Manuals/Vacuum Compatibility Notes
Zaber's vacuum compatible devices are identical in appearance and function to their non-vacuum compatible counterparts with only a few exceptions as noted below.
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Pressure levels
Our vacuum products are operational down to <math>10^{-6}</math> Torr; however, we have not done extensive research on the outgassing of the devices. While many customers have used them in the past without issues, we do not recommend them if your application is very sensitive to outgassing.
Vacuum Compatible Motor
Zaber's standard products do not come with a vacuum compatible motor. A vacuum compatible motor is available for many of our products and can replace the standard motor in vacuum applications.
Lubrication
All lubricated interfaces (motor bearings, leadscrews, leadnuts, etc) are greased using a silicon based vacuum compatible lubricating gel (NyeTorr 5300, vapor pressure ≈ 5×10<math>^{-9}</math> Torr at 25°C). Every effort is made to remove all traces of any original greases (some components arrive pre-greased by the manufacturer) but for best results, degassing is recommended before use in the final application.
NyeTorr 5300 Lubricant Specs (PDF)
De-anodizing
Most of Zaber's products are constructed with anodized aluminum. The coating can trap air within the surface and be an issue for some applications. Zaber can supply non-anodized units for most of our products on request.
Power
No power connectors are provided on vacuum compatible devices. Power must be supplied through the data cable lines.
Data cable extensions
Vacuum compatible devices use the same mini-din cable extensions as standard (non-vacuum compatible) devices, however, the cable jacket is stripped back to the connectors to expose the individual wires. The mini-din connectors are left attached to facilitate easy testing. After initial testing, the wires can be cut and spliced to a feed-through on the vacuum chamber. Communication lines can be wired back to the appropriate mini-din connector outside the vacuum chamber. Power lines can be wired to any appropriate power supply. See the table below for pinouts. If there are multiple devices inside the vacuum chamber they may be connected using the attached mini-din connectors, or for improved vacuum compatibility, the connectors may be removed and the communications and power wires may be permanently wired together. The following table shows the data cable pinouts:
Data cable wiring diagram
| Pin# | Minidin 6 Female (to next device) |
Minidin 6 Male (to previous device) |
Color Set 1 | Color Set 2 |
|---|---|---|---|---|
|
|
|
|
|
| 1 | - | - | - | - |
| 2 | Receive (from next device) | Transmit (toward computer) | Red | Brown |
| 3 | Ground | Ground | Orange | Red |
| 4 | +12-16 Vdc * | +12-16 Vdc * | Yellow | Orange |
| 5 | - | - | - | - |
| 6 | Transmit (to next device) | Receive (from computer) | Black | Green |
| nc | - | - | Brown, Green | Black, Yellow |
| * T-Series 12-16V devices only (all T-series devices, except T-LSQ, T-LST, T-MCA) | ||||
Note that multiple color sets are shown in the table above because multiple cable suppliers have been used over the years, each implementing different color codes. As of January 2008 most cables use color set 2. Rather than relying on this table, it is recommended that users perform a continuity test to determine which wires are connected to which pins on their own device.
To connect a Zaber device to a computer serial port requires a T-DSUB9 adaptor. It looks similar to an old PS/2 serial mouse adaptor, but it has different wiring.
