. When I had inserted the CD and installed drivers, there were no onscreen prompts that I could follow. After the MCLS was attached to the PC, I couldnt see any respond. Could you help me solve this problem? Thank you.

Poster: bdada

Posted Date: 2011-03-07 13:06:00.0

Response from Buki: Thank you for your feedback, Alex. We are currently testing a new software version for the MC2000 that will resolve the phase control issue and improve the jitter. When you stop scrolling through the menus, the unit will relock with a consistent phase. The firmware will be field upgradable and will not require the unit to come back to Thorlabs. We will contact you shortly with the expected availability of the new software.

Poster: alex.barker

Posted Date: 2011-03-06 23:37:25.0

Hi, Im having trouble with the MC1F2 blade. I want to lock to an external ref (~60 Hz say), with N=1 & D=2 so that the chopping freq = 30Hz, with an adjustable phase offset. I then want to lock other instruments to the 30Hz signal. This is working wonderfully with the MC1F10 blade, using the "target out" reference. However, using the MC1F2 (and "Inner ref out") the lock exhibits a lot of jitter, and the phase control has no effect. In fact, simply scrolling through menus has the effect of making the phase of the blades move around, locking to a random phase once I stop scrolling through the menus. Firmware is up to date. I would love it if you could provide any useful advice! Thanks, Alex

Poster: tor

Posted Date: 2010-12-13 13:40:00.0

Response from Tor at Thorlabs to Phil: We believe that this difficulty may result from adding a space between the "I" command and the desired frequency. For example, to set the frequency to 200, you should send I200, not I 200.

Poster: phillip.springer

Posted Date: 2010-12-09 08:03:12.0

Hi. Im having trouble with the MC1000A Chopper. Which command do I have to send via serial port to set, for example, the internal frequency? By sending R via VISA the motor starts and stops like it should. But with command I 200 it does not set the internal frequency to 200Hz. The manual is not very helpful with that. Regards, Phil

Poster: apalmentieri

Posted Date: 2009-12-28 09:44:44.0

A response from Adam at Thorlabs: The MC2000 internal frequency command can be controlled directly by Labview, using the RS232 ASCII commands. To set the frequency you can use the command, Set Frequency(syntax: freq=n), which will set the desired internal frequency. All of the commands can be found on page 15 of the manual. I will send you the list of commands via email as well.

Poster: letter

Posted Date: 2009-12-27 21:32:56.0

Hi. Can I directly control an internal frequency of this MC2000 with using the "LabVIEW"? Moreover, is the firmware update completed? I could see a story about the way to know the real frequency from posted comments below. I am waiting for your response. Regards, lukas.

Poster: jens

Posted Date: 2009-11-30 08:45:17.0

A reply from Jens at Thorlabs: the delay does not indicate any issue. The message was used during the testing phase and does not provide any meaningful information at this point anymore. It will be removed in the new firmware version. Sorry for the confusion this message caused.

Poster: piotr.wojtczuk

Posted Date: 2009-11-26 05:16:45.0

Hi, Thanks for a prompt response. Only after posting the message did I realise that the S:... messages are followed by Locked/Not Locked info. Is it normal for these messages to appear after a considerable delay? It usually takes about 5 - 10 of these s:... messages to obtain the lock/no lock information. Can this indicate a problem with the controller?

Poster: jens

Posted Date: 2009-11-25 19:36:58.0

A reply from Jens at Thorlabs: you are right that it is currently not possible to access the feedback frequency. Our development team is however in the process of releasing a new firmware version and based on your feedback they will include this feature. The "S:300,200" message was used by the programers for internal testing purposes, it will be removed with the update. As soon as the new version is available I will contact you, the update can be done easily at your side by uploading the new version via USB.

Poster: piotr.wojtczuk

Posted Date: 2009-11-25 16:10:19.0

Hi, When working with internal reference, is there any possibility to read the feedback frequency (rather than internal reference frequency) on the USB interface? I have been trying to achieve this, but there is no way I can redirect the actual frequency to be output via freq or input command. It would be useful, as I would like to know, when the frequency has stabilised after it has been set. Also I was not able to find any reference to the regular output from the chopper like: "S: 300, 200". Could you explain this to me? Regards, Piotr

Poster: klee

Posted Date: 2009-10-09 17:57:40.0

A reponse from Ken at Thorlabs to orich: Thank you for your feedback. Your suggestion has been forwarded to our engineering group for consideration.

