NPI TC-10 Operating Instructions Manual

SYSTEM DESCRIPTION FOR THE TC-10 TEMPERATURE CONTROL SYSTEM VERSION 3.9 npi 2018 npi electronic GmbH, Bauhofring 16, D-71732 Tamm, Germany Phone +49 (0)7141-9730230; Fax: +49 (0)7141-9730240 [email protected]; http://www.npielectronic.com

________________________________________________________________________________________________________________ ___________________________________________________________________________ version 3.9 page 2 Table of Contents 1. Safety Regulations ............................................................................................................ 3 2. TC-10 Components .......................................................................................................... 4 3. TC-10 System ................................................................................................................... 4 3.1.  System Description ...................................................................................................... 4 3.2.  Description of the Front Panel ..................................................................................... 5 3.3.  Rear Panel Elements .................................................................................................... 10 3.4.  Electronic Control and Protection Circuits .................................................................. 10 3.5.  Modes of Operation ..................................................................................................... 11 3.6.  Setting the DESIRED TEMPERATURE .................................................................... 12 4. Grounding ......................................................................................................................... 12 5. Temperature sensors / Block diagram .............................................................................. 13 5.1.  DIN Connector ............................................................................................................ 13 5.1.  Available sensors ......................................................................................................... 14 5.2.  Block diagram ............................................................................................................. 15 6. Operating Guide – Tuning Procedure............................................................................... 16 6.1.  Operation with HPT-2A Heated Perfusion Tube (discontinued) ................................ 18 7. Literature .......................................................................................................................... 18 8. Technical Data .................................................................................................................. 19

________________________________________________________________________________________________________________ ___________________________________________________________________________ version 3.9 page 3 1. Safety Regulations VERY IMPORTANT: Instruments and components supplied by npi electronic are NOT intended for clinical use or medical purposes (e.g. for diagnosis or treatment of humans), or for any other life-supporting system. npi electronic disclaims any warranties for such purpose. Equipment supplied by npi electronic must be operated only by selected, trained and adequately instructed personnel. For details please consult the GENERAL TERMS OF DELIVERY AND CONDITIONS OF BUSINESS of npi electronic, D-71732 Tamm, Germany. 1) GENERAL: This system is designed for use in scientific laboratories and must be operated by trained staff only. General safety regulations for operating electrical devices should be followed. 2) AC MAINS CONNECTION: While working with the npi systems, always adhere to the appropriate safety measures for handling electronic devices. Before using any device please read manuals and instructions carefully. The device is to be operated only at 115/230 Volt 60/50 Hz AC. Please check for appropriate line voltage before connecting any system to mains. Always use a three-wire line cord and a mains power-plug with a protection contact connected to ground (protective earth). Before opening the cabinet, unplug the instrument. Unplug the instrument when replacing the fuse or changing line voltage. Replace fuse only with an appropriate specified type. 3) STATIC ELECTRICITY: Electronic equipment is sensitive to static discharges. Some devices such as sensor inputs are equipped with very sensitive FET amplifiers, which can be damaged by electrostatic charge and must therefore be handled with care. Electrostatic discharge can be avoided by touching a grounded metal surface when changing or adjusting sensors. Always turn power off when adding or removing modules, connecting or disconnecting sensors, headstages or other components from the instrument or 19” cabinet. 4) TEMPERATURE DRIFT / WARM-UP TIME: All analog electronic systems are sensitive to temperature changes. Therefore, all electronic instruments containing analog circuits should be used only in a warmed-up condition (i.e. after internal temperature has reached steady-state values). In most cases a warm-up period of 20-30 minutes is sufficient. 5) HANDLING: Please protect the device from moisture, heat, radiation and corrosive chemicals.

________________________________________________________________________________________________________________ ___________________________________________________________________________ version 3.9 page 4 2. TC-10 Components The following items are shipped with the TC-10 system:  TC-10 19” cabinet  Power cord  User manual Optional accessories:  Miniature temperature sensor (TS-100)  Subminiature temperature sensor (TS-200) Caution: The temperature sensors are very sensitive to mechanical stress, especially to bending. Therefore, they must be handled with great care to avoid breaking of the insulation!  Recording chamber  HCS heated chamber stage  ALA DIN connector cable assembly  Thermal foil  Objective heater  HPC-G perfusion cube  HPC-2 perfusion cube (low flow rate) 3. TC-10 System 3.1. System Description The TC-10 temperature control system is designed for heating purposes in electrophysiological experiments. The TC-10 system is housed in a 19 inch standard cabinet, with a built-in power supply and cooling elements for the power devices. The TC-10 guarantees low noise operation and has special protection features to prevent the preparation from damage. The TC-10 incorporates two electronic thermometers for small semiconductor sensors (R2252, i.e. the sensor has a resistance of 2252  at 25 °C), two digital temperature displays (XX.X °C), a set-point control with direct readout (XX.X °C), a PI (proportional-integral) controller with adjustable parameters, an output power control unit and a high-power output stage (DC, continuous operation) for resistive (i.e. heat only) loads with electronic protection circuits. The power output is short circuit protected, the output power is limited electronically. Maximal output voltage is approximately 12V, the current is limited to 5A. The system can be connected to the thermistors / heating elements in two ways: Using separate cables for the sensors and the heating element or Using the ALA DIN cable assembly that connects both, sensors and heating elements A large variety of sensors and thermal elements are available (see also Optional accessories in chapter 2). Please contact npi for details.

