Let’s take a deep dive and examine every SparkFun Spectral Sensor to one another!
Have you ever ever questioned what extra there may be to see past the colours of the rainbow? Our world is awash in mild, a lot of which stays invisible to the human eye. However what in the event you might peek into these hidden realms of sunshine? On this weblog put up, we’ll dive into the fascinating capabilities of SparkFun’s spectral sensors and discover how these units permit us to detect, analyze, and perceive the delicate nuances of sunshine throughout each seen and non-visible spectrums, unlocking a brand new dimension of notion in your initiatives.
The Electromagnetic Spectrum: Seen and Non-Seen Mild
The electromagnetic spectrum.
Picture supplied by NASA, Public Area, 2010
Earlier than we check out the capabilities of our sensors, let’s very briefly clarify the electromagnetic spectrum. Mild, at its core, is a type of electromagnetic radiation, an enormous spectrum of vitality that travels in waves. The seen mild spectrum is the tiny sliver of this spectrum that our eyes are geared up to understand. It ranges from roughly 380 to 780 nanometers (nm), however this quantity can differ. That is what permits us to see the acquainted colours of the rainbow: pink, orange, yellow, inexperienced, blue, indigo, and violet (we aren’t courageous sufficient to get into the legitimacy of the colour purple). Past this slim band lies the non-visible mild spectrum, encompassing a much wider vary of wavelengths and frequencies. This contains, however will not be restricted to, ultraviolet (UV) mild that are shorter wavelengths than violet, and is answerable for sunburns; infrared (IR) mild that are longer wavelengths than pink that we understand as warmth; and even additional out, radio waves, microwaves, X-rays, and gamma rays. Every of those areas of the electromagnetic spectrum carries distinctive data and interacts with matter in distinct methods, providing a wealth of knowledge for specialised sensors to detect.
Now with that out of the way in which, let’s have a look at what our sensors are able to! (All responsivity graphs can be found on every respective datasheet)
Spectral Sensor Comparability Overview
SparkFun Spectral UV Sensor – AS7331 (Qwiic)
This SparkFun Qwiic Spectral UV Sensor options the AS7331 UV sensor from ams OSRAM©. It measures UV radiation on three channels: UVA (320-400nm), UVB (280-320nm), and UVC (200-280nm) with excessive sensitivity and accuracy. The three channels on the AS7331 every have particular person photodiodes with built-in interference filters. The sensor has 4 working modes with an computerized power-down sequence between measurements for low present consumption in all three modes.
SparkFun Spectral Sensor Breakout – AS7262 Seen (Qwiic)
The SparkFun AS7262 Seen Spectral Sensor Breakout brings spectroscopy to the palm of your hand, making it simpler than ever to measure and characterize how completely different supplies take up and replicate completely different wavelengths of sunshine. The AS7262 spectrometer detects wavelengths within the seen vary at 450, 500, 550, 570, 600 and 650nm of sunshine every with 40nm of full-width half-max detection.
SparkFun Spectral Sensor Breakout – AS7263 NIR (Qwiic)
The SparkFun AS7263 Close to Infrared (NIR) Spectral Sensor Breakout brings spectroscopy to the palm of your hand, making it simpler than ever to measure and characterize how completely different supplies take up and replicate completely different wavelengths of sunshine. The AS7263 spectrometer detects wavelengths within the seen vary at 610, 680, 730, 760, 810 and 860nm of sunshine, every with 20nm of full-width half-max detection.
SparkFun Triad Spectroscopy Sensor – AS7265x (Qwiic)
The SparkFun Triad Spectroscopy Sensor is a robust optical inspection sensor often known as a spectrophotometer. Three spectral sensors are mixed alongside a visual, UV, and IR LEDs for mild spectroscopy. The Triad is made up of three sensors; the AS72651, the AS72652, and the AS72653 and may detect the sunshine from 410nm (UV) to 940nm (IR).
SparkFun Spectral Sensor – AS7343 (Qwiic)
The SparkFun AS7343 Qwiic Spectral Sensor permits customers to measure mild in each the seen spectrum (VIS) and near-infrared (NIR) ranges, all on a single IC in a compact package deal. The AS7343 reveals distinctive sensitivity throughout its sensing spectrum (~380nm to 1000nm) and operates reliably in low-light environments, together with when measuring by means of tinted glass.
From detecting delicate adjustments in plant well being with the AS7343 to exploring the hidden world of UV mild with the AS7331, and even performing desktop spectroscopy throughout a broad spectrum with the Triad Spectroscopy Sensor, SparkFun’s spectral boards open up loads of new and distinctive prospects. These easy-to-use, Qwiic-compatible units empower customers to develop purposes for a variety of functions, from environmental monitoring and shade evaluation to materials identification and past. With sturdy software program help, together with complete Arduino libraries and Python packages, together with our detailed hookup guides, you may have every little thing you must get began. Hopefully, this overview supplied a bit extra perception into the variations between every sensor!
