AllenNeuralDynamics / aaopto-aotf

python driver to control MPDSnCxx AOTF devices

AA OptoElectronics MPDSnCxx AOTF Driver

python driver to control MPDSnCxx AOTF devices.

Installation

To install this package from PyPI, invoke: pip install aaopto-aotf

To install this package from the Github in editable mode, from this directory invoke: pip install -e .

To install this package in editable mode with dependencies for building the docs, invoke: pip install -e .[dev]

Intro and Basic Usage

from aaopto_aotf.aotf import MPDS

aotf = MPDS("COM3")

Before writing values, you must first set the global blanking mode, and each channel's frequency, mode, and whether it is driven by external input or internal (software controlled) input.

from aaopto_aotf.aotf import MPDS, MAX_POWER_DBM
from aaopto_aotf.device_codes import DriverMode, BlankingMode, VoltageRange

aotf.set_blanking(BlankingMode.INTERNAL)  # disable blanking control from external input pin.
aotf.set_external_input_voltage_range(VoltageRange.ZERO_TO_FIVE_VOLTS)

# Note: device channels are 1-indexed to be consistent with the datasheet.
for channel in range(1, aotf.num_channels + 1):
    aotf.set_frequency(channel, 110.5)
    aotf.set_driver_mode(DriverMode.EXTERNAL)

If the driver mode is set to DriverMode.EXTERNAL, the device will take its output setpoint from the external input pin.

If set to DriverMode.INTERNAL, you can control the output with software settings:

for channel in range(1, aotf.num_channels + 1):
    aotf.set_driver_mode(DriverMode.INTERNAL)
    aotf.set_power_dbm(channel, MAX_POWER_DBM)
    aotf.enable_channel(channel)

Note that internal mode only enables a simple "On/Off" control scheme, and does not support linear scaling like external mode does vial the external analog input.

At this point, you might want to save the values set above to the current profile.

aotf.save_profile()  # Now, calling an aotf.reset() will start with the saved settings.

What's missing?

Here are the minor dangling features that are not implemented.

• changing laser channel profiles at runtime. (These must be changed with the external input pins.)
• automatic sweeping mode
  • automatic self-sweeping is a somewhat out-of-the-ordinary feature for most users.

Examples:

Have a look at the examples folder to see other examples and make use of a useful calibration script.