________________________________________________________________________________________________________________ ___________________________________________________________________________ version 3.9 page 5 3.2. Description of the Front Panel Figure 1: TC-10 front panel view

________________________________________________________________________________________________________________ ___________________________________________________________________________ version 3.9 page 6 In the following description of the front panel elements each element has a number that is related to that in Figure 1. The number is followed by the name (in uppercase letters) written on the front panel and the type of the element (in lowercase letters). Then, a short description of the element is given. (1) DESIRED TEMP./°C potentiometer Digital potentiometer to set the working temperature of the controller system. (2) TEMPERATURE °C A display Digital display to indicate the temperature determined by SENSOR A or the voltage at the POWER OUTPUT connectors (18 / 19). Switch (11) is used to select one of these functions of display A. (3) ALARM LED LED to indicate that temperature SENSOR A (13) is not connected, broken or short-circuited. The POWER OUTPUT (18 / 19) shuts down if this LED is on and the MODE switch (14) is set to SENSOR A. (4) GAIN potentiometer Potentiometer (logarithmic scale) to change the GAIN parameter (amplification of the error signal, see chapter 3.3) of the temperature controller (PI controller), range: 10 to . (5) INTEGRATION potentiometer Potentiometer to set the INTEGRATION parameter (time constant) of the temperature controller (PI controller), time range: 50 ms - 20 s.

________________________________________________________________________________________________________________ ___________________________________________________________________________ version 3.9 page 7 (6) TEMPERATURE °C B display Digital display to indicate the temperature determined by SENSOR B (16). (7) ALARM LED LED to indicate that temperature SENSOR B (16) is not connected, broken or short-circuited. The POWER OUTPUT (18 / 19) shuts down if this LED is on and the MODE switch (14) is set to SENSOR B. (8) LIMITER potentiometer Potentiometer to set the voltage range of the POWER OUTPUT (18 / 19), 100% = 12 Volt. (9) HEAT LED LED that indicates the status of the POWER OUTPUT (18 / 19) (LED on = heating). (10) COMMAND INPUT 10mV/°C connector BNC connector to set the working temperature of the controller system by an external voltage signal. This input is scaled with the factor 10mV / °C.

________________________________________________________________________________________________________________ ___________________________________________________________________________ version 3.9 page 8 (11) SENSOR A / PWR OUT switch (display mode switch) Switch to select the mode of display A (2): SENSOR A (upper position): the temperature determined by SENSOR A (13) is displayed (XX.X °C) PWR OUT ( (lower position): the voltage at the POWER OUTPUT (18 / 19) is displayed. (12) OUTPUT A 10mV/°C connector BNC connector monitoring the temperature determined by SENSOR A (13), sensitivity: 10mV / °C. (13) SENSOR A connector 8-pole connector for temperature SENSOR A. This connector also provides the POWER OUTPUT (18 / 19) for the heating unit (max. 12V DC and 5A) for devices with the DIN connector cable assembly. (e.g. HPC-G, see www.alascience.com). (14) MODE switch Switch to select the operation modes of the TC-10. Four modes are available: SENSOR A: the temperature determined by SENSOR A (13) is used for the control system DIRECT: the voltage at the POWER OUTPUT (18 / 19) can be set directly from the DESIRED TEMPERATURE potentiometer (1) (0-12 V, no control) EXT. SENSOR (EXTERN SENSOR): an external thermometer connected to BNC (15) (sensitivity 1mV/°C) can be used for the controller loop SENSOR B: temperature determined by SENSOR B (16) is used as feedback temperature in the controller loop. (15) EXT. SENSOR 1mV/°C connector BNC connector to connect external thermometer with a voltage output of 1mV/°C (see also (14)).

