Indeed it does.
this is one of the most helpful forums I've ever encountered, if you have the feeling people don't want to help you or are being rude then I suspect you're doing something wrong.
Moderators: rjlittlefield, ChrisR, Chris S., Pau
Indeed it does.
chris,
Hi,Macro_Cosmos wrote: ↑Wed Aug 12, 2020 5:13 am... there's no reason to buy Thorlabs' motorised rails. They require coding, they require an expensive K-cube controller ($800 I think) and the power supply is also $300, you need a controller/interface that goes beyond "move rail to POS A", you code your own. Want the controller to also take pictures? Code it yourself using a relay circuit. You're looking at a good $2000 to get something basic running when the Stackshot (and wemacro etc) has everything already done for you. PI is several steps above Thorlabs, so I'd times that $2000 by 5. ...
The answer to your confusion is very simple.jac B wrote: ↑Thu Aug 13, 2020 1:57 amHi,
I raised this topic (as newbie) because a motorized stage, like StackShot with good references, gave the impression not to be fully specified (parameters) by the manufacturer, in an way that other motorized stages, like Thorlabs, Physike Instrumente (PI), seemed to be specified (parameters).
Nothing from Thorlabs or PI is plug and play. It's plug, buy all my expensive hardware, code your own stuff, hit a bunch of bugs, repeat indefinitely and in agony, and "play". (I suck at coding, I'll admit that)The comment raised for me the question: are there other (fully) specified (parameters) (plug-and-play, P&P) motorized stages in between the (P&P) StackShot and (Do-It-Yourself) Thorlabs, PI?
If you watch eBay sometimes you can find the PI stages like the P601K or P603K, these are superb devices and have built-in ultra-precison strain gauges for use in closed loop systems. We've developed custom controllers for these stages, from the original open loop to the latest closed loop types, and they don't cost more that a Stackshot controller to build. The control code has been done in Python on a Raspberry Pi and does not require one to be a software guru (I'm certainly not one!!!), and is easy to adapt for custom specific use. If you search here using PI Stages you can find lots of information.Macro_Cosmos wrote: ↑Thu Aug 13, 2020 4:08 am
Some of best companies and labs use Thorlabs, Newport and PI (etc) stuff for R&D.
Notice "Stackshot" isn't in the list. They can test their rails and spew out a datasheet, but I'd rather pay $600 than $2000.
Nothing from Thorlabs or PI is plug and play. It's plug, buy all my expensive hardware, code your own stuff, hit a bunch of bugs, repeat indefinitely and in agony, and "play". (I suck at coding, I'll admit that)The comment raised for me the question: are there other (fully) specified (parameters) (plug-and-play, P&P) motorized stages in between the (P&P) StackShot and (Do-It-Yourself) Thorlabs, PI?
Yes the THK linear rails are really good!! The KR20 is also popular and has a 1mm thread pitch, coupled with a 400 step motor this is really a great setup for a precision stepper based focus rail system. If you couple this with the Trinamic type controller/drivers based upon the Arduino or Raspberry Pi then this becomes as good as I've seen for a stepper based system regardless of cost. Search on here for Trinamic for more details and information.That said, you should use google advanced search and look up "THK" on the forum. THK rails can be outfitted with an appropriate NEMA-17 stepper motor. THK's website has a load more specs than Stackshot.