This project introduces a comprehensive system development endeavor that leverages MATLAB App Designer, Thorlabs stepper motors and motor controller, and the Andor spectrometer coupled with a CCD camera. By combining these powerful components, I aim to create a versatile and user-friendly laboratory goniometer system that enables researchers to conduct experiments with precision and ease.
Key Components:
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MATLAB App Designer: MATLAB's App Designer provides an intuitive and interactive platform for building custom graphical user interfaces (GUIs). It offers a powerful environment for creating a user-friendly front-end for our laboratory goniometer system, enabling users to control and monitor the hardware seamlessly.
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Thorlabs Stepper Motor Control: The Thorlabs stepper motor controllers and motors(NR360S/M Motorised 360° Rotation Stage & BSC203 Benchtop Stepper Motor Controller) are employed for precise angular positioning of the sample or optical components. Integration with MATLAB allows for real-time control and automation of the goniometer's movements, ensuring accuracy and repeatability.
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Andor Spectrometer and CCD Camera: The Andor spectrometer and CCD camera(Andor Shamrock SR-303i & Andor iDus DV420A-OE) provide high-resolution spectral data acquisition. By interfacing with MATLAB, researchers can capture and process spectral information with ease, making it suitable for a wide range of spectroscopy experiments.
Projects Goals:
- Develop a MATLAB App Designer-based graphical interface for controlling the goniometer system.
- Implement real-time communication and control of the Thorlabs stepper motor for precise angular positioning.
- Integrate the Andor spectrometer and CCD camera for spectral data acquisition and analysis.
- MATLAB installed
- Thorlabs Kinesis Software installed
- Andor MATLAB SDK installed (Requested from Andor Technology Customer Support)
- Andor MATLAB Spectrograph Setup installed (Requested from Andor Technology Customer Support)
- SystemApp.mlapp - MATLAB App Designer file containing the GUI design and source code
- Before start using the GUIs, replace the file location for the SDK file for the Andor Spectrograph and CCD to prevent any error!!!
- MotorClass.m - Class definition for stepper motor control functions
- readdatafile.m - Function to load and parse data files saved by the application
- displaydata.m - Set of functions to visualize the spectral data
To take a full spectral scan:
- Connect the stepper motors, spectrograph and camera using the GUI button
- Home the stepper motors to initialise their zero angle position
- Set the angle range, step sizes and spectrometer parameters
- Click "Start" to begin the automated hemispherical scan
- Real-time spectral data will be plotted as it is acquired
- After completion, view the visualized data on the other tab
- The data is also saved to file for further analysis
For single test captures:
- Navigate to the Test Data Acquisition tab
- Set the motor angles and spectrometer values
- Click the "Take Background" or "Take Hyperspectral" buttons
- The data will be immediately captured and displayed
Example Usage:
TLM = MotorClass;
Load_DLLs((TLM);
BuildConnection((TLM);
# Move the top motor to angle 10
TopMotor_Move(TLM, 10);