Optical Filter Changer Sutter Lambda 10-2

Researchers that need to use the Lambda 10-2 should do so if their applications cannot tolerate electrical noise. Only DC voltages are available on the motor windings when the wheels are not in motion thanks to the controller's low-noise linear electronics.

The Lambda 10-2 has the capacity to independently control up to two Uniblitz® shutters and filter wheels. The Lambda 10-2 is ideally suited for research applications in fluorescence microscopy, ratio imaging, spectrophotometry, and visual physiology thanks to its dependable, fluid operation.

Three embedded chips—one for each wheel and a master for communication and control—are the foundation of the controller electronics.

The housing of the Lambda 10-2 system has an access port that makes it simple to load up to ten optical filters, each measuring 25 mm in diameter and up to 9 mm thick. At two other points in the optical path, extra filters (like heat and/or neutral density filters) can be manually introduced. Internally threaded as C-mounts are the optical ports on either side of the device (32 threads per inch). The center of the optical port can be placed anywhere between 11 cm and 53 cm above the mounting surface when installed upright. For inverted arrangements, slide-in filter holders are an option. No extra mechanical or electronic modifications are required to accommodate the addition of a second wheel to the system.

There are eight user-selectable speeds available. Depending on how many and how much weight there is in the filters mounted in the wheel, the filter to neighboring filter time can be adjusted from 55 to 1200msec. The optional shutter will open in 10 ms due to integral shutter drivers. The fastest movements for a given inertial load are guaranteed while minimizing vibrations thanks to the use of a direct drive stepper-motor with innovative microstepping technology.

The Lambda 10-2 includes a 10-position filter wheel, a rack mountable controller, a support base and mounting rods, a controller/filter wheel interface cable, parallel and serial interface cables, two drop-in filter holders, a spanner wrench, and an instruction booklet. You may buy separate microscope adapters for the majority of Nikon, Olympus, Zeiss, and Leica scopes.

For applications requiring complete vibration isolation and/or homogeneous spatial lighting, a liquid light guide output is an optional alternative. The two-meter-long guide attaches directly to the wheel's output port. From 375nm to 575nm, transmission via the guide is better than 70%. There are adapters available as an alternative to attach the light guide to your microscope port.

OTHER MODELS

The Lambda 10-232 was created to solve the vignetting issue that may arise with a 25mm filter configuration in some microscope systems. The system has a modified Lambda 10-2 controller, but it also has a ten-position wheel that can handle filters up to 32mm in diameter and 9mm thick. This system's fastest filter to neighboring filter switching time is 75 msec. The system comes with an optional shutter. The wheel is mounted to your microscope in T-mount style. For details on the T-mount adapters that are available, consult with Sutter Instrument.

OEM WHEELS

The Lambda 10-2 can easily be adapted for OEM applications to match your unique requirements. We may offer a cost-effective solution to your OEM design standard by using the 10-2 controller to drive customized wheels. The manufacturer has created custom 2, 3, 4, 5, 10, and 12 position wheels as well as 50mm, 32, and 25mm filter designs up to this point. If you have any particular application needs, our technical experts will be pleased to discuss these with you.

IMPROVING FILTER SWITCHING TIMES WITH A LARGE NUMBER OF FILTERS

Fast changeover of a lightly laden wheel has long been a priority for the Sutter filter wheel systems. When more thick filters are placed, the extra bulk necessitates a longer transition time between filters. With filters manufactured on a thin substrate that don't need a thick layer of extra glass to achieve the appropriate blocking, switching times are greatly reduced. Semrock® possesses the necessary coating technology to provide filters with substrates as thin as 2mm.

We went one step further and created a unique threaded ring that Semrock may use in place of their usual plain filter cells. When the conventional filter cups have been removed, filters placed in these rings can be threaded straight into the body of filter wheels. The filter cup and retaining ring typically used to place filters in Sutter wheels weigh more than Semrock filters, which are actually lighter. Therefore, even a fully charged wheel will be able to run at velocities that were previously only possible with just 2 filters fitted. To do this, just remove our filter cups and put the new threaded filters straight in the wheel.

The STR Semrock filters can be purchased directly from Semrock and come in 25mm and 32mm sizes. It is necessary to remove the filter cup from the location where the threaded filter will be mounted if you are mounting these filters in a Sutter wheel that has filter cups. Use the new wrench made specifically for this job while installing the new threaded filters. Ask Sutter for further information.

FEATURES

• 55 milliseconds separate adjacent filters
• Serial and parallel interfaces
• Up to two wheels and two shutters can be controlled simultaneously.
• Dual built-in shutter drivers
• Linear power source

OPTIONS

• Additional wheel
• Built-in shutter
• Dual wheels mounted in series
• Slide-in filter holders
• Microscope mounting adaptors
• Table-top controller box
• Liquid light guide