Specification	Value
Bidirectional Repeatability	±0.1°
Backlash	±0.3°
Max Rotation Velocity	25 deg/sec
Horizontal On-Axis Load Capacity	1.5 kg
Vertical On-Axis Load Capacity	0.5 kg
Achievable Incremental Motion (Min)	25 arcsec
Repeatable Incremental Motion (Max)	0.03°
Absolute On-Axis Accuracy	0.1%
Max Percentage Accuracy	0.08%
Home Location Accuracy	±0.2°
Range	Continuous

Features

1° Graduations on Main Dial
25 deg/sec Rotation Velocity
Compact Design is Only 23 mm Thick
Home Limit Switch
Post Mountable (See Mounting Tab)
Compatible with SM1 (1.035"-40) Accessories
Accepts Ø1" Optics up to 0.50" (12.5 mm) Thick
Recommended Driver: TDC001 DC Servo Controller

The PRM1Z8 is a small, compact, motorized rotation mount and stage that accepts Ø1" optics and SM1-threaded components. Rotation is driven via a DC servo motor that provides 1 arcsecond of resolution over the entire 360° of rotation. The user can measure the angular displacement by using the Vernier dial in conjunction with the graduation marks that are marked on the rotating plate in 1° increments. This rotation stage/mount is also equipped with a home limit switch to facilitate accurate automated rotation, ensuring absolute angular positioning. The limit switch is designed to allow continuous rotation of the stage over multiple 360° cycles.

The TDC001 DC Servo Controller is the ideal companion for achieving smooth, continuous motion that can be automated via the software interface. The stage/mount and controller are sold together with the item number PRM1Z8E and PRM1/MZ8E.

The PRM1Z8 is supplied with 19.6" (0.5 m) of cable. An 8 ft (2.5 m) extension cable (PAA632) is available separately.

Motor Connector Pin Out

D-type Male

The PRM1Z8 is supplied with 19.6" (0.5 m) of cable. An 8 ft (2.5 m) extension cable (PAA632) is available separately.

Pin	Description	Pin	Description
1	Ground (Limit and Vcc)	8	Reserved For Future Use
2	Reverse Limit	9	Ident Resistor*
3	Forward Limit	10	5 V
4	Reserved For Future Use	11	Encoder Channel B
5	Motor (+)	12	Reserved For Future Use
6	Reserved For Future Use	13	Encoder Channel A
7	Motor (-)	14, 15	Reserved For Future Use

*Used to identify the stage when it is connected to a Thorlabs controller.

Post Mounting Options

Normally the PRM1Z8 is mounted horizontally. The stage can be fixed directly to the work surface using the counter-bored 1/4"-20 (M6) holes in the main body. For complete flexibility, the stage/mount can be mounted vertically using the 8-32 (M4) threaded holes in various locations (as shown below), including the option to mount in a vertical inclined orientation. When in the vertical orientation, the reduced thickness of the stage is extremely beneficial for optical path applications where space is limited.

Cage Mounting

The image below shows how the 4-40 UNC holes on the rotation plate can be used to incorporate the rotation mount into a cage system.

Cage Mount Options

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Posted Comments:

Poster: kam233

Posted Date: 2013-05-16 16:44:57.6

I'm working with PRM1Z8 and TDC001, trying to interface with Matlab. Is it necessary to have the Gauges Blockset in Simulink to control it? If not, do you have any examples of Activex control in Matlab? Should I be using Simulink at all? There aren't many examples or helpful tutorials online that I can find. Thank you.

Poster: jlow

Posted Date: 2013-05-21 15:22:00.0

Response from Jeremy at Thorlabs: You don't need Simulink. We have a short tutorial for importing APT into Matlab at http://www.thorlabs.com/tutorials/Thorlabs_APT_MATLAB.docx.

Poster: dipankar.sarkar

Posted Date: 2013-05-08 06:15:29.13

PRM1/MZ8E: is it possible to switch of/reduce the backlash movement? Thanks.

Poster: jlow

Posted Date: 2013-05-09 11:28:00.0

Response from Jeremy at Thorlabs: You can change/turn off the backlash correction movement at the end of every move. This setting is designed to help reduce the natural backlash of the stage and ensure all positions are approached from one direction. This can be changed in the settings menu in APT User. I will contact you directly to provide a screenshot for the location of that setting.

