The BeamGage systems and M2-200s systems are separate and the cameras with them are not interchangeable. However, the cameras with M2-200s systems are licensed for BeamGage Standard as an added benefit since the M2-200s is specifically limited to only M2 measurement. That way, further analysis can be performed using the camera with an M2 system, which is not provided only in the M2 software.
Beam Profiler FAQ’s
EOL products
The Ophir-Spiricon software products that are compatible with Windows Vista and Windows 7 are outlined below. Also outlined below are the cameras and associated hardware that are compatible with Windows Vista and Windows 7 32 and 64 bit.
Product | Software Version | 32 bit compatibility | 64 bit compatibility |
BeamGage (S, P, & E) | V 5.0 | Yes | V 5.4* |
ModeCheck | V 5.0 | Yes | No |
LBA-USB | V 4.83 | Yes | V 4.88* |
LBA-FW | V 4.83 | Yes | V 4.91* |
LBA-PC | V 4.18 | Yes | V 4.26* |
M2-200 | V 4.58 | Yes | V 4.61* |
M2-200-FW | V 4.70 | Yes | V 4.75* |
Pyrocam III | V 1.89 | Yes | V 1.93 |
BeamStar | V 1.52 | Yes | No |
*The software will install and function, but the camera may not unless there are updated 64 bit drivers also installed.
Product | 32 bit compatibility | 64 bit compatibility |
GRAS20/SCOR20 | Yes | No |
SP620U/SP503U | Yes | Yes BeamGage only |
Pyrocam III | Yes | BeamGage 5.4 and Pyrocam III Control Console 1.93 |
XEVA | Yes | No |
LW11058/LW230 | Yes LBA Pending BeamGage | Pending BeamGage only |
Frame Grabber Cards | Yes | No |
M2Motor Controller | Yes | No |
Usually this is because the camera has not been connected correctly. On desktop computers power can be pulled directly over the 6 pin to 6 pin FireWire cable. On laptops, you must use the supplied "Y" power adapter cable. The 6 pin to 6 pin FireWire cable must connect into the back of the camera and then connect into the female connection on the "Y" power adapter cable. Then the male connection of the "Y" power adapter cable is plugged into the laptop computer card. The same configuration is used for laptop computers that have built in IEEE 1394 except the 6 pin to 4 pin connector is used instead of the laptop adapter card. The round power connection must also be connected for the camera to show up in the camera list.
The GeviCam is a GigE camera which allows the camera to communicate with BeamGage through cables up to 100 meters long.
No. The LBA-100A is no longer provided. A trade-in allowance is provided for users who wish to trade-in an LBA-100A towards an LBA, BeamStar, or BeamGage system.
When using Ophir’s ModeScan 1780, it is important to use the right lens in the proper location to get the most accurate results. To this end, you should download the ModeScan 1780 Calculator (an excel workbook) to calculate the optimal lens placement given your laser parameters. You can also download our Calculator Guide for step-by-step instructions on using this calculator, as well as more detailed background information on the subject.
This link will help you understand some of the requirements for using the 1780. In addition see the "Superfast M2 Laser Measurement" video under the Videos tab above which explains some of the setup requirements.
Yes, depending on the camera. If it's USB or FireWire, it will only require a license key that may or may not need to be purchased depending on when you ordered the camera. The only USB cameras that will not work with BeamGage are the rare LBA-USB-L230, L130, or L070 cameras. If you camera uses a frame grabber card it will not work with BeamGage. BeamGage will not support the legacy frame grabber cards.
There are two different models of the LD8900 Goniometric Radiometer (far-field profiler), the LD8900 and LD8900R. The former is an 8-bit system and the latter a 16-bit and they have different controller cards and software. If you have both systems in your facility be sure that you are loading the correct software type for the instrument you are trying to operate. Mixing either the software or the controller PCBs for these will result in this non-performance symptom. Make sure that you get the correct software for your system—16-bit LD8900R for the LD8900R or 8-bit LD8900 for the LD8900.
Currently the 1780 is only supported on operating systems up to Windows 7 32-bit and 64-bit.
Yes, you will still be able to use your FireWire or USB Ophir-Spiricon camera with the latest version of LBA and BeamStar after upgrading to BeamGage.
No, the built in photodiode detector is a Si detector and does not have response at the 1550nm wavelength.
The 1780 is designed to provide an instant M2 value with no moving parts, making it possible to get an M2 value from a single shot of a laser, or to get instant feedback on M2 values while tuning a laser. This makes the 1780 great for applications where you need to quickly verify the performance of similar lasers.
