🎈 Public Lab: What sensor would I need to detect spectra of small organisms (virtus, bacteria etc)

Question:What sensor would I need to detect spectra of small organisms (virtus, bacteria etc)

by fouadalnoor | September 28, 2016 19:00 | #13498

What I want to do or know

What CCD sensor (or other sensor?) that could be used to detect the spectra of very small organisms such as bacteria or viruses?

Background story

I'm trying to set up a cheap experiment to look at the transmission spectrum of viruses or bacteria, but not sure which sensor would be useful for this purpose? Since you guys have a DIY kit available, I thought you might know.

Thanks in advance!

Fouad.

4 Comments

Oh, wow, really good question! I wonder if you could combine some of the DIY microscope projects -- especially those based on the Raspberry Pi (which can do long exposures) -- with a spectrometer, perhaps building on the work by the #webvalley group? I imagine you'd need really long exposures to take a spectrum of a very small thing like that.

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Update: I added a question to our new Q&A system posing a related possibility of using a Raspberry Pi cam: https://publiclab.org/questions/warren/09-28-2016/upgrade-a-diy-spectrometer-with-a-raspberry-pi-camera

Wow thanks for the tip. Yeah I will check out the group and see what I can find.

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Hi, you might find some answers at http://rifevideos.com/the_rife_microscopes_information_and_blueprint_page.html . This site has a wealth of info which may be of interest.

I think a powerful source of monochromatic light coupled with counter rotating prisms to select a specific wavelength might give sufficient illumination to have the subject microbes/virii fluoresce.

Good luck with your research.

stef

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