Poster: ps2c11

Posted Date: 2013-03-06 04:35:01.02

Hi, I need to oscillate sinusoidally between two angles as requested by "steve.biedrzycki". From Thorlabs response to his question I suspect you had a potential solution to this problem. Would you be able to pass this information on to me too?

Poster: cdaly

Posted Date: 2013-03-07 11:26:00.0

Response from Chris at Thorlabs: Thank you for using our web feedback. It is not possible to move the stage at a non-constant velocity profile within the APT software without first ending a move to change the velocity. i have not come across any way in third party software like LabView that would all this to be done either.

Poster: teemu.hakala

Posted Date: 2013-02-11 14:12:19.25

Would it be possible to have an adapter plate to the PRM1 rotator? Plate should have SM1 threaded hole in the middle and threads/holes for 30 and 60mm cage systems. This would then be mounted to the backside of the rotator using the existing mounting holes on PRM1. This adapter would allow eg. having a fixed polarizer on one side of the rotator and rotating retarder on the other side.

Poster: jlow

Posted Date: 2013-02-11 09:24:00.0

Response from Jeremy at Thorlabs: This adapter is not something that we have at the moment but I do see it as being quite useful. I will get in contact with you directly and discuss about possibly making this as a custom for you.

Poster: bruno.ono

Posted Date: 2013-02-08 08:48:35.587

I like to know why PRM1Z8 dont work with program Thorlabs APT USER. I updated the program and when tried to rotate the stage with APT USER, it do not rotates, but on the TDC cube 001, it work perfectly. The computer recognize the machine in USB port. thank you Bruno

Poster: jlow

Posted Date: 2013-02-08 09:57:00.0

Response from Jeremy at Thorlabs: I apologize for the issue you are having with the PRM1Z8 and TDC001. I will contact you directly to troubleshoot this issue.

Poster: tcohen

Posted Date: 2013-01-22 09:21:00.0

Response from Tim at Thorlabs: We have tested the radiated emission for a TDC001 when used with a Z8 motor (used inside the PRM1Z8E). Initial scans performed in a semi-anechoic screened room at a distance of 3m were sufficiently below the limit line that it was not considered necessary to move to an open area test site. I will send you our findings.

Poster: olsonaj

Posted Date: 2013-01-14 14:58:44.337

I called and talked with a rep about this, but wanted to confirm. I am hoping to put this about a meter away from an experiment which is sensitive to magnetic fields. Can you measure the steady state and transient (while moving) magnetic fields from this device both radial and axially? Thanks

Poster: jlow

Posted Date: 2012-10-03 11:09:00.0

Response from Jeremy at Thorlabs: The “Ident Resistor” pin is used to identify certain Thorlabs stages that are connected to our controller. There’s no index pulse for the PRM1Z8. There is only one limit switch on the PRM1Z8 and it is triggered when a silvered half-ball on the moving world makes contact with a corresponding notch on the fixed world. The default settings will ignore the limit switch during normal operation, however it will become active when the motor is being homed.

Poster:

Posted Date: 2012-09-28 17:50:31.0

Can you tell me for what pin 9 "Ident Resistor" stands for? Does the rotational stage encoder have an "index" pulse for a home position? Thanks in advance.

Poster: tcohen

Posted Date: 2012-08-15 10:08:00.0

Response from Tim at Thorlabs: Grounding issues can cause the order to matter. Due to this we recommend following the connection procedure as outlined in the controller manual. First, please ensure that you close any APT software. Connect the TDC001 to the PC and only connect the power afterwards. After this, you can configure your motor and stage in APTConfig. If you have any other difficulties, our technical support team can assist you directly at techsupport@thorlabs.com.

Poster: korea

Posted Date: 2012-08-14 10:32:15.0

I tried to use APT configuration utility after connecting the controller to pc. In the 'stage' tab, followed by 'Motor' field doesn't give any serial number(It show only 'none'). Also, When I click APT user it pops up an error window saying that "Failed to load application setting. nconfiguration system failed to initialize" Pleae help me out this. Thanks in advance.

Poster: tcohen

Posted Date: 2012-06-12 14:02:00.0

Response from Tim at Thorlabs: Example VI’s for integrating into LabVIEW using the recommended TDC001 controller can be found on the distribution disk as well as on our “Software and Support” tab at http://www.thorlabs.com/software_pages/ViewSoftwarePage.cfm?Code=APT. You can also follow along with our guide at http://www.thorlabs.com/images/TabImages/GuideToLabVIEWandAPT.pdf which explains how to start interfacing within LabVIEW. Information on all of the method controls can be found in the APT Server Help at your downloaded directly > Thorlabs > APT > Help > APT Server Help. I will contact you for further support.