The first and most common of these have to do with the operator entering the wrong wavelength value. In this case the results are often well below 1, in the .8-.9 range. The second most common cause for results <1 is due to nominal accuracy tolerances. These are normal and expected. With a 5% M² tolerance results from ~.95 to ~1.05 are very possible. Averaging runs will normally return a mean value to something > than 1, but not always.
This C-mount Standard camera has a sensor depth from the front of the camera to the sensor of 17.5mm.
The LBA-PC system was discontinued in 2010. We no longer provide support for LBA-PC systems. If you are in need of a new camera beam profiler, we do have a variety of BeamGage camera systems to meet your requirements.
Before allowing laser energy to enter the instrument, it is important to limit the beam intensity. Excessive laser energy may cause damage to the camera or the internal components of the M² optical train.
Typically, a CCD camera imager can be damaged at energy levels in excess of 1 mJ/cm² or at power levels greater than .15 mW/cm². Adjust these input limits downward based on the likely focused spot size resulting from your M² lens focal length. Beam splitters and/or filters may be used to attenuate the beam, but care must be used to prevent the introduction of distortions.
During an M2 measurement operation, the peak energy density that reaches the camera will change, potentially over several orders of magnitude. This is a result of the camera effectively moving from a larger unfocused spot near the lens, into and through the focus at the waist, and then out again to an unfocused spot (see Figure 21 on page 91). The optical train will automatically adjust to accommodate these changes in beam intensity, so long as you, the operator, have prudently selected the initial beam intensity. Thus, it is your responsibility to attenuate the laser sufficiently to operate within the safe dynamic range of the M²-200s system.
The saturation intensity for the GeviCam is .3µW/cm2
Follow this link and input your laser parameters and you can calculate the your power density.
The SP503U and SP620U cameras are end-of-life. We continue to certify these cameras; however repair of these cameras will no longer be available by the end of 2018.
Ophir-Spiricon LLC would like to thank its customers for the support of our long standing product the M2-200. In an effort to deliver state-of-the-art and high performance products we have decided to discontinue the M2-200 (Long Train) product. We have replaced it with the M2-200S (Short Train) product which offers faster M2 results in a more compact package. In an effort to allow customers to put in a last order for the M2-200 (Long Train) products we will continue to accept orders until July 1st, 2011. Our M2-200S product will continue to be available after that time.
The M2-200 will continue to be supported for repairs and calibrations through our customer service department. customerservice@us.ophiropt.com
The spec is given in +/-5% of the mean measurement and is a P-P value.
17 Frames/second
The effective frame rates listed in BeamGage specification sheets are the maximum rates typically achievable in actual use. Frame buffering, image processing techniques, graphical displays, and mathematical computation all add degrees of overhead to achieving higher frame rates. This can be further limited by the available PC hardware. BeamGage features two modes, Frame Priority and Results Priority, which change how the system balances the work. Results Priority acquires a frame, performs any enabled image processing, performs all calculations and updates the graphical displays before accepting another frame from the camera. This mode is most useful when a temporal sequence of frames is not necessary and should always be enabled when logging. Frame Priority mode will allow the calculations and graphical display updates to be interrupted if another frame is ready from the camera before those operations are complete. This can be useful when collecting all frames at the maximum camera frame rate is necessary.
Please check your computer operating system. Currently our software is only compatible with Windows XP, and Windows 7 32 bit or 64 bit. If you are installing on Windows 8, 8.1, or 10, we do not have drivers for these operating systems yet. We are working to release an updated application with updated drivers that will support Windows 10. Please check our web site for an updated version of the M2-200s software. If you are using one of the supported operating systems, than the driver for the motor controller probably did not install correctly. Please contact our Service Department at service@us.ophiropt.com for instructions on how to reinstall the motor controller for your specific operating system.
44μm - 5.3mm
The accurate beam size minimum is derived by the pixel size of the camera. In order to get an accurate measurement, there must be enough coverage of pixels to ensure that illuminating another pixel will not over exaggerate the beam size.
Follow this link to find out more.
Data provided by a customer: "We only have a gauge that goes down to 10 mTorr. So it works at least to that level, but the vacuum was probably lower".
It is NOT recommended to interchange the lenses between units. The M2-200s lenses are unique and serialized for the particular M2-200s unit they are provided with. Each lens includes calibration information for the Effective Focal Length and Back Focal Length that are entered into the specific serialized configuration files for each M2-200s. If lenses are interchanged between units, accuracy can be degraded. If lenses are lost or broken, we can replace them. If specific configuration files are lost, we do keep backup copies of them and can email them to you.
The initial release of the SP503U and SP620U cameras did not have the ROI feature enabled. Those cameras that do not have the ROI feature enabled will need to be returned for upgrading both hardware and firmware, and the latest version of software will need to be installed, which is available at;
https://www.ophiropt.com/laser-measurement-instruments/beam-profilers/se...