Software

Summary

Optec provides a cross-platform control program called FW Control. FW Control supports all models of Optec Filter Wheels. The control program can connect and run multiple Filter Wheels at the same time. You can chang the Theme from the File Menu to Light or Dark mode.

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FW Control in Dark mode.

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FW Control in Light mode with two wheels.

Installation

Windows

The Windows software is provided as a standard MSI installer package. It supports Windows 7+.

Linux

The Linux software is provided as an AppImage. If it fails to start try running it from the terminal and install any missing dependencies. The Linux version is tested on AMD64 based Ubuntu and Fedora. Arm versions (both aarch64 and armhf) are tested on Raspberry Pi Linux.

macOS

A production macOS version will be available with a future update. Test builds may be available on request.

General Use

The first step in configuring is selecting a Filter Wheel to connect to. For Serial communication based Filter Wheels this will be a COM Port. For HID communication based Filter Wheels this will be a Serial Number. When the software is Disconnected the drop down on the main screen will include all Serial Numbers and COM Ports on the system.

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Select the connection you want to use and press Connect. If the port or device is not showing up use Refresh Devices from the File menu to search for new connections.

Note

If you get a permissions warning you may need to give your user permissions to access USB devices.

After connecting you can Home, Move, Change Settings and Sequence a set of move commands. The current Filter is indicated by green text on the filter button.

To add or remove controllable wheels from the software select the File Menu -> Devices. You can switch wheels by clicking on the Wheel 1 - N names above the controls.