Q: What does the driver kit include?

A: The 8742-4-KIT includes the 4-axis 8742 driver, a power supply, and a Micro USB cable to connect to the computer. The 8742-8-KIT and the 8742-12-KIT, contain two and three drivers, respectively, which can drive up to 8 or 12 Picomotor axes, respectively. These kits additionally come with stacking plates, cables to create a communication network between the drivers, and cables to power all the drivers from one power supply.

Q: Do I need multiple power supplies to power multiple drivers?

A: No. You can purchase a single power supply (8745-PS) and a power connection cable (8745-PWR-CBL) to power both devices. Up to 3 devices can be powered from a single power supply by purchasing additional power connection cables.

Q: Why won’t the connector on my Picomotor mount fit in the driver?

A: If you have a three axis mirror mount (8806, 8808, 8809, 8812, 885X, 8051), you need an 8725 adaptor cable to connect to the driver. If you have the multi-axis kinematic stages (8071, 8081, 8082, 8095), you need two 8725 adaptor cables to connect to the driver(s).

Q: Can I run two axes from my Picomotor simultaneously?

A: No. You would need two drivers to run two axes simultaneously. Picomotor drivers can interface with four Picomotors, but they can only move one Picomotor at a time due to power constraints.

Q: Do I have to run the Picomotor from my computer?

A: No. You can also purchase the 8758 Handpad, which connects directly to the driver and allows you to control the Picomotors.

Q: What computer requirements are there to run my Picomotor from my computer?

A: Our driver can connect to the computer via Ethernet or USB. To run our software or use our USB drivers you would need a Windows computer. The Ethernet connection may be used with any operating system. For those who would like to write their own software to control the device, we provide sample C# and LabVIEW programs along with command libraries that can be used in many programming environments.