Galvanometers

Galvo mirrors are used for fast scanning, shadow reduction, and occasionally as stages (see Analog-Controlled Galvo/Piezo).

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Analog-Controlled Galvo

Multiple types of galvanometers have been used, including Cambridge Technologies/Novanta, Thorlabs, and ScannerMAX. Each of these devices are externally controlled via analog signals delivered from a data acquisition card.

Configuration File

microscopes:
  microscope_name:
    galvo:
       -
        hardware:
          type: NI
          channel: PXI6259/ao1
          min: -1.0
          max: 1.0
        waveform: sawtooth
        phase: 0
       -
        hardware:
          type: NI
          channel: PXI6259/ao1
          min: -1.0
          max: 1.0
        waveform: square
        phase: 0

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Synthetic Galvo

If no galvo is present, one must configure the software to use a synthetic galvo.

Configuration File

microscopes:
  microscope_name:
    galvo:
       -
        hardware:
          type: synthetic
          channel: PXI6259/ao1
          min: -1.0
          max: 1.0
        waveform: sawtooth
        phase: 0
       -
        hardware:
          type: synthetic
          channel: PXI6259/ao1
          min: -1.0
          max: 1.0
        waveform: square
        phase: 0