________________________________________________________________________________________________________________ ___________________________________________________________________________ version 3.9 page 9 (16) SENSOR B connector 8-pole connector for temperature SENSOR B. This connector also provides the POWER OUTPUT (18 / 19) for the heating unit (max. 12V DC and 2.5A) for devices with the DIN connector cable assembly. (e.g. HPT-2A, see www.alascience.com). (17) OUTPUT B 10mV/°C connector BNC connector monitoring the temperature determined by SENSOR B (16), sensitivity: 10mV / °C. (18) / (19) POWER OUTPUT Max. 5A DC connectors Banana jack connectors for the heating unit. This output supplies a maximum voltage of 12V DC and a maximum current of 5A. POWER OUTPUT is also available at the SENSOR A (13) and SENSOR B connectors (16) for devices with the DIN cable assembly. (20) POWER pressure switch Switch to turn POWER on (switch pushed) or off (switch released). (22) Protective earth / (21) GROUND connectors To avoid ground loops the internal ground of the system is floating, i.e. it is not connected to the protective earth of the line cable while the cabinet is always connected via the power supply cable (green / yellow wire). The system can be grounded by connecting plug (21) protective earth or (22) internal ground. (23) SHUTOFF TEMPERATURE label Label indicating the upper SHUTOFF TEMPERATURE (standard is 60 °C). If the sensor measures the indicated temperature or more the POWER OUTPUT is disabled.

________________________________________________________________________________________________________________ ___________________________________________________________________________ version 3.9 page 10 3.3. Rear Panel Elements LINE VOLTAGE SELECTION: The selector for the line voltage and the connector for the power cord are located in a mains connection module on the rear panel of the instrument. Caution: If operated with other line voltage the instrument may be damaged if the wrong line fuse is installed! FUSE: The fuse is also integrated in the mains connection module. The line fuse must be 3.15 A slow (115 V) or 1.6 A slow (230 V). It must be replaced only by specified type (see above). Please disconnect mains power plug before replacing fuse. 3.4. Electronic Control and Protection Circuits CONTROL LOOP The sensor / thermometer, PI-controller, output power stage and heating element form a closed loop control system. The desired temperature signal is compared with the output signal obtained from the thermometer giving an error signal. This signal is amplified in the PI controller and transferred to the output stage where it is converted to a high-power output signal applied to the heating element. ELECTRONIC PROTECTION CIRCUITS Each system is equipped with two protection systems: 1. Sensor inputs: an electronic shut-off function disconnects the output if the sensor is disconnected, broken or short-circuited. 2. Output protection: the output current and voltage are limited electronically. Important: The sensor used for the control must be in good thermal connection with the heating wire, if not, overheating and damage may occur. ALARM circuit The internal thermometer (R2252 sensor) inputs are protected by the sensor alarm circuit (see above). If this thermometer is used as input device for the PI controller, the ALARM circuit disconnects the power output if the sensor is damaged or not connected. This state is indicated by the red ALARM LED. If the DIRECT mode or EXT mode is used the ALARM circuit is disabled. ACCURACY Measuring accuracy of the internal thermometer is 0.1°C, controller accuracy is 0.5°C or better (depending on the amount of heated solution).

________________________________________________________________________________________________________________ ___________________________________________________________________________ version 3.9 page 11 3.5. Modes of Operation The system can be used in the following modes of operation: DIRECT MODE: output voltage is set directly by the DESIRED TEMP. °C control. Internal SENSOR mode: output voltage is controlled by the PI controller using SENSOR A or SENSOR B. EXT. SENSOR mode: output voltage is controlled by the PI controller using an external thermometer. DIRECT mode DIRECT mode (no temperature control): the MODE switch (14, Figure 1) is set to the DIRECT position. The control unit is not active, i.e. the output voltage is preset directly at the DESIRED TEMP. control ((1, Figure 1). With the setting from 000 to 999 the output voltage increases linearly from 0 V to 12 V. The ALARM circuit (see below) is disabled in this mode. The TC-10 is designed with an unipolar output (0-12 Volt DC). If a resistive load is used, the system can be used for heating purposes in all modes (SENSOR and DIRECT). Internal SENSOR mode In this mode the output voltage is controlled by the PI controller (PI [proportional-integral controller system] activated). The temperature signal which is used for the control unit is selected by the MODE switch.  The SENSOR A or SENSOR B position selects one of the internal thermometers (SENSOR A or SENSOR B) which use a small semiconductor sensor. The measured temperature is shown at the respective digital display unit (2 or 6, Figure 1 respectively, XX.X °C).  If no sensor is connected or if the sensor is damaged or short circuited the internal shut- off unit disconnects the power output. This state is indicated by the red ALARM LED (3 or 7, Figure 1 respectively) located just above the sensor connectors. Caution: The temperature sensors are very sensitive to mechanical stress, especially to bending. Therefore, they must be handled with great care to avoid breaking of the insulation! EXT. SENSOR mode This mode can be used to connect an external thermometer. The calibration of the external input (SENS. INPUT BNC, (15, Figure 1)) is 1 mV / °C. If this option is used the internal ALARM circuit is disabled. POWER OUTPUT is always available at POWER OUTPUT, SENSOR A and SENSOR B connectors. Caution: Do not operate heating devices with too much voltage! Refer to the respective manual of the device for maximum voltage allowed, and use the LIMITER (8) when necessary!!