Poster: tekavec

Posted Date: 2012-06-09 14:01:51.0

Do you have any example LabView VI's that control the PRM1Z8? I know there are the videos that show a few things with ActiveX, just wondering if you have anything else that could help me out. I'm trying to integrate moving the rotation stage into a another Labview program that I have. Thanks.

Poster: philipp.bethge

Posted Date: 2012-05-01 17:35:52.0

hi I have exactly the same problem as anne.hildenbrand: --> Hi, I am using a rotation stage PRM1/MZ8E with a TDC001 controller. Since I used manually, I am having problems homing the stage. It rotates and never stop. I try with other TDCOO1 cubes and the problem is the same. Can you help me ? Thanks in adavance. please contact me as well cheers philipp

Poster: tcohen

Posted Date: 2012-05-01 12:44:00.0

Response from Tim at Thorlabs to Philipp: I will contact you to provide detailed troubleshooting instructions. For any others who may experience a similar issue: please first try changing the homing direction to forward in APT. If this does not work, please try changing the association to the PRM1/Z7 in “APT Config”, running the stage and switching back to the PRM1/Z8. If neither of these solve the problem, it is possible that the limit switch needs evaluation. Please contact us at techsupport@thorlabs.com for further troubleshooting.

Poster: tcohen

Posted Date: 2012-04-12 14:24:00.0

Response from Tim at Thorlabs: The PRM1Z8 is supplied with 19.6" (0.5 m) of cable. A 2.5 m extension cable (PAA632) is available on this page below the feedback. The ambient temperature specification of the motor is -20C to 65C but due other components such as the worm gear and the grease, the stage as a whole would see reduced performance above 35C.

Poster: james.beedell

Posted Date: 2012-04-12 12:31:23.0

Hi, Please can you tell me what temperature range the motor will work over and how long the cable that connects it to the control box is? Are different lengths available? Thanks.

Poster: tcohen

Posted Date: 2012-03-21 11:04:00.0

Response from Tim at Thorlabs: Thank you for contacting us. We have not captured MTBF data on this product and your results will be dependent on both your definition (out of specification or failure) and the environment of use. For example, some of the things that could fail are the motor, bearings and gearing. The bearings will depend on the duty cycle as well as the environment and the gearing wear will be dependent on load. I have contacted you to discuss your use and further discuss the MTBF.

Poster: jeulin

Posted Date: 2012-03-16 03:35:54.0

Hi. What is the MTBF of the stage PRM1/MZ8?

Poster: tcohen

Posted Date: 2012-02-29 10:15:00.0

Response from Tim at Thorlabs to Anne: Thank you for your feedback. This is either due to the homing settings or the physical limit switch. I have contacted you directly for troubleshooting.

Poster: anne.hildenbrand

Posted Date: 2012-02-28 09:06:18.0

Hi, I am using a rotation stage PRM1/MZ8E with a TDC001 controller. Since I used manually, I am having problems homing the stage. It rotates and never stop. I try with other TDCOO1 cubes and the problem is the same. Can you help me ? Thanks in adavance.

Poster: bdada

Posted Date: 2011-06-20 17:31:00.0

Response from Buki at Thorlabs: Thank you very much for your feedback. There are a couple things that you can check. Does the second computer have the APT software package installed completely? Does the hardware show up in the windows device manager? In the APT config setting of the second computer, make sure that you uncheck the "enable simulation mode". If you use a different PRM1-Z7 on the second computer, was the serial number set correctly in your program? Please contact TechSupport@thorlabs.com if you need to continue troubleshooting this issue.

Poster: greg

Posted Date: 2011-06-20 10:25:46.0

I have written a Labview vi to control the PRM1-Z7 and have tried to build an exe. to deploy on another computer. However the exe cannot recognise the motor on the other machine any reason for this or pointers to why this is happening? Customer Email: greg@novelpolymers.com This customer would like to be contacted.

Poster: jjurado

Posted Date: 2011-05-13 09:31:00.0

Response from Javier at Thorlabs to last poster: Thank you very much for your feedback. We will modify the technical drawings to show the distances from the optical axis to the mounting holes of this rotation mount. Will will upload the drawing to the web once the changes have been made. In the meantime, please contact us at techsupport@thorlabs.com if you have any further questions or comments.

