Power Meters FAQ's

PC Interfaces

USB

What is the difference between the StarCom and StarLab PC applications?

06/09/14

StarCom is our legacy PC application which connects via RS232 (not USB), for old Ophir instruments having RS232 interface capability (Vega, Nova II, LaserStar and Nova). It performs all basic functions such as real-time data logging, saving data in PC file, off-line data viewing, printing, etc. For a relatively new computer, you'd have to check that it has a serial port to which to connect the meter. The last release of StarCom was in 2008, with all that this implies. StarCom should nevertheless be able to work on a Win7 32 bit PC. More information, including software download, is available at https://www.ophiropt.com/laser-measurement-instruments/laser-power-energy-meters/software/starcom.

 

StarLab is our full-featured PC application that connects via USB to all Ophir USB-speaking instruments (Centauri, StarBright, StarLite, Vega and Nova II meters, as well as Juno, Juno+, EA-1, Pulsar and the Bluetooth-enabled Quasar PC interfaces). In addition to all basic measurement and data logging functions, it also offers a wide range of special functions (including user-defined mathematical functions), multi-channel operation, COM Object for integration with external systems, etc. More information, and software download, is available at https://www.ophiropt.com/en/laser-measurement-instruments/laser-power-energy-meters/software/starlab.

What is the maximum number of sensors that can be connected via USB to one PC?

06/09/14

In theory USB supports up to 127 devices.
We recently had 12 sensors connected to StarLab, and it worked normally. The practical limitation is basically how many channels you can realistically see on the display (which would not be a limitation if you will only be logging the data), and of course the number of available USB ports/hubs.

How can I control Ophir USB speaking devices from the PC?

06/09/14

All USB speaking devices (EA-1, Juno, Juno+, Pulsar and USBI as well as the StarBright, Centauri, Vega, Nova-II, and StarLite Power and Energy Meters) can be controlled via our StarLab. This provides full remote control and measurement capabilities. In addition, system integrators can make use of the OphirLMMeasurement COM object for all of our USB speaking devices that are included in the application installation. Documentation and Examples in Visual Basic, LabVIEW are found in the "Automation Examples" sub-directory of your StarLab directory.

How fast can I measure a pyro sensor with the Pulsar and USB Interface using the analog output?

05/27/15

The Analog output for Pyro sensor can measure up to 10 Hz. Therefore if you want to measure at a higher frequency (up to the maximum frequency of the sensor), you can connect the Scope Adapter for Pyro sensor (Ophir P/N 1Z11012). This adapter provide a BNC output to scope to see every pulse up to the maximum sensor frequency. Note: The Pulsar device is not equipped with an analog output

What is StarLab laser measurement software?

05/27/15

This software package is free, and when combined with our USB-capable meters such as Vega or Nova II, or our USB based PC interfaces such as Juno, Pulsar and USBI, it is the ultimate in live data viewing, collection and analysis of laser power and energy measurements. 
StarLab is a standalone software package that is very modular. Use it with up to 8 instruments or PC Interfaces to display and collect data from all 8 simultaneously. You can perform math functions like A/B, A-B, A+B, or A*B. Display all on one coordinate system with a different color for each, or split them into several windows. View data in line, bar graph, histogram, or use our simulated analog meter with or without hysteresis. Get live statistics like min, max, average, and std. dev., or select batch size for stats. There's more:

  • Measure power and/or energy density , based on user defined beam size.
  • Time-synched multi-channel logs to a single log file for later review.
  • COM Object for system integrators including in LabVIEW.

If you have one of our instruments with USB or our USB interfaces, download it for free and try it out. If you don't have one of our instruments or USB interfaces contact us, and set up a free demonstration in your lab or production floor. You can download it from this page.

Why upgrade to StarLab 3 laser measurement software? (And when not to upgrade?)

05/27/15

The big difference between StarLab 3.40 and 3.31 is the enhanced support for our new Centauri dual channel meter. (Go download it free now and you'll see what I mean.) There are two other major improvements that I should mention:

  • Added Low freq Power (Aka VCSEL) support for: Centauri, StarBright, Juno, Juno + and EA-1
  • Added Power from Pulse support for Centauri, StarBright, Juno and Juno +

Find out more (and download StarLab) on the product page.

Do I need to uninstall Previous releases of StarLab when upgrading to the newest StarLab?

05/27/15

When installing StarLab, there is usually no need to uninstall or delete Previous StarLab releases, although it might be best in order to avoid confusion between the StarLab versions, and to keep the PC clean and tidy.

 

If you'd like to uninstall the old version, it's best to do so before installing the new StarLab release. If you uninstall a previous release of StarLab, after installing the new StarLab, you might need to re-register the drivers (and COM object if using it) via "Registration" under the StarLab options menu gear:

Note:
Uninstalling previous releases of StarLab will remove the files and folder names created when the previous StarLab was originally installed, but will leave/preserve other files and folders with other names created by the user (such as log files or COM automation code files) even if left in the previous StarLab folders, as long as the files were saved under a name other than the original demo codes we supplied.

When logging data to a file for a specific period using StarLab, the displayed statistics (Avg., Std. Dev., etc.) continue to update with new added data, even after the logging period is over. This makes it difficult to write down the correct numbers for the specified time period before they've changed, and leaves me needing to run a script of the data file to get the numbers right. Is there a way to make the display stop updating at the end of the logging period?

05/27/15

In the main menu, select Options>>Preferences>>logging, and enable the "Open Log Viewer Automatically" check box.

Logging data from multiple sensors: How “in synch” are the time stamps?

10/31/16

Sometimes an application requires logging power from multiple power sensors, and being able to compare readings from the different sensors; in such cases, it is necessary to know to what degree the time points of each “channel” are in synch with each other.

Possible solutions would be to use a 2-channel Pulsar, or for example 2 Juno/Juno+.

With Ophir power sensors, the logged data timestamps originate from the PC, with millisecond resolution, for both Pulsar’s and Juno/Juno+.

So basically there is no difference between a Pulsar and a Juno/Juno+ in that respect. They will perform the same.

Each measurement will have its own separate timestamp, and will not have the exact same zero point; however, they will be ‘synced’ to each other to within a millisecond or so. Keep in mind that with power measurements, the instrument’s A/D sampling rate of the power signal is 15Hz (i.e. every 66.67 msec), so for all practical purposes the 2 channels can be considered in synch with each other.