________________________________________________________________________________________________________________ ___________________________________________________________________________ version 3.9 page 12 3.6. Setting the DESIRED TEMPERATURE There are two ways to set the DESIRED TEMPERATURE: 1. The easiest way is to use the digital potentiometer DESIRED TEMP. / °C. The temperature can be set from +03.0 °C to +60.0 °C, resolution: 0.1 °C. If the TC-10 leaves this temperature window the internal shut-off unit disconnects the power output. This could be the case if the sensor is broken or short-circuited. 2. If the user wants to have external control (e.g. with a computer system) the DESIRED TEMPERATURE can be set using the COMMAND INPUT 10mV / °C connector (10, Figure 1). The COMMAND INPUT is scaled 10mV / °C, i.e. +370 mV at this connector would set the DESIRED TEMPERATURE to +37 °C. Important: The set value of the temperature is always the sum of the setting at DESIRED TEMP. / °C potentiometer and the voltage at COMMAND INPUT 10mV / °C connector, i.e. if DESIRED TEMP. / °C is set to +25.0 °C and the voltage at COMMAND INPUT 10mV / °C is +150 mV the temperature will be set to +40 °C !! Figure 5 gives an overview of the operation modes of the TC-10. 4. Grounding To avoid ground loops the internal ground of the system is floating, i.e. it is not connected to the protective earth of the line cable while the cabinet is always connected via the power supply cable (green / yellow wire). The system can be grounded by connecting plug 21, Figure 1 (protective earth) or 22, Figure 1 (internal ground).

________________________________________________________________________________________________________________ ___________________________________________________________________________ version 3.9 page 13 5. Temperature sensors / Block diagram 5.1. DIN Connector Figure 2: How to connect the temperature sensor

________________________________________________________________________________________________________________ ___________________________________________________________________________ version 3.9 page 14 Figure 3: Connector pinout of the DIN connector (pins 1 and 3 are connected internally) 5.1. Available sensors Figure 4: Temperature sensors and cable. The sensors come with a connection cable (TS-CAB, see Figure 4, left) with a DIN connector on one end and two 1 mm connectors on the other end. The DIN connector is for connection to the SENSOR input at the front panel of the temperature controller. The 1 mm connector are for connection of the sensor, which is available as spare part. There are two sensors available: the white TS-100S (Figure 4 right, top) and the dark TS-200S (Figure 4 right, bottom). Important: The TS-100S has a special coating that makes it mechanically stable and waterproof. The TS-200S is optimized for size. Its coating might get leaky after mechanical stress (e.g. bending of the wires). Dimensions: TS-100S: 2.5 mm x 6 mm TS-200S: 0.8 mm x 6 mm

________________________________________________________________________________________________________________ ___________________________________________________________________________ version 3.9 page 15 5.2. Block diagram Figure 5: Block diagram of the TC-10

________________________________________________________________________________________________________________ ___________________________________________________________________________ version 3.9 page 16 6. Operating Guide – Tuning Procedure After unpacking the instrument please check the appropriate voltage at the voltage selector at the back panel. Also check that the sensor used for the control is in good thermal connection with the heating wire. Important: Make sure that the SENSOR or the external SENSOR, respectively, and the heating device that is controlled by this SENSOR are using the same channel. Otherwise the heating device may be damaged due to overheating. In the following it is assumed that you use heating devices delivered by npi or ALA Scientific Instr. with 12V operating voltage. Please follow these instructions step by step to avoid problems in adjusting the instrument.  Turn all potentiometers to the most left position  switch the MODE selector to the position SENSOR A or B depending on which sensor is used as feedback temperature in the controller loop  set the DESIRED TEMPERATURE to e.g. 37 °C  turn on the instrument and wait at least 15 minutes to warm up the instrument. The temperature display should show the actual temperature at the sensor  turn the LIMITER to 100% Note: If you use heating wires with 6V operating voltage turn the LIMITER to 50% to protect the wire from damage. If the difference between the actual and the desired temperature is more than 10 °C the HEAT-LED will light up slightly.  turn the GAIN to the seventh scale mark The actual temperature at the sensor now approaches the desired temperature but will not reach 37 °C, because the control loop is not yet well adjusted. The actual temperature will arrest at 1 to 2 °C below the desired temperature. Please wait until this steady state value is reached. This may last several minutes. If you don’t get a steady state value, set the LIMITER to 80-90% (or 30-40%, respectively) and wait again.

