Nano-Route^®3D

Mad City Labs’ Nano-Route^®3D is a LabVIEW based motion control and data acquisition program that allows users to command our USB-enabled Nano-Drive^® controllers. Upon start-up Nano-Route^®3D identifies the attributes of the attached Nano-Drive^® controller, the user then has the option to generate and run routes based on preloaded parameters or custom entered parameters. This capability allows both novice and experienced users to quickly generate customized motion control, including complex multi-axis routes. Routes can be generated via simple “go to” commands or more sophisticated point or time based functions. Motion commands to the Nano-Drive^® controller can be issued via single write mode or waveform acquisition mode (single download of all data points) depending on application requirements. A graphical display previews the generated command route and may be edited prior to the route being run. During execution of a route, Nano-Route^®3D retains the ADC (sensor), and DAC (command) data retrieved from the Nano-Drive^® controller. This information is displayed graphically in a separate window. The graphical representation can be customized and the information exported for analysis.

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Features

Easy to use graphical interface for both novice and experienced users
Live position tracking
Point and time based function paths
Complex multi-axis route creation
Control over pixel, line and frame clocks to facilitate complex path creation.
Route preview window
Graphical display of executed route (commanded and actual).
Position information fully exportable
LabVIEW compatible. Can be used “as is” or expanded by additional user generated programming.

LabVIEW - examples and tutorials

Sinewave generator vi is created in the LabVIEW tutorial.

National Instruments’ LabVIEW is an established graphical programming language specifically designed for scientific measurement and control applications. Mad City Labs’ USB computer interfaces are LabVIEW compatible and come with examples which illustrate the operation of nanopositioning stages under computer control. Often, the LabVIEW examples are enough to allow experienced programmers to move ahead into more complex control schemes for specific nanopositioning applications. First time and infrequent users of LabVIEW will find Mad City Labs’ LabVIEW Tutorial a very helpful resource to quickly understand the essential concepts and start creating useful control software. Both the LabVIEW examples and tutorial are provided free of charge with every USB enabled nanopositioning system. Mad City Labs’ programmers are available to write custom LabVIEW vi’s for specific applications. Contact our sales engineers to discuss the technical requirements of your ideal nanopositioning control software.

ImageJVI

Are you a researcher grappling with multiple hardware and image processing software packages? One frequently asked question is "How can I make your hardware talk to our imaging software?". Mad City Labs has developed a plug-in for ImageJ that allows ImageJ to run LabVIEW VI's within the ImageJ environment. This allows users to unify their image acquisition and processing with any LabVIEW VI. Mad City Labs microstages and nanopositioning systems are shipped with our LabVIEW based software, Nano-Route3D^®. With the ImageJVI plugin, users will be able to unify Nano-Route3D^® (or any LabVIEW VI) and image acquistion. As part of Mad CIty Labs continuing committment to providing microscopy solutions for researchers, ImageJVI is offered as a FREE download. Users are encouraged to email their feedback via the website. Download your free copy of ImageJVI at ImageJVI.org.

Metamorph

Confocal image of cortical microtubules in Arabidopsis cells.

Molecular Devices’ MetaMorph is an industry standard software package for microscope automation and image analysis. MetaMorph provides direct control of Mad City Labs’ nanopositioning stages using Mad City Labs’ digital USB computer interface in addition to the standard analog control signals. MetaMorph integrates high resolution nanopositioning with image acquisition and analysis. Direct programming control of the nanopositioning stage is handled in MetaMorph - making knowledge of specific nanopositioning control commands unnecessary.

Confocal image of cortical microtubules in Arabidopsis cells. Image courtesy of Dr. Sidney L. Shaw, IUB Light Microscopy Imaging Center

Image-Pro with Scope-Pro

Confocal image of pancreatic islet cell.

MediaCybernetics’ Scope-Pro microscope control module works within the Image-Pro family of image acquistion and analysis software to form an integrated microscopy software package. Scope-Pro directly controls Mad City Labs nanopositioning systems through standard analog control signals as well as the optional Nano- Drive^® USB digital computer interfaces.

Confocal image of pancreatic islet cell. Image courtesy of Dr. David Piston and Dr. Steven Head, Vanderbilt University

μManager with ImageJ

μManager is a widely accepted open source software package for controlling microscopes and for image acquisition. μManager combined with ImageJ, a popular open source image processing and analysis package, forms a powerful and adaptable research tool with an active community of users. Mad City Labs contributed adapters (specialized control software) to μManager to provide direct control of Mad City Labs nanopositioning and micropositioning stages. All software can be downloaded directly from the μManager and ImageJ websites:
http://www.micro-manager.org/
http://rsbweb.nih.gov/ij/

Slidebook 5.0

Intelligent Imaging Innovations (3i) latest digital microscopy software, Slidebook 5.0, provides analog motion control signals for single axis and XY-axis nanopositioning systems.