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Back and Top View of the KLD101 K-Cube LD Driver

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A KCH301 USB Controller Hub with installed K-Cube KLD101 and KPZ101 modules.

Features

• Current Output up to 230 mA
• LD Compliance Voltage up to 10 V at 50 mA
• Low Noise: <3.5 μA
• Constant Current and Constant Power Operating Modes
• Compact Housing: 121.0 mm x 60.0 mm x 47.0 mm (4.76" x 2.36" x 1.85")
• Safety Enable Key Switch and Laser Safety Interlock
• LCD Display Screen and Controls for Standalone Operation
• USB Connection for Remote PC-Controlled Operation
• Includes Kinesis® and APT™ Software Control Suites
• Single- and Multi-Channel Power Supply Options Available Separately

The KLD101 K-Cube™ Laser Diode Controller is a compact, versatile module designed to drive a wide range of semiconductor laser diodes and LEDs. It supports operating currents up to 230 mA, a compliance voltage up to 10 V at 50 mA (>7 V at 230 mA), and both constant current and constant power operating modes. The KLD101 also enables the maximum drive current current to be set to prevent damage to the laser diode by accidental overdriving. As a member of the K-Cube family of products, this driver can be controlled locally using the screen and switches on the unit, or it can be controlled using a PC via the USB interface and included software.

The unit has a highly compact 121.0 mm x 60.0 mm footprint, allowing it to be positioned close to the rest of the system when manually adjusting the laser output using the top panel controls and convenient LCD display screen. A power switch on the front of the unit turns the K-Cube on and off, and the LCD screen displays information and settings upon startup, with or without a PC. When the unit is turned off, the K-Cube saves all user-adjusted settings for the next session. The power switch should always be in the "off" position when plugging in or unplugging the unit.

USB connectivity provides easy, plug-and-play, PC-controlled operation. The included Kinesis software package features .NET controls that can be used by third-party developers programming in C or C# and working in the latest LabVIEW™ or .NET compatible frameworks to create custom applications. For more details, please see the Motion Control Software, Kinesis Tutorials, and APT Tutorials tabs. A USB 3.0 Type-A to type Micro-B cable is included with this K-Cube driver.

The K-Cube controller achieves its best performance when used with a suitable temperature controller and a laser diode mount with an integrated TEC element.

Optical Table Mounting Plate
Each unit comes with a mounting plate that attaches to the base of the module. The plate contains two magnets for temporary placement on an optical table and two counterbored slots for 1/4"-20 (M6) cap screws for a more permanent placement on the tabletop.

Power Supply Options
The preferred power supply (single channel, multi-channel, or hub-based) depends on the end user's application and whether you already own compatible power supplies. To that end and in keeping with Thorlabs' green initiative, we do not ship these units bundled with a power supply.

This K-Cube can be powered using our TPS002 power supply. If the TPS002 is used to power the KLD101, we do not recommend powering an additional K-Cube unit due the power supply's current limitations. Mutliple units can be connected to a single PC using the KCH301 or KCH601 USB Controller Hub (available below) for applications involving multiple K-Cubes. The KCH301 features three controller mounting bays while the KCH601 features six controller mounting bays. Note that these K-Cube drivers occupy two mounting bays on the USB controller hubs.

All power supply options compatible with the K-Cube laser diode driver can be found below.

Connection Cables
A CAB400 cable is required to connect the K-Cube laser diode controller to a Thorlabs Laser Diode Mount.

Laser Diode Accessory Selection Guide
Temperature Controlled Mounts	Passive Mounts	Passive Mounts with Collimation Package	Strain Relief Cables	Diode Sockets	Other Controllers

K-Cube™ vs. T-Cube™ Feature Comparison
Feature	KLD101 K-Cube	TLD001 T-Cube
Kinesis Software Compatibility
APT Software Compatibility
Kinesis USB Module Hubs Compatibility		Requires KAP102 Adapter
Previous Generation TCH002 Controller Hub	No
On/Off Switch		No
Safety Key Switch
Bidirectional SMA Trigger Porta	2	No
SMA External Analog Inputa
Computer Connectiona	USB 3.0 Micro-B (USB 2.0 Compliant)	USB 2.0 Micro-B (USB 2.0 Compliant)
Included Mounting Plate
Size (W x D x H)	121.0 mm x 60.0 mm x 47.0 mm (4.76" x 2.36" x 1.85")	121.0 mm x 60.0 mm x 47.0 mm (4.76" x 2.36" x 1.85")
On-Unit Digital Display
Output Intensity Control via Top Panel
Control Source Selection		No
Display Screen Brightness Adjustment
Information Readout	Power and Current	Power and Current

• Please see the Pin Diagrams tab for details.