Poster: orich

Posted Date: 2009-10-08 16:03:07.0

I am interested in having an optical chopper blade with dual frequency, higher than that of the 7/5 blade. The 60/53 blade offered by Scitec is ideal. What are the prospects of getting such blades from Thorlabs. Best wishes Ori

Poster: klee

Posted Date: 2009-10-05 14:44:10.0

A response from Ken at Thorlabs: Thank you for pointing out the mistake. It will be corrected shortly.

Poster: invalid

Posted Date: 2009-10-05 13:59:22.0

Units for impedance are displayed incorrectly; input, output impedance are not measured in "W".

Poster: Tyler

Posted Date: 2009-03-10 08:30:26.0

A response from Tyler at Thorlabs to H. Deuser: I forwarded your drawing request to our tech support department. They will be in contact with you later today. If we can help in any other way, please let us know.

Poster: hannes.deuser

Posted Date: 2009-03-09 16:57:05.0

Dear Sir or Madame, some time ago we purchased a MC1000A Chopper system. Now we would like to have, in addition to the existing drawings on your wepage, a technical drwaing of driving(controlling unit of this chopper system (parasolid or step). Thank you best regards, H. Deuser - ISC Konstanz

Poster: Greg

Posted Date: 2009-01-29 17:15:25.0

A response from Greg at Thorlabs to M.Justus: Your MC100A needs to be recalibrated in order to perform properly. The unit should stay locked when you change N and D. Please check your e-mail so that we can proceed to get your unit working properly.

Poster: M.Justus

Posted Date: 2009-01-27 10:27:52.0

We experience locking problems for external synchronization. Our current Setup: MC1000A with Blade MC1F30, external frequency 800Hz from another PLL. If we use N/D=1/1 no problem, but any other divider ratio is unstable (unlocking every few seconds), especially odd values. Do you have lab experience which reference phase jitter can be tolerated at what frequency and divider ratio?

Poster: Laurie

Posted Date: 2008-09-10 16:52:02.0

Response from Laurie at Thorlabs to lighthonr: The optical head assembly for the MC1000A can be purchased (Item MC1000A-ASSY5). Someone from our technical support staff will contact you shortly with current pricing information.

Poster: lighthonr

Posted Date: 2008-09-09 19:14:44.0

I was wondering what is the price for the choppers motor only? I have the chopper controller but the motor has been damaged beyond repair. Thanks!

Poster: rbladek

Posted Date: 2008-04-01 10:24:20.0

To nees: Thank you for your post concerning the excessive phase jitter you are experiencing. Our engineer has been in contact with Fairchild Semiconductor, the manufacturer of the optical sensor, and have found that the sensor uses a Si detector with filter optimized for 880 – 940nm. In your case, we suspect the light level is high enough that the filter is not completely blocking the interference causing the jitter. Si detectors generally have a response from 400 to 1100nm with the peak response approximately 980nm. We have updated the operating manual with the above specifications and some mounting instructions to help limit this.

Poster: technicalmarketing

Posted Date: 2008-03-05 08:17:42.0

To nees: Thank you for your suggestions for nother version of our MC1000A. We have passed those along to our electronics business unit for consideration. We always enjoy hearing about new product suggestions and ways to improve or expand our current product line.

Poster: nees

Posted Date: 2008-03-04 14:39:45.0

The MC1000A produces significant jitter when I chop my 1kHz Ti:sapphire laser (1Watt of 1mJ 200fs pulses at 775nm with a 15nm bandwidth). If the head is placed forward the locking circuit fails. If I reverse the direction, it locks, but with +/-2 to 3 degrees jitter. When I look through the blades stroboscopically the jitter is less than 1 degree. So the 780nm light must be contaminating the sensor. Are there equivalent interrupt sensors at 950nm, like home remotes, with long-pass blinding filters built in? No luck getting specs at Fairchild... --John

Poster: larauz

Posted Date: 2007-07-27 14:22:36.0

the MC1000A does not have a drawing. Also in general there is only the diagram of the blade but not of the complete system (as it is in the catalog page), therefore i can not see what plate type of plate is the chopper mounted on, distance between the plate slots, etc.

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Optical Chopper System and Chopper Wheels

Features

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HR10-7R-6S

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BNC Female

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USB Type B*

Reference Output***

BNC Female

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