Introduction

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:

1. 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.

2. 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.

3. 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.

Requirements

• 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)

Files

• 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

Usage

To take a full spectral scan:

1. Connect the stepper motors, spectrograph and camera using the GUI button
2. Home the stepper motors to initialise their zero angle position
3. Set the angle range, step sizes and spectrometer parameters
4. Click "Start" to begin the automated hemispherical scan
5. Real-time spectral data will be plotted as it is acquired
6. After completion, view the visualized data on the other tab
7. The data is also saved to file for further analysis

For single test captures:

1. Navigate to the Test Data Acquisition tab
2. Set the motor angles and spectrometer values
3. Click the "Take Background" or "Take Hyperspectral" buttons
4. The data will be immediately captured and displayed

NR360S/M Motorised 360° Rotation Stage Testing

Example Usage:

TLM = MotorClass;
Load_DLLs((TLM);
BuildConnection((TLM);

# Move the top motor to angle 10
TopMotor_Move(TLM, 10);