Go Spectro
Turn Your Smartphone into a Spectrometer
The GoyaLab GoSpectro is a device that turns any smartphone or tablet into an ultracompact and powerful handheld spectrometer. This tool enables spectral analysis of light sources, optical filters and various coloured objects by measuring emission, absorption, reflection and transmission spectra with unmatched compactness and ease of use. It is the ideal companion for light characterization in the field or in the lab.
GoSpectro is sensitive over the entire visible range (400 nm – 750 nm) with a spectral resolution of less than 10 nm (camera dependent) and a reproducibility of 1 nm. This revolutionary device allows the spectral characterization of light sources as well as measured spectra in emission, transmission or reflection, with unparalleled compactness.
GoSpectro takes advantage of the camera in the smartphone or tablet, and is easily calibrated by the user in a few seconds with any compact fluorescent light bulb or fluorescent tube. An optical fibre adaptor is available for the GoSpectro to increase usability in certain applications.
The main screen (shown above) of the mobile app (iOS and Android) provides access to functions for autoscaling the spectrum on the vertical axis, correcting the baseline, saving the spectrum, subtracting a reference spectrum and finding the highest intensity peak.
In this post, we demonstrate how the GoSpectro can be used as a measurement tool for lighting and filters identification applications.
Example: GoSpectro as a Measurement Tool for Lighting
The advent of LEDs has been a game-changer for the lighting industry. Indeed, LEDs have already deeply penetrated the automotive and indoor lighting sector and are spreading across various outdoor lighting applications for highways, roadways, bridges and tunnels. This paradigm shift calls for new tools for the characterization of such light sources.
GoSpectro has been tested on various lamps (LED, halogen, compact fluorescent, etc.) and on optical filters. The measured spectra can be used to determine the Correlated Colour Temperature (CCT) of light sources and the transmission curve of optical filters.
In this example, GoSpectro was used to measure the emission spectrum of different types of light sources. These emission spectra are very specific and we can use them to clearly identify the type of lamp under investigation, even at a far distance. This is particularly useful for the maintenance of street and roadway lighting.
We carried out the tests on halogen lamp and a “cool” LED to try and determine their Correlated Colour Temperature (CCT). Using the intensity calibration function available on the GoSpectro application we acquired spectra. Then, from the measured spectra we calculated the CCT:
The calculated CCTs are in good agreement with the theoretical values and the spectra show the typical features expected from a halogen lamp (black body) and from an LED light source.
Why use fibre optic probes for temperature measurement🌡️
When you find that conventional temperature sensors based on resistors or capacitors, or simple wire-based sensors such as thermocouples, just won’t operate properly in a challenging environment, look instead to the multiple benefits provided by fibre optic temperature probes.
Fully dielectric construction of the sensor and its attached fibre optic cable gives immunity to the effects of EMI/RFI, allowing use in high voltage environments, magnetic resonance imaging systems and high magnetic fields. The material construction further allows use in radiation, high vacuum and explosive areas, and the physical dimensions typical of fibre optics allows the probe to be treated essentially as an electrical cable, routed along complex pathways and along conduits, but without any of the disadvantages of inaccuracies due to the influence of electromagnetic fields.
One main growth area for fibre optic temperature probes has been in the automotive segment, involving test and development of electric vehicles (EV) including the motors, charging stations and batteries. Faster and accurate temperature measurement is necessary at each stage of EV product development, at both individual component level for identifying performance limits and temperature behavior of individual components, and for fully assembled vehicles to ensure the overall performance and safety.
High voltage connections and operations within the vehicle bring challenges in terms of safety, limited access and electromagnetic noise issues during testing and measurements. Fibre optic based temperature probes are becoming more popular in testing electric and hybrid vehicles due to their immunity to electromagnetic fields, ruggedness, small size, fast response, high accuracy and intrinsic safety of operation.
