Use a DIY spectrometer from Public Lab
(draft page; content coming soon)
Notes here: http://pad.publiclab.org/p/sample-comparison
If you've found your way here after cutting out a spectrometer from a magazine, welcome!
For starters,
Introduction
This introductory kit (also available here, and more info here) has been co-designed by hundreds of contributors as an entry point to Public Lab's collection of Do-It-Yourself spectrometry projects.
It's not the most robust design, or the most precise. But it's specifically for newcomers to get started on -- a stepping stone on the way to bigger and better DIY designs like the Desktop Spectrometry Starter Kit and many more. This broader initiative is still actively under development by thousands of people coordinating their work across the open Public Lab community! Read more about our challenges we're tackling, as well as the limitations and goals of our designs.
Get started
If you've already cut out your spectrometer, and are ready to jump right in,
Click here to start assembling it
Then circle back to the activities listed below.
Goals
The first thing we're looking for help with is refining this new version of the foldable spectrometer design. We're hoping it'll be stronger, easier, and more intuitive to use, as well as easier to duplicate (you can just copy it onto stiff paper with a laser printer/copier).
To try out the new design and provide feedback, please leave a comment on the assembly instructions above, or ask a question on this page
Next steps
... coming soon...
Questions
| Title | Author | Updated | Likes | Comments |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Does the Beer Lambert law apply to the opacity of reagents? | @warren | about 7 years ago | 0 | 4 |
| What's an easy way to compare two liquid samples with a spectrometer? | @warren | about 7 years ago | 1 | 7 |
| Water Filter Effectiveness | @Mempet | over 7 years ago | 1 | 4 |
| Testing Water For Specific Polluting Compounds | @rajanzaveri | over 7 years ago | 1 | 2 |
| What are good containers to use for spectrometry samples? | @warren | about 8 years ago | 0 | 1 |
| Can I upgrade a DIY spectrometer with a Raspberry Pi camera? | @warren | about 8 years ago | 2 | 10 |
| Sample container search | @warren | over 10 years ago | 4 | 12 |
Activities
| Purpose | Category | Status | Author | Time | Difficulty | Replications |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Build a papercraft spectrometer for your phone -- version 2.0 | - | - | @warren | - | - | 2 replications: Try it » |
| Calibrate your spectrometer in Spectral Workbench | verify | review-me | @warren | 15m | easy | 5 replications: Try it » |
| Assemble a DIY Papercraft Spectrometer | build | complete | @abdul | 10min | introductory | 3 replications: Try it » |
| Reduce light inside foldable PL spectrometer | - | - | @xose | - | - | 0 replications: Try it » |
| Scan and compare different gases (in discharge tubes, like neon) using a DIY spectrometer | - | - | @warren | - | - | 27 replications: Try it » |
| Make a narrow slit for a DIY spectrometer out of paper | - | - | @warren | - | - | 0 replications: Try it » |
| See the Fraunhofer absorption lines in sunlight | verify | draft | @warren | 1h | easy | 4 replications: Try it » |
| Draft: Find the concentration of a liquid with a DIY spectrometer | - | - | @warren | - | - | 0 replications: Try it » |
Activities should include a materials list, costs and a step-by-step guide to construction with photos. Learn what makes a good activity here.
Beer's Law
| Title | Author | Updated | Likes | Comments |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Can a DIY spectrometer be used to measure water turbidity? | @warren | about 7 years ago | 0 | 6 |
| Draft: Find the concentration of a liquid with a DIY spectrometer | @warren | about 7 years ago | 1 | 3 |
| Does the Beer Lambert law apply to the opacity of reagents? | @warren | about 7 years ago | 0 | 4 |
| Mini spectrophotometer - how does this deviate from the Beer-Lambert law? | @FoxClass | over 8 years ago | 1 | 7 |
| CCD Photodiode Array Spectrometer | @bhickman | about 11 years ago | 8 | 27 |
| Using the Spectroscope for Analysis of Concentration (Beer's Law) | @straylight | over 11 years ago | 4 | 14 |
| Does Coffee Obey Beer's Law? A Spectrometric Investigation | @akjeff91 | almost 12 years ago | 1 | 4 |
| Attempt at Quantitative Analysis for Desktop Spectrometer | @ben.alley43 | almost 12 years ago | 1 | 8 |
Resources
https://publiclab.org/notes/warren/05-04-2016/tweaks-to-foldable-mini-spectrometer-design