Abstract
We describe the construction of a motorized optical rotation mount with a 40 mm clear aperture. The device is used to remotely control the power of large diameter laser beams for a magneto-optical trap. A piezo-electric ultrasonic motor on a printed circuit board provides rotation with a precision better than 0.03 degrees and allows for a very compact design. The rotation unit is controlled from a computer via serial communication, making integration into most software control platforms straightforward. (C) 2013 American Institute of Physics. [http://dx.doi.org/10.1063/1.4791796]