DIY Spectrometer

[gradolabs]

For those of you interested in seeing a spectral map of your grow light but are unwilling or unable to pay the high price of a traditional lab radiospectrometer, here's a tutorial on how to build a basic meter for less than five dollars. It's basically a camera obscura with a compact disc (a regular old cd) to break up the spectrum into visible strata. When I get my light in the mail, I'll post a picture of my lights output from several perspectives so you can see how its done.

http://www.cs.cmu.edu/~zhuxj/astro/html/spectrometer.html

If you're smart, you can use this information to spread your light as efficiently as possible. Anyway, it looks cool, so get stoned and give it a shot if you have a shitty old cd around you want to break for science. I can recommend some stuff from the 90's for you to break... pm me for suggestions.

:dance:

 

[gradolabs]

And if you're interested in a slightly more professional option but still leagues behind the $1000 price tag of legitimate options, here's an open source spectrometer project. Looks like its 40 bucks... but I haven't read much about it, so decide for yourself. I thought it was worth posting

http://spectralworkbench.org/

 

[dingo]

$40 + $5 international shipping for the pre-built device that connects to a mobile phone is a bargain.

 

[gradolabs]

$40 + $5 international shipping for the pre-built device that connects to a mobile phone is a bargain.

Yep. Or you can bite it and get this one. Its $1000+.

http://www.amazonsupply.com/3b-scie...V5ZXHM/ref=sr_1_2_child?sr=1-2&qid=1359035915

 

[gradolabs]

If this fits better in the DIY section go ahead and move it.
:group:

 

[gradolabs]

It is important to note that you can upload images of your spectra to be analysed by the site here: http://spectralworkbench.org/

Upload images of your spectra and they will give you a graph with spectral output in terms of percentage of intensity aka spectrum ratio.

See here.
http://spectralworkbench.org/sets/show/121

 

[gradolabs]

Just dropping by to say the cd thats used as a diffractive grating has a maximum resolution of 625 lines per millimeter. The pits that are scanned with a laser are tiny, yes? That's what breaks up the light. If you have a blu ray, or holographic coating film, the maximum resolution is 3125 lines/mm and around 4000 for the hcf. The pits on a blu ray are smaller so it can hold significantly more spots, aka more data. So if you want your spectrometer to have micrometer resolution, now you know how.

 

[gradolabs]

Gas chromatography and mass spectrometry machines analyse the light signature of hydrated samples of chemicals to determine the constituent elements and compounds present in the sample. They're very expensive though like everything useful. I've taken the very simple first step towards making this a viable test that everone is capable of replicating. Soon you'll be able to test samples yourself with a calibrated spectroscope and online databases of spectral signatures of known compounds. When you wake up and test your body pH you could also test for runoff chemicals and relative toxicity. All you need is a cd or dvd, a paper tube and some tape as well as a camera and an internet connection. That, and the technical community has some programming to do.

 

[gradolabs]

This is a rgb led display. My computer screen. Pics of my grow light to come. But I definitely dialed in my pos spectroscope. Also I broke the screen in my magic flight launch box. I've steadily broken every smoking piece I've ever owned. This is why I can't have nice things.

But at least my PAR issues are being sorted.
:group:

Cross posted from my 150w led review in progress. This isn't the spectral graph of my light, just my computer screen which is LED backlit. Here's my personal analysis of the spectrum.

I submitted the photo to be analysed and to be honest the data was useless. Open source spectral analysis just isn't there yet, but employing general logic, and a measuring tape, I can see the ratio of green to blue is not well suited for flowering. Strong reds are present from 600nm to infra red, though the latter is not very intense at all. The source led array is white, approximately eight to ten watts of power and the proximity to the 8x9 lamp was 0 inches. The aperature was touching the glass and my custom spectroscope is 8 inches by one point five with a compact disc deflective grating at 60 degrees. Camera used was a 5 mp video/still combo.

 

[Groff]

JUST WOW !! :jaw:

This is like... the coolest thread for us science nerds! Thank you!