Any Interest in a DIY Light Meter
Whilst trawling a few sites over the past week or so I came across this digital luminosity/lux/light meter which can be used with an Arduino microcomputer.
I have ordered one and should have it in a week or two.
I then started thinking that maybe other members may also be interested if the price was right. Whilst it can be hooked up to an existing Arduino, it needs to operate over the i2c bus at a 3.3v logic level compared to the default of 5v so this may prevent other things on this bus operating correctly. So, it would probably be easier to use a stand alone Arduino.
With a bit of searching I have been able to find these components (approximate prices only):
Light Meter $12.50
Arduino $15.80
9v Battery Clip $3.00
There are a few variables which can be changed so some type of input device would be preferable.
Basic LCD Keypad Shield $7.50 - it would be difficult to install this in a case, but could be done.
The cost of touchscreen TFT LCD's has reduced considerably and we could get a 2.2" Touchscreen and shield for about $25.00
Case, connectors, wire etc - not sure but should be about $10.00
To encase the sensor, and make it waterproof I have been looking at small acrylic boxes which are used for displaying gemstones - these are around $1.
So, all up, around $40 for the basic lcd, without case OR around $70 for the touchscreen LCD fully enclosed.
A Real Time Clock could be added for around $10 - this might be useful to time stamp recordings that could be saved in memory.
I can do the programming at no cost and will put everything together.
As you may not require the use of one all the time, maybe a few members want to get together and buy one as a group??
As mentioned, the prices noted above are approximate only and I may be able to get things cheaper once I start getting serious.
So, would anyone be interested in something like this?
Expressions of Interest received from:
Synodontis and/or K&J Aquatics
rockerpeller
DavidS
Whilst I am not suggesting for a second that this would be a replacement for a high quality lux meter, I think that it would be more than adequate for our purposes. I have often wished that I could measure the differences between different led combinations, current levels etc and I am fairly confident that this would meet my requirements.The TSL2561 luminosity sensor is an advanced digital light sensor, ideal for use in a wide range of light situations. Compared to low cost CdS cells, this sensor is more precise, allowing for exact lux calculations and can be configured for different gain/timing ranges to detect light ranges from up to 0.1 - 40,000+ Lux on the fly. The best part of this sensor is that it contains both infrared and full spectrum diodes! That means you can separately measure infrared, full-spectrum or human-visible light. Most sensors can only detect one or the other, which does not accurately represent what human eyes see (since we cannot perceive the IR light that is detected by most photo diodes)
I have ordered one and should have it in a week or two.
I then started thinking that maybe other members may also be interested if the price was right. Whilst it can be hooked up to an existing Arduino, it needs to operate over the i2c bus at a 3.3v logic level compared to the default of 5v so this may prevent other things on this bus operating correctly. So, it would probably be easier to use a stand alone Arduino.
With a bit of searching I have been able to find these components (approximate prices only):
Light Meter $12.50
Arduino $15.80
9v Battery Clip $3.00
There are a few variables which can be changed so some type of input device would be preferable.
Basic LCD Keypad Shield $7.50 - it would be difficult to install this in a case, but could be done.
The cost of touchscreen TFT LCD's has reduced considerably and we could get a 2.2" Touchscreen and shield for about $25.00
Case, connectors, wire etc - not sure but should be about $10.00
To encase the sensor, and make it waterproof I have been looking at small acrylic boxes which are used for displaying gemstones - these are around $1.
So, all up, around $40 for the basic lcd, without case OR around $70 for the touchscreen LCD fully enclosed.
A Real Time Clock could be added for around $10 - this might be useful to time stamp recordings that could be saved in memory.
I can do the programming at no cost and will put everything together.
As you may not require the use of one all the time, maybe a few members want to get together and buy one as a group??
As mentioned, the prices noted above are approximate only and I may be able to get things cheaper once I start getting serious.
So, would anyone be interested in something like this?
Expressions of Interest received from:
Synodontis and/or K&J Aquatics
rockerpeller
DavidS