G120DT Driver?

[biribiri]

Hi all,

I recently picked up two General Scannning G120DT galvos and was wondering what driver to use to control them (from what I've dug up, it looks like the GS MiniSax and the TurboTrack2 are discontinued--please correct me if I'm mistaken!). Would it be possible to connect them to a PC and control them from there? Thanks in advance!

[buffo]

In short: no. You need a scanner amplifier to drive the scanners. Scanners are analog devices. You can not drive them directly from your PC.

Even if you use a modified sound card and a correction amplifier to generate the appropriate analog signals, you will still need another amplifier to drive the scanners.

Scanner amps are designed to measure the position feedback signal from the scanners to improve the "settling" and position accuracy of the scanners. This improves image quality.

Turbo-track amps show up on E-bay from time to time, but they are highly sought after for their excellent performance. There are other amps that will also work, however. Shop around or contact one of the scanner retailers here on PL and see what's available.

Also, Welcome to PhotonLexicon! Please remember to fill out your profile information so we know where you are. If there is someone close to you, they may be able to assist you in your search for an appropriate amp.

Adam