The Lambda SC
is a full-featured microprocessor controlled shutter driver for the SmartShutter™.
It supports the same shutter command set used for our other Lambda controllers
and offers enhanced performance through additional modes of operation. The
additional operating modes allow programmable control over the exposure
time, and the delay between trigger and shutter opening.
In the Lambda 10 family of filter wheel controllers, shutter timing is controlled
directly by the time of occurrence of commands or TTL input. In most cases,
the system software used with these controllers has provisions for controlling
the timing of the shutter. The Lambda SC shutter controller
may be used in applications that would benefit from enhanced control options
built into the controller. The controller can operated remotely from a computer
through the USB port, or opened and closed using a logic level input.
In the free running mode, the shutter will open and close repeatedly. The
time between closing and reopening can either be directly timed, or set
as an interval for the entire cycle. Delay and exposure intervals can be
set by the user for up to 5 hours with millisecond resolution. This mode
can be set to continuously run or loop for a specific number of cycles.
The mode is initiated from power up, or a trigger pulse, and can be interrupted
by using a stop command.
Because our patented SmartShutter incorporates
a microprocessor controlled motor/wiper design, the trajectory of each move
can be controlled and the motion of the blade optimized for speed or for
smoothness. When speed is the most important condition, the user can select
the fast mode. If the modest amount of vibration in the fast mode is objectionable
and speed is not important, the “soft” mode can be selected,
moving the blade slower through the overall travel.
The neutral density mode results in a partial opening of the SmartShutter.
Any one of the 144 steps from a fully closed to fully open can be selected.
Using this variable aperture opening along with a liquid light guide acts
to spatially homogenize the light to produce a uniform spatial illumination
that’s independent of the geometry of the input illumination.
