µAligna Manual
4 Basic Operation
4.1 Using the Kangoo Software
The alignment of the parameters of a µAligna system is most easily done with the supplied software
package Kangoo. Since the µAligna device is controlled by plain-text commands, it can be config-
ured with any control software like LabView, TestPoint, or other programs written in VisualBasic,
C++,C#, etc. However, to become acquainted with the system it is highly recommended to use Kan-
goo and benefit from the multitude of built-in functions and algorithms specifically targeted at laser
beam stabilization using µAligna. Note that the Kangoo software and the configurations applicable
to pointing stabilization are compatible with both the µAligna and the more extensive Aligna system.
Kangoo is a comprehensive measurement and controlling software system, which can be adapted
to control completely different applications (Controlling a µAligna or Aligna system is just one of
a long list). A detailed description of Kangoo’s functionalities can be found in Appendix B. Here,
only a short guide of the software’s basic use is given.
4.1.1 Configuration “Aligna User Menu”
The configuration Aligna / BeamLock Menu leads to different user configurations. A short explana-
tion of each button and the corresponding configuration is given in the status line when the mouse
pointer hovers over the respective button. Some of the individual configurations will be described
in following sub-chapters.
BeamLock Basic Use: General use of µAligna or Aligna systems or even PSD systems (without
actuator control or servo loops)
measure OCL Matrix: This configuration is used to teach the system the optical setup and to
tune the regulator performance.
Gray buttons are pointing to a configuration which is not enabled with your software or
hardware version.
4.1.2 Configuration “BeamLock Basic”
BeamLock Basic is the main configuration for controlling the µAligna system. It provides access to
the most commonly used functionalities while retaining enough simplicity for everyday use. The most
important section is the “PSD input” section in the top-lefthand corner. It displays the intensity
of the two PSD-detector chips on two bar-indicators and the current beam pointing in the large
oscilloscope screen. Here, the red color represents the angle detector and green corresponds to
the position detector. The “active” LED allows the user to disable requests of the current beam
pointing. During normal operation, these should always be active. Below that LED, the “zoom”
factor scales the oscilloscope display. Set this to 10 in order to see the full range of the PSD signals.
Zoom in to see small beam movements or pointing fluctuations. The current beam pointing is
displayed as digital numbers on the right, in the section “phys. units”.
The section “PSD” controls settings inside the PSD detector. In particular, each PSD chip has a gain
and electronic offsets associated with it. The gain allows the system to accommodate different laser
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