Arduino Photometer
Maker Faire Bay Area 2015
MAKER
David Whyte
My background is in chemistry (BS) and molecular biology (PhD). I have a strong interest in promoting science education, and have designed a simple but powerful open-source device that can be used to explore the interaction of light and matter.
The project is an Arduino-based photometer. It can be used by experimenters to measure a variety of light-matter interactions, including light absorption, chemi-luminescence, bio-luminescence, fluorescence, and turbidity.
What inspired you to make this project?:
I originally made a simple photometer while designing a science fair project for the non-profit group Science Buddies (http://www.sciencebuddies.org/science-fair-projects/project_ideas/Chem_p075.shtml). I wanted to make a more robust and sensitive version, and also make it "hackable" so that the code controlling the microprocessor could be changed by the user for their own projects. Eventually I settled on the idea of making the board a shield that connects to an Arduino Mega board. I have a number of working prototypes with different light sources (UV, visible, IR) that I would like to share with others.
