Spectrometer - Page 1
Forum section: electronics / testgear

author: PlainName
author_rank: Super Contributor
timestamp: November 14, 2024, 06:41:30 pm
content: I am considering the purchase of a spectrometer (primarily for LED classification but also other colour-related things) and my affordable choice seems to be either a HP330/HP320 or HPCS 330P. Anyone have experience of these, or anything similar?At first glance the HPCS 330P would be my choice on account of the detachable head, so there is no struggling to read the screen because it's at whatever angle is necessary to capture the light. The head is sold by itself (and cheaper), and is then used by connecting to a PC or phone for the display. But... it seems that the phone app isn't actually a phone app but a WeChat application, so one needs to be running WeChat in order to use it (brrrr!).The HP330 has slightly better specs and you can choose between the input orientation, but once chosen that's it and it's not going to be right for all situations.Done a search on here for opinions or any other comments and nothing turned up, but I figured someone might have one (or similar) and not had any reason to post about it. Now's the time

author: edpalmer42
author_rank: Super Contributor
timestamp: November 14, 2024, 07:02:45 pm
content: Have you considered a low-tech DIY spectrometer using a DVD and a cardboard box?If you search for <spectrometer DVD>, you'll find lots of projects to do just that. There was a site called spectralworkbench.org that had a lot of good info including software. It looks like the site died due to lack of interest, but the Internet Archive did some extra special archiving.https://web.archive.org/web/20220308025831/https://spectralworkbench.org/<-- normal site backuphttps://web.archive.org/web/20240705205259/https://spectralworkbench.org/<-- info on the special archiving.

author: metrologist
author_rank: Super Contributor
timestamp: November 14, 2024, 07:25:32 pm
content: Cool!

author: PlainName
author_rank: Super Contributor
timestamp: November 14, 2024, 08:03:46 pm
content: QuoteYes, and even got a ThunderOptics jobby. Decided I want to use one rather than dick about trying to make it show something possibly related.An all-in-one (that is, not requiring a PC or phone) is attractive on that basis, but at the same time the ability to hook up an external viewer (to circumvent the display/sensor alignment) might turn out to be nice.

author: BillyO
author_rank: Super Contributor
timestamp: November 15, 2024, 06:27:23 am
content: Maybe a physics forum would be a better place to ask this. What is your budget?It seems to me that maybe a decent optical spectrometer would suit your needs. They are not too horrendously expensive for one that meets research quality needs. Purely electronic spectrometers at that level are possibly considerably more expensive. Perhaps some sort of hybrid is what you are after? Do you need to observe and manually record results or does your use case involve automated data collection?The HP330 does not strike me as a "real" spectrometer, but that may actually meet your needs. I'm all for folks finding cheap kit that delivers the results they need.Sorry, but I have no real answers for you. The last fully electronic spectrometers I used where back in my university days and they cost as much as a Lamborghini back then. I used them quite a bit in my studies.Good luck in finding what you need. Sounds like a cool project.

author: tautech
author_rank: Super Contributor
timestamp: November 15, 2024, 06:55:30 am
content: Defpom uses a Uni-t device to identify LED wavelengths:

author: unseenninja
author_rank: Regular Contributor
timestamp: November 15, 2024, 07:51:26 am
content: You might like to give the i-PhosHD a try. I have one and it's a surprisingly competent instrument with response down in the UV range and up to IR.https://chriswesley.org/spectrometer.htmWhile it is not a calibrated instrument, it shows relative intensities and is more than adequate to evaluate LEDs and other light sources.

author: 5U4GB
author_rank: Super Contributor
timestamp: November 15, 2024, 08:34:17 am
content: Quote from: edpalmer42 on November 14, 2024, 07:02:45 pmOr you can get premade plastic ones from the usual crapvendors, Amazon, etc for a few dollars. I got one for checking the spectrum of LED lights, it looks slightly more professional when you pull that out in a lighting store.

author: PlainName
author_rank: Super Contributor
timestamp: November 15, 2024, 09:49:01 am
content: QuoteYes, no doubt. Unfortunately I am not a visitor to any reputable physics forum, and it might not be sensible to pop up in one just to ask this question and then filter the expert advice given. Budget... hard to say because it could flex depending on quality and particular day, but probably £300 is top (straight number conversion to other currency wouldn't be far off, except for Canadian dollars).QuoteYes, I realise it is basically just the same as the homebrew thing but in a nicer box. But it is the 'done-ness' of it that - assuming it really does Just Work - that might be worth it.QuoteNo problem - I appreciate any input

author: PlainName
author_rank: Super Contributor
timestamp: November 15, 2024, 09:52:54 am
content: QuoteNeat. But too much messing about.

author: PlainName
author_rank: Super Contributor
timestamp: November 15, 2024, 09:55:02 am
content: QuoteSeriously considered one of those, but it is too big and essentially another ThunderOptics thing in a different format.

author: deadlylover
author_rank: Frequent Contributor
timestamp: November 15, 2024, 02:42:50 pm
content: I don't have one yet, but thelittle garden spectrofrom Aliexpress might be a fun little toy.You can use OSRAM's colour calculator software to generate tm-30 reports like this. edit: best of all it's free, they changed their site so maybe the links are dead but if you need it but can't find it let me know I can dig it up from somewhere.I use a Konica Minolta CS-1000A spectroradiometer, it's very much worth your while to throw up some saved search notification alerts for any Minolta gear. Topcon is another famous brand from Japan, sometimes sellers/electronics liquidators don't know what these are so you can grab them relatively cheap. I got mine for $300, they retailed for $25000 back in 2004 hahaha.

author: PlainName
author_rank: Super Contributor
timestamp: November 15, 2024, 04:29:59 pm
content: QuoteMaybe. It is £65 by the time it gets here, and only two such (if they turn out not to be much use) would pay for the Hopoocolor sensor. Although that might be rubbish too...QuoteThanks for the info and suggestion. I'll do that

author: TimFox
author_rank: Super Contributor
timestamp: November 15, 2024, 05:11:25 pm
content: A good source for optical equipment is Edmund Scientific (not the cheapest).For example,https://www.edmundoptics.com/f/educational-spectroscope/11897/

author: PlainName
author_rank: Super Contributor
timestamp: November 15, 2024, 05:27:30 pm
content: Nicely built, but ain't going to make any pretty graphs

author: TimFox
author_rank: Super Contributor
timestamp: November 15, 2024, 05:31:46 pm
content: That costs extra.https://www.edmundoptics.com/f/laboratory-spectrometer/14821/

author: PlainName
author_rank: Super Contributor
timestamp: November 15, 2024, 05:53:23 pm
content: Eek!