Poster:

Posted Date: 2011-05-05 17:57:20.0

Unless I am reading the drawing wrong, it seems that the AutoCad PDF for the PRM1Z8 does not have the distances from the optical axis to the mounting points labeled. This is actually the most important dimension, I think...

Poster: miguel.araque

Posted Date: 2011-02-10 13:14:02.0

Hi, We are having problems homing our stage: it just goes on spinning until we tell it to stop via APT-user. Full-stop also takes a while to reach (10 sec or so). We tried all possible combinations of limit switches/HW switches and homing directions to no avail. We tried with other TDC001 cubes, as we have three, and the problem persists. Any feedback would we welcome.

Poster: jjurado

Posted Date: 2011-02-02 14:44:00.0

Response from Javier at Thorlabs to jripoll: Thank you very much for submitting your inquiry. The BSC101 is not compatible with the PRM1Z8 rotation stage for two reasons: (1) It is designed for stepper motor actuators. The BDC101 is the recommended controller for high-current DC servo actuators. (2) The high current output of the BSC/BDC series controllers exceeds the electrical input parameter of the Z8 actuators. The recommended controller is the TDC001. We will update our website to make this information clearer.

Poster: jripoll

Posted Date: 2011-02-02 05:44:47.0

Can I control the PRM1Z8E with the high current BSC101 controller?

Poster: tor

Posted Date: 2011-01-10 11:40:38.0

Response from Tor at Thorlabs to Will: The actual rotation of the stage would need to be measured independently in order to accurately determine the angular displacement from encoder counts.

Poster: willtalmadge

Posted Date: 2010-12-23 04:54:47.0

In the specifications it says that there are 34,304 encoder counts per output shaft rotation. Im having trouble finding out how to convert output shaft revolutions to the stage angular displacement. Im familiar with the pitch value of 17.87. However, if I assume that is 17.87 degrees / shaft-rev I dont seem to get useful velocities in counts/sec to send to the TDC001 when instructing it to home. Plus that seems like a rather large value if I assume the shaft is a worm drive. Ive read the LM628 documentation so Im familiar with how velocity is supposed to be calculated in counts/sample. Could someone perhaps clarify this so I can be converting velocity values is deg/sec to counts/sec in an accurate manner?

Poster: tor

Posted Date: 2010-11-12 16:54:42.0

A response from Tor at Thorlabs: Thank you for your inquiry. While we have not tested this, our engineer indicates that this may be possible using MoveVelocity and stopprofiled commands. I will send command details to you directly.

Poster: steve.biedrzycki

Posted Date: 2010-11-11 15:06:08.0

I need to do a sinusoidal variation between two angles. Is it possible to cycle between two positions without pausing with a non-linear velocity profile? What factors limit the cycle rate?

Poster: Thorlabs

Posted Date: 2010-09-23 17:47:19.0

Response from Javier at Thorlabs to michaelorger: The PAA632 extension cable is compatible with the PRM1-Z7 rotation mount.

Poster: michaelorger

Posted Date: 2010-09-23 11:49:53.0

Does the PAA632 work with the Z7 rotation mount? If not, is there an extension cable available for the Z7? Thanks

Poster:

Posted Date: 2010-05-06 12:32:01.0

A response from Oli at Thorlabs to Thomas: Yes, Absolutely. You just need to set the limit switch settings to either ignore or home only and the display mode to continuous. Then it should work fine.

Poster: thomas.juffmann

Posted Date: 2010-05-06 11:49:08.0

Hi, can I run the prm1z8 continuously in one direction (more than one revolution?)? cheers.

Poster:

Posted Date: 2010-05-05 08:41:47.0

A response from Oliver at Thorlabs: It may be that you have not correctly configured the motor and driver in APT config, or the stage may have an error. Please feel free to contact me at techsupport.uk@thorlabs.com to disscuss the problem further.

Poster:

Posted Date: 2010-05-04 18:49:04.0

i think my problem is similar to lundeen below - i have this system and using the APT software gives unrepeatable position readouts. where can you put in a lookup table on the APT software? and can you account for this drift in the stage position? it seems like a lookup table wont solve this.