________________________________________________________________________________________________________________ ___________________________________________________________________________ version 3.9 page 17  Now turn on the INTEGRATION and set it approximately to the first scale mark. You will hear a “Click” if the INTEGRATION gets active.  The actual temperature at the sensor will now reach the desired temperature possibly after a small overshoot. Wait again until the steady state value is reached. If this value is not reached set the GAIN to higher levels until - in this example - 35 °C to 35.5 °C is reached.  If the desired temperature is not reached first set the GAIN to a slightly higher level and then – if necessary – raise the INTEGRATION (see Figure 6). Note: The speed of the control circuit (and therefore the time in which the actual temperature reaches the DESIRED TEMPERATURE) is highly dependent on the first settings of GAIN and INTEGRATION. Thus, when beginning to use the TC-10 we recommend to try out several first settings of GAIN and INTEGRATION to find out which settings are best for your experimental conditions. If you use a perfusion system it is recommended to heat the solution approximately to the desired temperature before perfusing the bath either with a heated perfusion tube (HPT-2A, available from npi) or by heating up the supplying bowl. As mentioned above it is very important that the sensor element and the heating element are in good thermal connection. In Figure 6 the time course of temperature regulation of the TC-10 is shown. As resistive load a bulb (12V, 21W) was used. The temperature sensor was fixed directly on the bulb and sensor and bulb were wrapped with foam. Starting temperature was 27,3 °C. Starting conditions were: LIMITER set to 0, GAIN set to 0, INTEGRATION off. Figure 6: Time course of temperature regulation of the TC-10. 1: LIMITER was set to 100%, GAIN was set to the seventh scale mark 2: GAIN was set to the eighth scale mark 3: INTEGRATION was turned on at a low level 25 27 29 31 33 35 37 39 0 100 200 300 400 500 600 700 800 900 1000 temperature (°C) time (s) 1 2 3

________________________________________________________________________________________________________________ ___________________________________________________________________________ version 3.9 page 18 6.1. Operation with HPT-2A Heated Perfusion Tube (discontinued) For use with HPT-2A from ALA please follow these hints.  Always use the LIMITER. Do not set the LIMITER to more than 50% for a longer time, since the HPT-2A will melt if operated at more than 5V. If in doubt, measure the output voltage using a voltmeter.  Do not heat the HPT-2A without flow of solution. See also HPT-2A manual. 7. Literature Kettenmann, H. and R. Grantyn (eds.) Practical Electrophysiological Methods, Wiley-Liss, New York 1992 Froehr, F. and F. Orttenburger Introduction to Electronic Control Engineering, Siemens AG, Berlin and Munich 1982

________________________________________________________________________________________________________________ ___________________________________________________________________________ version 3.9 page 19 8. Technical Data Sensor input: for semiconductor 2252  at 25 °C (standard) or platinum 100  at 0 °C, accuracy typically 0.1 °C at 25 °C, with electronic protection Sensor input (EXT. Mode): 1 mV / °C ALARM and SHUTOFF: disconnects POWER OUTPUT if temperature is below +3 °C (not connected or broken sensor) or above +60 °C (short circuited sensor); other ranges possible Digital displays: 3 1/2 digits, XX.X °C (temperature of SENSOR A or B) or XX.X V (voltage at power output) COMMAND INPUT: analog input, 10 mV / °C, via BNC connector Set value control: digital control, range: up to 60.0 °C (other value possible), XX.X °C or 0-100% of output voltage (DIRECT mode) Temperature OUTPUT (A, B): analog outputs, 10mV / °C, via BNC connector, output impedance: 250  Power output: max. 12 V / 5 A, short circuit protected, continuous DC Limiter: control for the output voltage with a linear range from 0 – 100 % Control: PI (proportional-integral) controller, accuracy typically ±0.2 °C, gain range 10-10k, integration time 50 ms - 20 s (logarithmic scale) Measuring accuracy: 0.1 °C at 25 °C Power requirements: 115 / 230V AC, 60 / 50 Hz, fuse 3.15 / 1.6 A slow Dimensions: 19” rackmount cabinet 19” (483 mm), 10” (250 mm), 3.5” (88 mm)