Description of device driver software development

This is an overview of the computer controllable devices within the programmable microscope system.


The RS-232 interfaces required vendor specific adaptation/programming of the (ASCII) interface protocols, see table below for device-specific manuals.

The Andor EMCCD camera connects via a camera-link interface to a frame grabber board inside the host PC where a device driver (see Andor SDK) controls acquisition.

Magnetic valves inside the fluidic-microwell interface switched directly by the parallel printer port interface of the host PC.


For time critical tasks where the RS-232 interfaces are to slow or have too much latency like synchronization of image acquisition with laser switching or z-stepping TTL and I²C-bus interfaces were used. They directly connect to the bio@fox internal FPGA which perform in the required time. This FPGA further controls the A/D-converter for temperature measurement (pt1000) and the power H-bridges (pulse width modulated) which drive the peltier elements. A PID controller using this for temperature regulation of the ChµP is realized as a linux device driver inside the bio@fox board.




Device type of interface    controlled by


XYZ well controller  RS232           host

2 TSE syringe pumps  RS232           host

2 8-port 2-pos. valves                  RS232           host

Laser 561nm                             RS232           host

AOTF controller  RS232           host

(4 x modulation and 
1 x blanking input)
AOTF- amplitude modulator               I2C             bio@fox

EMCCD camera Andor                      camera link     host

2-Position Valves                       Parallelport    host

2 MMT pumps (MDSP3f)  RS232           bio@fox

H101 xy-stage, HF108 filter wheel  RS232           bio@fox

Piezo z-stage E-665 Controller  RS232           bio@fox

Piezo z-stage trigger                   TTL             bio@fox
Peltier elements                        PWM             bio@fox
Up to 3 x cooling & heating of ChµP
Temperature sensors                     AD-converter    bio@fox
(up to 3 PT1000 sensors)
Camera sync                             TTL             bio@fox
(synchronize AOTF and Z-stage 
with image aquisition
ChµP (FPGA interface)                   LvTTL           bio@fox



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