**APT is being replaced by kinesis. Please use Instrumental with Kinesis **
Controlling Thorlabs APT using Python code using APT.dll and APT.lib, bypassing the activex controls. It even comes with a simple GUI!
Installation
Obtain APT.dll and APT.lib from Thorlabs directly, or from the APTDLLPack/DLL/ folder, picking the correct version (x86 or x64)
Place APT.dll, APT.lib and PyAPT.py in the folder from which the scripts will be executed, or in the main add-on folder for python.
You also require ThorlabsAPT software (obtainable from ThorLabs APT Software page )
Running the code
Ensure correct version (32 or 64 bit) APT.dll and APT.lib are in the folder containing the python script.
Example.py contains an example of how to load the module, control the motor, and close the object.
Using the GUI
GUI is implemented using QT. First enter the serial number, and press the connect button. The GUI will attempt to connect to the APT motor, and probe for it's current position and velocity. If sucessfull, those values will be updated in the respective boxes. Pushbuttons under the position box are for movement in microns.
Support
PyAPT Supports the following motors:
| Motor | HWTYPE | Description |
|---|---|---|
| BSC001 | 11 | 1 Ch benchtop stepper driver |
| BSC101 | 12 | 1 Ch benchtop stepper driver |
| BSC002 | 13 | 2 Ch benchtop stepper driver |
| BDC101 | 14 | 1 Ch benchtop DC servo driver |
| SCC001 | 21 | 1 Ch stepper driver card (used within BSC102,103 units) |
| DCC001 | 22 | 1 Ch DC servo driver card (used within BDC102,103 units) |
| ODC001 | 24 | 1 Ch DC servo driver cube |
| OST001 | 25 | 1 Ch stepper driver cube |
| MST601 | 26 | 2 Ch modular stepper driver module |
| TST001 | 29 | 1 Ch Stepper driver T-Cube |
| TDC001 | 31 | 1 Ch DC servo driver T-Cube |
| LTSXXX | 42 | LTS300/LTS150 Long Travel Integrated Driver/Stages |
| L490MZ | 43 | L490MZ Integrated Driver/Labjack |
| BBD10X | 44 | 1/2/3 Ch benchtop brushless DC servo driver |
I have no idea if it supports the KDC101. If you try it out and it does, please let me know so I can update it for others.
References
ThorLabs APT Software page ThorLabs APT Documentation page
Contact
This is still a rough copy that I am improving as I work on my project. Please report any bugs, and feel free to let me know of any comments or suggestions. Please report bugs and questions by creating an issues That way, others can see your questions and contribute to them too. Even better: make the changes and push them back to me!
Michael Leung