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B&W-tech Spectrometer & 473 module: Setup+Mods+Info

yes I also did this and got fantastic results. The better you can setup the mirrors to illuminate just the smallest umber of pixels the better resolution you get. I was also able to move the grating and get up into the uv and down in the nir. 300 ish down to 900 ish. it just takes time and when you think you got it don't try and make it better.....oh boy. Did that a few times. Make sure to take the order sorting filter out if you want to go above 475 ish nm. it also blocks some NIR. That said you will find fold back so don't be surprised to see ghosts.

Last, you can not put the Ocean Optics ILX chips in these and make them work. the second order filter is not for this grating.

To make the line a parallel as possible I used a small flashlight to make the rainbow and eyeballed it in. I guess you could use a camera to get a closer look. You can also focus the final dot with a gas laser to make it as small as possible. None of this is easy to make perfect and you can do pretty well by eye.

Excited. My HR2000 arrives any minute :}

I have to shout out to Steve. I learned most of this from him. Didn't want to pass this off like I was the smart one here. I knew none of this a week ago.
 
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Don't forget that getting the most light to line up on the pixels is not the only reason to align these spectrometers. If you induce an astigmatism, you won't be able to calibrate it when you are done.
 
paul1598419 said:
Don't forget that getting the most light to line up on the pixels is not the only reason to align these spectrometers. If you induce an astigmatism, you won't be able to calibrate it when you are done.
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Yes Paul, so it is . Rotating all you can is not a solution.
 
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paul1598419 said:
I keep all my spectrometers wrapped up and away from dust and dirt. The slit is so small it is unlikely it could pass much through it, but I suppose it could get clogged. It would need to be in a very dirty environment for this to happen, I would think. The fiber optics are terminated and unless you get them dirty, shouldn't need to be protected from dust. Regardless, I keep mine wrapped up as well.
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I'm planning on storing the optic cables separate to save on space.

I was looking at: Dust cap, silicone SMA, & SMA Ferrule Dust Cap T style.
I'm considering getting a bunch, maybe 100 or so and maybe selling the extras. Is there anyone else here who would want some dust caps or is it just me?
 
I haven't had a problem with dust in the three plus years I've had mine. I just keep it wrapped and bagged. I suppose if you want to cover the openings instead of wrapping and bagging it, that is an option.
 
I would not worry about dust. The only way in is the slit and its at most 50um. you can put a cap on it if you want. I never do. BUT.....the raman head if it gets dust in there scatters the excitation light and you get a signal. THAT is a problem and I had it.
 
Hello, I would like to make some mechanical changes to the spectrometer and have completely disassembled the aluminum housing into all items.
Here I found in slit various bluish baubles, which probably come from the filter. The coating separates from the filter and is distracting on the slit.
See pictures attached.
 

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I took the sorting filter out. That coating is toast. The slit looks like it either took corrosion or is a result of the proces likely laser used to make it. The metal grain is very poor. You can remove the order filter but need to look for second order in the extremaof your spectrum. It is for that reason and others I left bw and went to ocean optics. The difference is dramatic. Still it’s fun to play with these. I have three that almost calibrate. Just can’t get closer than 1-2nm accuracy across the spectrum. If you get the right coefficients it still doesn’t work. AstimGatis, as paul said. I don’t know how to really align them. Thus I paid. Not unhappy but feel defeated.
 
kecked said:
I took the sorting filter out. That coating is toast. The slit looks like it either took corrosion or is a result of the proces likely laser used to make it. The metal grain is very poor. You can remove the order filter but need to look for second order in the extremaof your spectrum. It is for that reason and others I left bw and went to ocean optics. The difference is dramatic. Still it’s fun to play with these. I have three that almost calibrate. Just can’t get closer than 1-2nm accuracy across the spectrum. If you get the right coefficients it still doesn’t work. AstimGatis, as paul said. I don’t know how to really align them. Thus I paid. Not unhappy but feel defeated.
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Hi kecked, this is not an order-filter .... it is a logpass-filter to kick of the rest of the original laser. I want to play a little with this device , that is it what i want ..
. To get this old nostalgic device to live again.
Yes , other devices are better for usage, but this is not my intention here.
 
It is difficult to defend the Ocean Optics spectrometer when it uses similar bench and CCD, but they do work better than these B&W TEK units. That has been my experience. Even the used ones are not inexpensive, but you get much more for your money and the OEM software is better, IMO, than the Science Surplus one. I supposed it could be argued that I'm jaded, but it is difficult to ague with success.
 
No doubt, the ocean optics and the software is far better than this antique device from B & W-TEK. I did not want to defend the spectrometer of B & W-TEK, but this treat is primarily about this device, uses and modifications of this part. Of course, you can buy with money ready and finished equipment, but primarily most of us want to tinker here themselves, so it is here in this forum essentially .... right?
 
I don't disagree with the reasons for this thread. Just my opinion of the differences in the two options. I have been called out to explain how my Ocean Optics can be more accurate than these and of course when it is worded as they are essentially the same spectrometers, it is difficult to point to any one thing, but it is nice to see someone else see what I see when comparing the two.

I believe this thread is very important for those who are trying to get the most out of one of these spectrometers and I was in at the beginning of this thread. Doing all I could to try to make them work as well as possible. But, in the end, they are what they are. I'm not trying to slam these or this thread as I have been in it from the start. Sorry if I gave you that notion.
 
paul1598419 said:
I don't disagree with the reasons for this thread. Just my opinion of the differences in the two options. I have been called out to explain how my Ocean Optics can be more accurate than these and of course when it is worded as they are essentially the same spectrometers, it is difficult to point to any one thing, but it is nice to see someone else see what I see when comparing the two.

I believe this thread is very important for those who are trying to get the most out of one of these spectrometers and I was in at the beginning of this thread. Doing all I could to try to make them work as well as possible. But, in the end, they are what they are. I'm not trying to slam these or this thread as I have been in it from the start. Sorry if I gave you that notion.
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Yes Paul, it is as you said, the b&w-TEK device is not as up to date .... me too ... :beer:
 
Gentleman/ladies...not sure really, I posted that because I was subtly asking for help aligning the bw Tek system. I think they should be able to match the ocean optics units. I think they just need a lot of alignment help. While I did go hr2000, I still want to make these the best possible. Sorry, I will be more direct in the future. Didn’t means to start a disagreement as one doesn’t exist.

So that said, what is different between the units that could make such a difference? I think it’s is pretty much the same parts. What gives. I think there has to be some non linear issue or the equation would work. Is the grating bentfrom glue stress? Is the collimator off? Is the focus mirror figured wrong. Might be as they really only wanted a very small part of the spectrum. They may have used seconds for the optics in these. I’ve had on3 of three actually align to one nm. The rest are dead on at the laser lines used to mak3 the coefficients but off for hg and neon. I wo7ld b3 interested in the result if someone send a known double monochromator to take a pixel read every ten nm and see how the coefficients come out. We could at least see the non linearity by graphing the pixels. I don’t have such a tool to do it or I would. We used 13 gas laser lines and got pretty darn close. Why then do the hg and neon lines not offer such capability?
 
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