Our partner Rugged Monitoring has extensive involvement in this application area. [https://www.ruggedmonitoring.com/solutions-details/fiber-optic-temperature-sensors-in-electric-vehicle-temperature-testing/5c9c5fb493c0cc0001d3d7b5 ]. If your temperature instrumentation in EV development and testing is revealing the limitations of conventional sensor technology, ask us how fibre optic temperature probes will solve these issues and provide methods of temperature measurement that can’t be made in any other way.
Instruments for Energy Storage
Energy storage and energy conversion devices are both used to fill the need for portable as well as renewable power. The evolving needs require the improvement in capability to provide pulse-power, long run-time and cycle life. New materials and advancements of engineering play a key role in meeting the market demand.
Li-ion batteries are today’s leading technology in this space. Cyclic voltammetry is used in the development of the material and identification of its potential window (charge cut-off voltage and discharge cut-off voltage), and is also the primary technique in identification of new electrolytes. The BNC connections of both the Solartron Analytical EnergyLab and Princeton Applied Research potentiostats provide an interface common for the glovebox feedthroughs often needed for this type of research.
As the goal of a rechargeable battery is to provide high cycle-life, high efficiency, and high energy density, prospective new materials are combined into a complete cell and tested in a charge – discharge experiment to determine the capacity vs cycle number, cycle-life and Coulombic efficiency. Battery holders for PARSTAT and VersaSTAT potentiostats allow for direct connection of common battery formats to the instrument. Direct connection through a battery holder avoids the added stray capacitance and inductance to impedance measurements, and creates a cleaner signal and a cleaner lab.
The use of auxiliary voltage measurements allows monitoring of both the anode and cathode of a battery. Standard potentiostat design concentrates on the signal and response at the Working Electrode, and the Counter Electrode reactions are not characterized. Other applications use an inert Counter Electrode, but in battery technology this is an active electrode. Being able to characterize this terminal allows users to identify failure mechanisms and properly focus research initiatives. This is available on the PARSTAT 3000A and EnergyLab products for single cell evaluation and PARSTAT MC for multichannel, simultaneous tests for improved throughput.
The typically flat-voltage profile, seen as a key advantage of Li-technology, drives the need for advanced techniques to determine State of Charge. Electrochemical Impedance Spectroscopy (EIS) is the emerging method for making these determinations in-situ. EIS is also used to determine how the battery is functioning with respect to its anticipated lifetime (State of Health). The full range of products from Princeton Applied Research and Solartron Analytical provide these measurement capabilities either as standard or as options. EIS also provides a mechanism via equivalent circuit analysis or simple visual reference to identify the Equivalent Series Resistance (ESR) of a battery. This is a key figure of merit as it represents a loss of the system. The EnergyLab EIS methods, including its innovative FRA-technology and oversampling, allows for characterization of devices of micro-ohm impedance.
For extreme applications that require greater than 5 V or 2 A of current, batteries can be configured in stacks. Since stacks are purposefully designed for operation at high voltages (up to 100 V) or high currents (up to 100 A), external boosters are required. External boosters are available in a wide range of measurement capacities, bandwidth and accuracy to meet a given testing profile. The PMC-2000A and PARSTAT3000A provide the voltage range to test a stack of batteries as well as the standard, additional electrometer to measure the characteristics (including impedance) of a single battery within the stack. The EnergyLab provides multiple electrometers to study even more cells within the stack.
Whatever your requirements in state-of-the-art energy storage and energy conversion applications, AMETEK’s Princeton Applied Research and Solartron Analytical advanced instrumentation provides the tools for market leading impedance analysis, with the widest voltage and current ranges available for anode/cathode and stack testing.
New benchtop T&M instruments from EXFO
EXFO offer a comprehensive range of benchtop and portable test instruments, delivering top performance and pinpoint accuracy for the optical communications laboratory. The range has recently been expanded with the addition of several new instruments:
| OSA High Performance Optical Spectrum Analyser | |
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OSA |
| XT Series Automatic/Manual Tuneable Filters with Fixed or Adjustable Bandwidth | |
XTA-50 / XFA |
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| T100S-HP High Power Tuneable Laser Source | |
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T100S-HP |
For more information about these or other EXFO products we offer, please contact us.