Introducing Thorlabs' Kinesis^® Laser Diode Controller

A major upgrade to the former-generation T-Cubes, the growing K-Cube line of high-end modules provides increased versatility not only through the new Kinesis software, but also through an overhaul and update of their physical design and firmware. Note that the Kinesis Laser Diode Controllers can also be controlled using our legacy APT™ software.

Every K-Cube includes a digital display. In addition to basic input and output readouts, the K-Cube laser diode controller features a scroll wheel for adjusting the output current, power, and other settings. Each unit contains a front-located power switch that, when turned off, saves all user-adjustable settings, as well as two bidirectional SMA trigger ports that accept or output a 5 V TTL logic signal.

Please see the table to the right for a full comparison of the features offered by our new K-Cube and previous-generation T-Cube laser diode controllers.

Click for Details
KLD101 K-Cube Kinesis Laser Diode Driver

Kinesis USB Controller Hubs
Complementing our K-Cubes are our Kinesis USB 2.0 controller hubs. With two versions available for three or six K- or T-Cubes, these USB hubs are designed specifically for communication between multiple modules and the host control PC. These hubs are backward compatible with our T-Cubes.

K-Cubes simply clip into place using the provided on-unit clips, while current- and previous-generation T-Cubes require the KAP101 Adapter Plate, shown in the animation below on the right. The hub vastly reduces the number of USB and power cables required when operating multiple modules. Note that the KLS635 and KLS1550 are twice as long as a standard K-Cube and occupy two ports on the controller hub.

The APT video tutorials available here fall into two main groups - one group covers using the supplied APT utilities and the second group covers programming the APT System using a selection of different programming environments.

Disclaimer: The videos below were originally produced in Adobe Flash. Following the discontinuation of Flash after 2020, these tutorials were re-recorded for future use. The Flash Player controls still appear in the bottom of each video, but they are not functional.

Every APT controller is supplied with the utilities APTUser and APTConfig. APTUser provides a quick and easy way of interacting with the APT control hardware using intuitive graphical control panels. APTConfig is an 'off-line' utility that allows various system wide settings to be made such as pre-selecting mechanical stage types and associating them with specific motion controllers.

APT User Utility

The first video below gives an overview of using the APTUser Utility. The OptoDriver single channel controller products can be operated via their front panel controls in the absence of a control PC. The stored settings relating to the operation of these front panel controls can be changed using the APTUser utility. The second video illustrates this process.

APT Config Utility

There are various APT system-wide settings that can be made using the APT Config utility, including setting up a simulated hardware configuration and associating mechanical stages with specific motor drive channels. The first video presents a brief overview of the APT Config application. More details on creating a simulated hardware configuration and making stage associations are present in the next two videos.

APT Programming

The APT Software System is implemented as a collection of ActiveX Controls. ActiveX Controls are language-independant software modules that provide both a graphical user interface and a programming interface. There is an ActiveX Control type for each type of hardware unit, e.g. a Motor ActiveX Control covers operation with any type of APT motor controller (DC or stepper). Many Windows software development environments and languages directly support ActiveX Controls, and, once such a Control is embedded into a custom application, all of the functionality it contains is immediately available to the application for automated operation. The videos below illustrate the basics of using the APT ActiveX Controls with LabVIEW, Visual Basic, and Visual C++. Note that many other languages support ActiveX including LabWindows CVI, C++ Builder, VB.NET, C#.NET, Office VBA, Matlab, HPVEE etc. Although these environments are not covered specifically by the tutorial videos, many of the ideas shown will still be relevant to using these other languages.

Visual Basic

Part 1 illustrates how to get an APT ActiveX Control running within Visual Basic, and Part 2 goes on to show how to program a custom positioning sequence.

LabVIEW

Full Active support is provided by LabVIEW and the series of tutorial videos below illustrate the basic building blocks in creating a custom APT motion control sequence. We start by showing how to call up the Thorlabs-supplied online help during software development. Part 2 illustrates how to create an APT ActiveX Control. ActiveX Controls provide both Methods (i.e. Functions) and Properties (i.e. Value Settings). Parts 3 and 4 show how to create and wire up both the methods and properties exposed by an ActiveX Control. Finally, in Part 5, we pull everything together and show a completed LabVIEW example program that demonstrates a custom move sequence.

The following tutorial videos illustrate alternative ways of creating Method and Property nodes:

Visual C++

Part 1 illustrates how to get an APT ActiveX Control running within Visual C++, and Part 2 goes on to show how to program a custom positioning sequence.

MATLAB

For assistance when using MATLAB and ActiveX controls with the Thorlabs APT positioners, click here.

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