Homemade Scanning Spectrometer Puts Scientific Analysis at Your Fingertips
Let's Dive into Gary's DIY Spectrometer Adventure
Functioning a spectrometer seems like a piece of cake: split a light beam into its component wavelengths, and measure the intensity of each. But, as they say, the devil is in the details. Gary Boyd's write-up on his optical scanning spectrometer project is a golden mine of insights, with no hidden devils.
Czerny-Turner Spectrometer: The Two-Mirror Wonder
Specifically, Gary has built a Czerny-Turner type spectrometer - a two-mirror design, to be precise. The first concave mirror collimates the incoming light, focusing it onto a reflective diffraction grating. The second concave mirror then focuses the light rays split by the grating onto the detector.
Using a cheap VEML 7700 ambient light sensor and a small linear stage from Amazon, Gary has managed to achieve a remarkable 1 nm resolution in the wavelength range from 360 nm to 980 nm. That's even better than human eyesight, making it nothing to sneeze at! Although, Gary has some ideas for further improvements in his blog post. The entire spectrometer is controlled via an Arduino Uno, streaming data to his PC.
Every Detail Accounted
Gary documents everything meticulously, from his optical mounts to the Arduino code for driving the stepper motor and taking measurements. The LED and laser "turrets" used in calibration are ingenious designs, as well. He even shares the spectra this device is capable of capturing- from the blackbody of a tungsten lamp used in calibration, to a cuvette of tea, to the sun itself! If you have a few minutes, Gary's full writeup is an absolute must-read.
Rainbow of Spectrometers
This isn't the first spectrometer we've spotlighted- you might say we've showcased a whole spectrum of them! If you're eager to learn more about spectroscopy or build your own spectrometer, keep exploring! The world of DIY science is full of amazing projects just waiting for curious minds to uncover.
Delving into Gary's DIY spectrometer adventure, he constructed a Czerny-Turner type spectrometer, a two-mirror wonder, using an Arduino Uno for control and streamlining data to his PC. This DIY science project boasts a 1nm resolution in the wavelength range from 360nm to 980nm, surpassing human eyesight's capabilities.
