Features

• Highly Compact T-Cube Footprint
• ±1 Amp/4 W TEC Output
• Microcontroller-Based PID Temperature Control
• 5-Digit LED Display
• Display Modes Include Temperature and TEC Current
• Temperature and Current Limit Set Points
• Compatible with Thermistor AD590 and AD592 Sensors
• Remote Control via USB; Local Control via Buttons and Adjustment Pot
• Monitor Output Connection; Analog Control Input Connection

The TTC001 T-Cube TEC Controller is designed for high-precision thermal control of small temperature sensitive components. It is designed to drive an external Peltier effect thermoelectric heater/cooler coupled to a standard thermistor or IC sensor. The highly precise, closed-loop control is suitable for many applications.

The various parameters, such as temperature set point, current limit, temperature sensor type, and PID parameters, are adjustable from the front panel interface for quick and easy local control. The unit can be interfaced to a PC using a USB cable and all of the parameters can be set using the included software. The unit is equipped with a 5-digit, 7-segment illuminated display. The user-selectable display modes can be set to show actual temperature, set point temperature, TEC current, and TEC current limit. The bipolar output stage allows both cooling and heating with currents up to 1 A. The TEC T-Cube is compatible with the LM14S2 and TCLDM9 laser mounts in addition to the Thorlabs' TEC3-2.5 - TH10K combination (TEC element - thermistor respectively). This powerful and versatile unit can also be used to drive inexpensive resistive heaters.

The TTC001 may be mounted directly onto an optical table and operated as a stand-alone unit with the included 5 V, 500 mA power supply. Alternately, the TEC controller could be connected using our T-Cube Controller Hub (TCH002), which provides power and USB connectivity for up to 6 T-Cube devices. Included with the unit is very user friendly apt™ software, which allows quick setup and control of the TTC001 and is the same software used to control all of our other T-Cube products. Advanced custom control sequences are also possible using the extensive ActiveX programming environment.

Connection Cables
A CAB420-15 is required to connect the T001 T-Cube TEC Controller to a Thorlabs' Laser Diode Mount. This cable is included with the TTC001 and has a length of 1.5 m. Additional cables can be ordered below.

TEC Output

The APT (Advanced Positioning Technology) family covers a wide range of motion controller products ranging from small low powered single channel optomechanical motor drivers (the 'Cube' drivers) to high power multi-channel modular 19" rack nanopositioning systems (the APT Rack System).

All controllers in the APT family share a common software platform, the APT System Software. The software CD supplied with all controllers contains an installation of this system software, together with a wealth of support information in the form of handbooks, help files, tutorial videos, FAQs and other relevant information on using and programming these Thorlabs products.

By providing this common software platform, Thorlabs has ensured that users can easily mix and match any of the APT controllers in a single application while only having to learn one single set of software tools. In this way it is perfectly feasible to combine any of the controllers from the low powered single axis to the high powered multi-axis systems and control all from a single PC based unified software interface.

The APT System Software allows two methods of usage - graphical user interface utilities (supplied) for direct interaction and control of the controllers out of the box, and a set of programming interfaces that allow custom integrated positioning and alignment solutions to be easily progammed in the development language of choice.

Detailed information on both usage modes is provided on the CD. Also of particular interest, is the inclusion on the software CD of a range of software video tutorials (see the Video Tutorials tab). These videos illustrate some of the basics of using the APT System Software from both a non-programming and a programming point of view. There are videos that illustrate usage of the supplied APT utilities that allow immediate control of the APT controllers out of the box. There are also a number of videos that explain the basics of programming custom software applications using Visual Basic, LabView and Visual C++. 

Click here to go direct to the Thorlabs Download Area to access the full APT software CD. Experiment with the software using the simulator mode - refer to the Tutorial Videos for the APTConfig utility to learn how to select simulator mode.

These videos illustrate some of the basics of using the APT System Software from both a non-programming and a programming point of view. There are videos that illustrate usage of the supplied APT utilities that allow immediate control of the APT controllers out of the box. There are also a number of videos that explain the basics of programming custom software applications using Visual Basic, LabView and Visual C++. Watch the videos now to see what we mean.

Click here to view the video tutorial

To further assist programmers, a guide to programming the APT software in LabView is also available.

Click here to view the LabView guide