Poster: ohoward

Posted Date: 2009-11-30 10:50:20.0

A response from Oliver at Thorlabs to jeff.lundeen: The encoder output of the motor is used to give you the position output. An effective pitch that takes into account the gearing of the worm drive is used. To find the encoder count you divide the position by the pitch (17.87) and multiply the result by the encoder counts per rev (512). The encoder simply measures the rotation of the motor, not of the stage. If you have sufficient measuring equipment you can calibrate the actual turn of the stage with the encoder count (or position output). Once you have created this lookup table APT config allows you to associate this calibration file with the stage.

Poster: jeff.lundeen

Posted Date: 2009-11-23 18:18:06.0

I have the PRM1Z8 and the TDC001 controller. Does the user have access to the encoder output? How is the actual position determined? Unlike the linear motors, there is no encoder settings in the APT user software for the PRM1Z8, so it is not clear what role the encoder plays? e.g. can we calibrate the rotate vs encoder counts and then use this for more accurate movement (as is done in the linear motors)?

Poster: klee

Posted Date: 2009-10-26 17:42:32.0

A response from Ken at Thorlabs to shalin.mehta: Unfortunately, we do not have any motorized rotation stage that can be used in the 60mm cage system.

Poster: shalin.mehta

Posted Date: 2009-10-26 04:10:16.0

I need to use a motorized rotation mount inside a 60mm cage system. I want to mount a 1" optic in a light-path consisting of cage system and need to rotate the optic through computer. Is there a way of assembling above (or another) motorized rotation mount in 60mm cage system? -Shalin

Poster: klee

Posted Date: 2009-08-12 14:34:10.0

A response from Ken at Thorlabs to wu47: Yes, you can use LabView to control PRM1/MZ8E. There are video tutorials available on our website. http://www.thorlabs.com/tutorials/APTProgramming.cfm

Poster: wu47

Posted Date: 2009-08-12 13:41:37.0

can I use labview to control PRM1/MZ8E?

Poster: jens

Posted Date: 2009-06-02 20:03:30.0

A reply from Jens at Thorlabs: the 0.5 degree step size will not be a problem for the motorized PRM stage, so I am not entirely sure if you are referring to another degree of freedom like adding tip/tild in addition to the rotation. That would require a combination of the rotation stage with another element on top of it. As for the low temperature condensation could be a concern but we will not to check the requirements in detail. I will contact you directly to discuss all possible solutions.

Poster: topasnadm

Posted Date: 2009-06-02 10:07:25.0

Do you have something similar to PRM1Z8 for which one can get 0.5 degree change in angle? It has to be motorized and go to low temperatures as well (approx 0F). Thank you.

Poster: Tyler

Posted Date: 2008-10-22 11:11:20.0

A response from Tyler at Thorlabs to odd.england: The PRM1-Z7 is DC motor driven rotation stage and requires a DC Servo Motor driver with a computer interface in order to be controlled by a computer. The TDC001 is one of our DC servo motor drivers. It has a USB interface that comes with a fully functional graphical software interface and Active X controls for those that want to program their own interface. For assistance choosing the best driver for your application please contact our technical support team. Thank you for your interest in our motorized rotation stage.

Poster: odd.england

Posted Date: 2008-10-21 14:14:36.0

hello, I was wondering if the PRM1-Z7 hooks directly up to a PC and if i were to hook it up to a PC, would i need the Servo Motor Controller? cheers.

Poster: Laurie

Posted Date: 2008-10-07 09:04:10.0

Response from Laurie at Thorlabs to milan.vrastil: Thank you for your feedback. We have measured the accuracy of the angular position of the PRM1 to be 0.1 degrees. By this, we mean the sum of all uncertainties of the device including stiction/friction, influence of elastic deformations, windup and design resolution (not including backlash since we are only considering one direction of rotation).

Poster: milan.vrastil

Posted Date: 2008-09-30 00:48:00.0

What is accuracy of angular position of PRM1?

Poster: Tyler

Posted Date: 2008-06-19 11:15:30.0

A response from Tyler at Thorlabs to lsandstrom: The linear play of the rotating platform in the housing is +/- 0.00075" (19 um) worst case and +/-0.00025" (6um)best case. As a result the worst case eccentricity of a spot located one inch from the center of rotation would be 0.00075. I hope that this answers your question; if not, please post again. We appreciate your feedback.

Poster: lsandstrom

Posted Date: 2008-06-17 07:12:15.0

What is the PRM1 wobble and eccentricity specification?

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Features

Motor Connector Pin Out

D-type Male

Post Mounting Options

Cage Mounting