ocean optics s2000

[YunX]

Hi all,

I have a ocean optics S2000 CCD, and I used to use it reading single signal. What I am trying to do now is sending two beam into the CCD with a bifurcated cable, and read out both signal in the same time with labVIEW. If anybody has ever done this before? Or is this impossible?

Yun

BGSU, OH 

[The_Right_Choice]

Hi YunX,

So you have all the drivers and software installed to interface with the S2000 right now correct? You can do all the single information currently and you want to move over to reading both signals at the same time correct?

Do you have any VIs you are currently working with that you can post that we can take a look at? Are you using any other hardware that we should know about? Are you communicating over VISA?

[YunX]

Hi Douglas,

Thank you for your reply.

Yes, we have all drivers and software installed and the S2000 is running properly without any problem. We use ADC2000-PCI A/D card to collect signals (from Ocean optics) and PCI-6023E to collect trigger signal. The ADC2000 is driven by OOIHSD (an old driver package provided by OO) and I don’t know what how it works exactly (you know OO’s driver). My guess is it’s not a VISA type because I cannot find the ADC2000 from VISA source.

What I don’t know is about this CCD itself. If my understanding about CCD is correct, we should be able to read the signal from every pixel (even though the signal shifts from one side to another). In another word, we can divide the whole CCD chip in two halves and read signal from top half or bottom half individually. However, is it possible that this CCD is a “linear” type, which just read the signals wavelength by wavelength?

BTW, how can I communicate with ADC2000 over VISA? It will be great if I can avoid using OOIHSD.

Yun,

BGSU 

[Ryan_K.]

In order to communicate with the ADC2000 using VISA, the device would have to follow the VISA standard. I took a quick look at the Ocean Optics product page for the device and I didn't see any mention of it being VISA capable (and I wouldn't expect a PCI card to be able to communicate via VISA), but I may have missed something. If the device is VISA capable, then it should show up as a VISA Resource on your computer if you have NI VISA installed (the physical connection would likely be either Serial, GPIB, or USB) and you would then be able to use the LabVIEW VISA VIs to communicate with it.

It looks like, instead, Ocean Optics has provided a driver which allows LabvIEW to communicate with the ADC2000 card. Is that the case? If so, then the ability of the device to pass separate signals back to LabVIEW comes down to the driver (and device). LabVIEW can read any data back from the device that the driver functions provides, so if the driver is capable of acquiring and transferring both signals to LabVIEW, then LabVIEW can read and process the signals.

In regards to the CCD and it's capabilities, Ocean Optics support will be a better resource to help you understand what the CCD in their device can do. Most of the time, with a CCD in a standard camera, you'd capture an image from the entire array and then do some image processing if you wanted to isolate only one region of interest. I'm not sure how the CCD functions within the context of the spectrometer though, so I'd recommend getting in touch with Ocean Optics and speaking to one of their engineers since this is their device (they also should be able to provide more insight about the driver's capabilites as well).

Regards,

[pittsburghmatt]

Ocean optics sold a Labview kit explicitly for the S2000 unit.  I would bet you could buy that kit from them -- or shame on them if they won't sell it to you.  I think it worked with serial drivers to communicate with the box somehow...never done it.  I have the S2000, but do NOT have the PCI card...only the ISA card I got with the machine.  If you are "ditching" the S2000, I'll buy their OO PCI card from you!  😉

Matt Cline

Carnegie Mellon

[Ducatidragon916]

Matt,

Did you ever figure out a workaround to interface the S2000 to a computer via USB or some other technique? Or is it a mute point and forget about the S2000 Unit!??

Thanks,

George

[pittsburghmatt]

George -

I ended up sending the spectrometer unit to OceanOptics and they added a module to it that enabled USB communications.  This allowed for their newer software package (OceanView maybe?) to work with the unit.  At that point, the juice didn't justify the squeeze for my students to integrate the unit to LabVIEW and we moved on.  IIRC, they had an SDK that enabled programmatic interfacing with the unit -- one could likely build-up a lavbiew interface if you have the USB-interface modification.  If, for some reason, you are desperate to use the S200 

Cheers,

Matt

[Ducatidragon916]

matt,

Thanks for the information. I think i am going to test the signals going in and out of the circuit board and configure a usb output to hook up to the pc via  a pic chip programmed etc. If not put my own linear ccd and create my own microcontroller driver to send to a pc etc. Not sure when as i have a plate full of other projects to hit etc.

Thanks!

George