Do you have any insight on how to take spectroscopy measurements at home on a <1k€ budget? And how to select an LED manufacturing supplier when CRI is often the only thing available on the datasheet?
Starting points for first question: Look into i1Pro (later models of the first generation), which can be had for $200-400. Combine with some free or $99 Windows/Mac/Android software [0] [1].
Second question: It is still too hard even to find CRI for most offerings. It's pretty much a "buy, test, return the ones you don't like" situation. If independent reviewers start publishing spectrograms and making YouTube/etc videos, perhaps the industry will move forward some day.
A little garden spectrometer is pretty good, and around $60: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=LxQmaJYMOAk . And the LED supplier should give a spectrometer graph. If you can get a dual peak LED that will give a better spectrum distribution. The Amaran 200x S is one of the best.
Very cool! I definitely want a spectrometer at home now! edit: looks like it's more of a DIY project than a commercial thing. Maybe DIY spectrometer is my next project then!
I bought a little garden on aliexpress from the guy who makes it. It's very plug and play and it does about 350-1100nm, which is pretty impressive. I used it to verify how my own DIY sun reproduction setup works. https://www.aliexpress.us/item/3256807055520087.html
There is also this commercial one that is Bluetooth and more portable for around $150, similar spectrum range but lower spectrum resolution than the little garden one. https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=MOXryggwr_Q
https://www.amazon.com/Analytical-Wavelength-340-1000nm-Spec...
The hopocolor vis light ones are also fairly widespread and are more stand alone for about $280: https://www.aliexpress.us/item/3256807972511960.html
My current issue is finding a 250-400nm UV spectrometer or IR spectrometers beyond 1000nm that don't go into the $1000+ range. Standard mass market CMOS sensors don't go into those ranges, so they become far more specialized parts and thus way more pricy.
Mid level, $750: https://www.aseq-instruments.com/LR1.html
Entry (?) untested, $350: https://thunderoptics.fr/product/sma-e-spectrometer/
The luxeon 2835 website that’s linked in the article has a data sheet for the LED source. Scroll down and you’ll see the spectra for various subtypes of that source.