More modules for EXFO’s LTB-8 Test Platform
EXFO has expanded the number of plug-in modules for their next-generation test platform, the LTB-8. This compact unit, equipped with an ultra-powerful processor and highly intuitive interface, gives the lab user an optimised instrument to run dedicated test applications simply and efficiently for technologies such as Ethernet, OTN, Fibre Channel, SONET/SDH and more.
The current module range comprises:
- FTBx-1750 Power Meter Module
- FTBx-5245 Optical Spectrum Analyser
- FTBx-88×0 10G Multiservice module
- FTBx-88200 100G Multiservice module
- FTBx-9150 Optical Switch
- FTBx-9160 MEMS Optical Switch
- FTBx-9600 Utility Module
An upgrade path for existing users of the IQS-600 modular test platform, enabling migration from the old to the new, has been mapped out by EXFO so please contact us for details and trade-in offers.
CRAIC’s Technologies MP-2™ Photometer can upgrade your microscope
The CRAIC Technologies MP-2™ Microscope Photometer is designed to add photometry and imaging to an optical microscope. With a spectral range from the deep UV to the near infrared, the MP-2™ is better described as a microscope radiometer. It is limited only by the microscope’s optics.
The CRAIC MP-2™ microphotometer enables collection of transmission, reflectance or even fluorescence and luminescence photometric data of microscopic samples.
The MP-2’s solid state detectors have dynamic ranges and sensitivities greater than PMTs or imaging systems and with complete software control, either broad- or narrow-band, photometric intensity measurements can be made. Typical applications include:
- Cytophotometry & immunohistochemistry
- Cytofluorimetry & immunofluorescence
- Intracellular calcium measurements
- Gemology & mineralogy
- Thickness measurements
- Ion & pH measurements
- DNA analysis
- Photoreceptor analysis
Please contact us for more details.
New modular test system for networks from EXFO
EXFO has released their next-generation modular test system in the form of the LTB-8 Rackmount Platform (with video), a versatile solution that addresses the many testing requirements found within today’s data networks.
The LTB-8’s small format, ultra-powerful processor and highly intuitive interface gives the lab user an optimised instrument to run dedicated test applications simply and efficiently for technologies such as Ethernet, OTN, Fibre Channel, SONET/SDH and more.
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An upgrade path for existing users of the IQS-600 modular test platform, enabling migration from the old to the new, has been mapped out by EXFO so please contact us for details and trade-in offers.
May 2014 Newsletter Out Now
The Elliot Scientific May newsletter is now available. In this latest issue Raman spectroscopy is significantly enhanced by new SERS/SEF substrates, piezo-stage specialists mechOnics reveal their new DSP50 Multiphase Linear Stage, in-house instrument verification and automated connector testing is enabled by EXFO’s TKS-CAL, CRAIC Technologies offer new software for microspectroscopists, and we look forward to CLEO and the Photonex Roadshows next month.
To view it in a browser, click here.
To read it magazine-style online, click here.
To download it as a PDF, click here.
Lake Shore at MRS Fall next week – Booth 800
Lake Shore Cryotronics are exhibiting at the Materials Research Society (MRS) Fall Meeting from November 26th to 30th at the Hynes Convention Center in Boston.
They will be highlighting their wide range of sensors, instruments, and systems used for high-precision materials characterisation research, including their line of cryogenic and cryogen-free probe stations, the new 8404 Hall effect measurement system and Model 336 cryogenic temperature controller.
Lake Shore experts will be on-hand in Booth 800 to discuss recent research developments, talk through any applications issues that scientists are encountering, and help suggest solutions to these issues.
More information here.
Elliot Scientific 