Devices Supported in iVision‐Mac™
iVision‐Mac, with the optional Motion Control software module, provides computer control of XY stages, Z-axis focus drives, shutters, filter wheels, serial port (RS-232) hardware, and other devices. The Shutters & Filters module controls shutters, filter wheels, and serial port (RS-232) hardware.
Recommendations for adding RS-232 serial ports to a Mac are available.
Manufacturers of Supported Hardware
| Device Make and Model |
Supported in Motion Control |
Supported in Shutters & Filters |
| ASI, Applied Scientific Instrumentation |
| ASI FW-1000 Filter Wheels |
| 6-Position |
Yes |
Yes |
| 8-Position |
Yes |
Yes |
| ASI Motorized Stages |
| MS-2000 XY Stage with Z-Axis Focus Drive |
Yes |
No |
| PZ-2000 XY Stage with Piezo Z-axis Top Plate |
Yes |
No |
| CRI, Cambridge Research & Instrumentation |
| CRI Filters |
| Micro*Color Liquid Crystal RGB Filter |
Yes |
Yes |
| VariSpec Liquid Crystal Tunable Imaging Filter |
Yes |
Yes |
| Chroma Technology Corporation |
| PhotoFluor II |
Yes |
Yes |
| Ludl Electronic Products |
| Ludl Controllers |
| MAC 2000, MAC 2002, MAC 5000, MAC 6000 |
Yes |
Yes |
| Ludl Filter Wheels |
| 10-Position Filter Wheel, Excitation |
Yes |
Yes |
| 6-Position Filter Wheel, Emission |
Yes |
Yes |
| 6-Position Filter Wheel, Excitation |
Yes |
Yes |
| Ludl Motorized Stages |
| Piezo Focus Z-Stage |
Yes |
No |
| XY Stage, BioPoint, BioPoint2 |
Yes |
No |
| XY Stage, BioPrecision |
Yes |
No |
| Z-Axis Focus Drive |
Yes |
No |
| Ludl Shutters |
Yes |
Yes |
| Nikon |
| Nikon Z-Axis Focus Accessory 99644 |
Yes |
No |
| PI, Physik Instrumente |
| PI Piezo Z-Axis Focus Drives |
| PIFOC P-721 Z-Axis, E662 Controller |
Yes |
No |
| PIFOC P-721 Z-Axis, E665 Controller |
Yes |
No |
| Prior Scientific |
| Prior Controllers |
| Advanced, ProScan, OptiScan |
Yes |
Yes |
| H126, H127 |
Yes |
Yes |
| H128 |
Yes |
Yes |
| Prior Filter Wheels |
| 10-Position |
Yes |
Yes |
| 8-Position |
Yes |
Yes |
| Prior Motorized Stages |
| XY Stage, OptiScan |
Yes |
No |
| XY Stage, ProScan, ProScan II |
Yes |
No |
| Prior Z-Axis Focus Controls |
| Z-Axis Focus Drive, OptiScan |
Yes |
No |
| Z-Axis Focus Motor, ProScan, ProScan II |
Yes |
No |
| Prior Shutter |
Yes |
Yes |
| Scanalytics, BD Biosciences |
| iVision Serial Port Control, RS-232 |
Yes |
Yes |
| Spectral Applied Research |
| Laser Merge Module, model LMM5 |
Yes |
Yes |
| Sutter Instrument |
| Sutter Filter Wheels |
| Lambda 10-2, 10-B, 10-C |
Yes |
Yes |
| Lambda 10-3 |
Yes, 3rd filter wheel controlled by iVision‐Mac 'Serial Port Control.' |
Yes, 3rd filter wheel controlled by iVision‐Mac 'Serial Port Control.' |
| Sutter Lambda DG-4 Wavelength Switcher |
Yes |
Yes |
| Sutter Shutters |
| UniBlitz |
Yes |
Yes |
| TILL Photonics |
| Polychrome IV monochromator |
Yes, controlled by iVision‐Mac ‘Serial Port Control.’ |
Yes, controlled by iVision‐Mac ‘Serial Port Control.’ |
| Vincent Associates |
| UNIBLITZ Shutters |
| VS-series Shutter, VMM‐D1 Controller |
Yes |
Yes |
| VS-series Shutter, VMM‐D3 Controller |
Yes |
Yes |
Adding RS-232 Serial Ports to a Macintosh
Most Macs lack a built-in serial port, so you will need a USB–to–RS‐232 adapter. We recommend the Keyspan “USB High Speed Serial Adapter (USA‐19HS)”, the “4‐Port Serial Adapter (USA‐49WG)” and the “Twin Serial Adapter (USA‐28XG)”.
The “USB High Speed Serial Adapter (USA‐19HS)” and the “4‐Port Serial Adapter (USA‐49WG)” add DE‐9/DB‐9 ports.
The “Twin Serial Adapter (USA‐28XG)” adds two RS‐422 Mini–DIN‐8 ports. Use it only if you have hardware that uses such a port.
Male DE‐9 connector
Mini-DIN-8 connector
iVision‐Mac is a trademark of BioVision Technologies, Inc, Exton, PA.
