Zaber Technologies, a manufacturer of precision positioning devices, has introduced two new additions to its product offering: The ASR Series motorized XY microscope stage, and the A-MCB2 Series stepper motor controller.

The ASR microscope stage is designed to replace manual stages on upright and inverted microscopes. These stages can be used with many common microscopes such as Leica, Nikon, Olympus, and Zeiss, or for stand-alone operation as scanning stages. Their low profile and flatness make them suitable for many applications and allow them to be incorporated into many different types of systems. The ASR is available with the following standard features:

• 100 x 120 mm travel with 0.15 µm resolution
• 12 µm full travel accuracy and 2 µm repeatability
• Low profile: 42 mm overall height
• Crossed roller bearings on hardened stainless steel rails for smooth movement
• Easily adjustable non-contact hall sensor limit switches
• 85 mm/s maximum speed

The A-MCB2 controller is a stepper motor controller capable of driving up to two axes of bipolar stepper motors or actuators, up to 2.5 A/phase. An intuitive ASCII interface allows the user to easily communicate with the device through Zaber Console, Zaber’s free software, as well as third party terminal programs. Consistent syntax makes it easy to program and script for the A-MCB2, and an event-driven trigger system allows the device to be programmed for stand-alone operation based on I/O, time, or movement stimuli.

The A-MCB2 controller can be used for stepper motor control of many other Zaber devices, including the ASR stage. Pairing the ASR stage with the A-MCB2 controller and Zaber’s software allows users to easily control the speed and position of the unit, adjust device settings, and write custom scripts for automation tasks. For LabVIEW users, Zaber also offers a free LabVIEW certified driver.