This is the latest version of Public Lab's DIY Desktop Spectrometry Kit -- the Lego Spectrometer. It addresses issues of rigidity, sourcing, modularity, and image quality over previous versions.

We've been making and distributing [Do-It-Yourself spectrometers](/w//spectrometry) since 2011, and have been through [4 major kit versions](http://store.publiclab.org/collections/spectrometry) and hundreds of different community contributed modifications, new versions, changes, and more. 

## Preorders

To **preorder a kit**, visit the Public Lab Store:

<a class="btn btn-lg btn-primary" href="https://store.publiclab.org/collections/spectrometry">Pre-order a kit</a>


## Design goals

Over the years, we've identified a few really critical improvements that have been tough to solve:

* rigidity
* easy to source parts
* modularity - working together
* image quality

Our mission is to make it **easier, cheaper, and more accessible to do environmental monitoring**, and to do that as an open source, collaborative community. And of course part of that is cost -- while people build upon our kits with more expensive options and upgrades, we want the basic kit to be extremely affordable. 

So, this design tries to address each of these challenges with ideas and input from the community: 

## Quick start

Assembly instructions are here:

> https://publiclab.org/notes/warren/12-13-2017/assembling-the-public-lab-lego-spectrometer

Read the introduction post here:

> https://publiclab.org/notes/warren/12-13-2017/introducing-a-lego-spectrometer

## Questions

[questions:lego-spectrometer]

## Activities

Activities show how to use this project, step by step.

[activities:lego-spectrometer]


## Parts

### 3D models

* Tinkercad: https://tinkercad.com/things/43IqCTHE7Iz
* Thingiverse: https://www.thingiverse.com/thing:2711528

### 3D brick models

Lots of great brick models are available here: https://printabrick.org/ and on http://thingiverse.com

* assorted standard bricks: https://www.thingiverse.com/thing:2626413
* holey bricks: https://www.thingiverse.com/thing:1095326
* sloped brick: https://www.thingiverse.com/thing:527185
* corner L brick: https://printabrick.org/bricks/2357
* brick w/ peg: https://printabrick.org/bricks/2458 (I used this instead of a 1x2 hole brick + a friction peg, because I couldn't find a model for the brick)

Brick dimensions are nicely described in this diagram from Wikipedia:

https://commons.wikimedia.org/wiki/File:Lego_dimensions.svg