Optical Chopper - SR542

0.4 Hz to 20 kHz frequency range Flexible synchronization 0.01° phase resolution 20 ppm frequency accuracy Long-life brushless motor USB computer interface SR542 Optical Chopper The SR542 Precision Optical Chopper provides ultra-stable and flexible optical chopping. The chop frequency is tunable over a wide range, and frequency and phase can be controlled from a variety of input sources including synchronization to an external reference. The front panel provides an intuitive view of the entire configuration at-a-glance , while remote USB communication permits full control from a remote PC. ... click for SR542 Tech Support Available Blades 5/6 Slot Blade Drawing 25/30 Slot Blade Drawing 10/100 Slot Blade Drawing 2 Slot Blade Drawing 5 Slot Blade Drawing 30 Slot Blade Drawing About Chopper Jitter Variable Slot Blade Drawing About variable duty factor 3D Step File - Controller 3D Step File - Head Chopper Experiments SR865A Lock-In Amplifier SR830 Lock-In Amplifier SR2124 Lock-In Amplifier SR860 Lock-In Amplifier Available Blades 5/6 Slot Blade Drawing 25/30 Slot Blade Drawing 10/100 Slot Blade Drawing 2 Slot Blade Drawing 5 Slot Blade Drawing 30 Slot Blade Drawing Variable Slot Blade Drawing About variable duty factor About Chopper Jitter 3D Step File - Controller 3D Step File - Head Chopper Experiments SR865A Lock-In Amp. SR830 Lock-In Amp. SR2124 Lock-In Amp. SR860 Lock-In Amp. An optical chopper provides a direct way to modulate laser light. The SR542 Precision Optical Chopper offers enhanced features and configurability as well as optimized chopping performance. Whether your application requires best-in-class phase jitter performance, tracking an external reference, a wide frequency range, two-wave photo mixing, or synchronization of multiple choppers, the SR542 will get the job done. Flexible Configuration The chopper can be synchronized to a variety of input sources including an external frequency reference (sine or TTL/CMOS) , the internal clock (crystal oscillator), the VCO input (0 to +10 VDC) , or the AC Line (50 Hz to 60 Hz) . Long-term frequency drift is virtually eliminated. Chop rates as low as 0.4 Hz or as high as 20 kHz can be achieved (blade-dependent) . A user-programmable multiplier and divider enable chopping rates at a harmonic, sub-harmonic , or fractional harmonic of the primary frequency. The user can select the inner slots, outer slots, or the shaft (one-pulse-per-revolution) to be phase-locked to the scaled primary reference. A phase offset is easily adjusted with 0.01° resolution, and a relative phase can be set as a zero-phase reference . Chopper Blades X Chopper Blades SR542 Optical Chopper The chopper head employs a slotless, brushless DC motor (BLDC), which minimizes mechanical vibrations and helps keep your optical setup quiet. Furthermore, without the wear-and-tear experienced by the commutator brushes of a DC motor, the operating life of the chopper head is extended. Precision photo-etched blackened stainless steel chopper blades come in a variety of single and dual frequency designs, plus a variable duty factor design. Tight tolerances for the blade etching ensures low phase jitter of the optically chopped signals. The chopper head can be mounted to a standard one inch optical breadboard using the slotted base plate (two inch slot spacing) or to a half inch optical post with the included clamping knob. Chopper Head with Shroud X Chopper Head with Shroud SR542 Optical Chopper Chopper Head with Shroud A removable shroud prevents accidental collisions with the operational chopper head. While BLDC motors are typically controlled with high frequency PWM signals, the SR542 uses an analog current amplifier with 3-phase unchopped sinusoidal drive currents to eliminate the high frequency EMI challenges of traditional PWM drivers. Six always-available rear-panel reference outputs provide flexibility for synchronization of multiple instruments, including the ability to cascade choppers or trigger other instruments (lock-in amplifier , oscilloscope, etc.). Available outputs include Source (the primary internal clock, which is either free running, or phase-locked to the AC Line, Ext Sync, or VCO Input), Inner Slots, Outer Slots, Shaft (once-per-mechanical-revolution) , Sum and Difference (f outer ± f inner ). All outputs are 0 to +5 V square waves through 50 Ω. Intuitive Front Panel The front panel of the SR542 controller displays a block diagram of the chopper control loop, which makes it easy and intuitive to see and adjust the instrument configuration. Numeric settings can be entered via either the number keypad or rotary knob. The SR542 can also be operated as a simple optical shutter. With an Internal frequency set to 0 Hz, the static rotational orientation of the chopper blade can be controlled by the phase setting. By proper choice of phase, the user can alternately pass or block the optical beam. SR542 Specifications Chop (n slots × f shaft ) 0.4 Hz to 400 Hz (2 slot blade) 2 Hz to 20 kHz (10/100 slot blade) Internal Freq (0 Hz to 23.1 kHz), VCO Input, AC Line, or Ext Sync (20 mHz to 23.1 kHz) 20 µHz or 6 digits, whichever is greater