erdabyz
0
- Joined
- Jun 30, 2008
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Today i was reading something about laser power meters and I found that they are based on a thermopile sensor, which is a device who gives a proportional voltage to heat power recived.
The rest of the power meter is a device that reads the output voltage and gives the prportional output power in a LCD screen.
That part isn't hard to make, as all we need is a microcontroller (an inexpensive PIC, for example), a reference voltage regulator and some other inexpensive components. no more than $15.
I can program PIC's and a voltage reader + LCD controller is not a difficult program to make.
It can be done in PIC basic which is an extremely easy (but powerful) language. All i need is some information about thermopile sensors, how they work and where to find one. I know that contactless thermometers use them....
If i get one and discover how it works, i'd probably make a "basic" laser power meter with great accuracy. If i succeed and i get something that reads power, i'd send it to someone with a commercial power meter to calibrate and check it.
So please, if you can cntribute in any way with this proyect, with some technical info or theory about thermopiles, post it and let's see if we can make our own homemade cheap LPM. If I can get all I need for this christmas, i'll start the project.
The rest of the power meter is a device that reads the output voltage and gives the prportional output power in a LCD screen.
That part isn't hard to make, as all we need is a microcontroller (an inexpensive PIC, for example), a reference voltage regulator and some other inexpensive components. no more than $15.
I can program PIC's and a voltage reader + LCD controller is not a difficult program to make.
It can be done in PIC basic which is an extremely easy (but powerful) language. All i need is some information about thermopile sensors, how they work and where to find one. I know that contactless thermometers use them....
If i get one and discover how it works, i'd probably make a "basic" laser power meter with great accuracy. If i succeed and i get something that reads power, i'd send it to someone with a commercial power meter to calibrate and check it.
So please, if you can cntribute in any way with this proyect, with some technical info or theory about thermopiles, post it and let's see if we can make our own homemade cheap LPM. If I can get all I need for this christmas, i'll start the project.