Mini USB Spectrometer

Recently, a line of inexpensive visible band USB spectrometers was introduced by Thunder Optics. We bought a few of these spectrometers to test them for possible use in student labs. We found that despite being quite inexpensive ($120 per spectrometer) and compact (about 2x4x5 inches³), those spectrometers offer quite robust performance: good spectral range (380-850 nm) and resolution (~2 nm), good sensitivity, high dynamic range (S/N > 1000), fast shutter speed (1 – 500 ms), student-friendly interface, ease of use. Combined with accompanying free software - which allows spectrometer calibration and basic processing of spectra (such as wavelength and intensity measurements, adding/ subtracting spectra/ background, saving and printing, etc.), we found these spectrometers to be well-suited for a variety of applications - from introductory-level student labs and demos in a classroom to research-grade applications in emission and absorption spectroscopy. In this talk, we will show examples of our recorded spectra of a variety of sources - discharge tubes (H, He, Ne, Ar, Na, Hg, etc.), lasers (red and yellow He-Ne laser, and laser pointers), of LEDs, incandescent and fluorescent lamps, etc., and discuss features and uses of these inexpensive but versatile spectrometers.