This spectrometer is made with a black card inserts inside a 1" PVC or aluminum conduit box, and uses an HD USB webcam. This allows the user to view the spectrum in real-time, rather than taking a photo and analyzing it later. See a full bill of materials here: * [List of materials](/wiki/spectrometer-materials) (currently somewhat messy) * [Most recent assembly pics](http://publiclaboratory.org/notes/warren/10-12-2012/diy-spectrometry-kit-paper-insert-prototype) This hardware design is released under the CERN Open Hardware License 1.1. ##Specs## (these are approximated but we should soon post a page with calibration information) * around 400-900nm, maybe wider * 5-10nm spectral resolution * 20-30 samples per second * around $20 in materials, drops to around $10 if you use a really cheap webcam * approx. 1 hour construction time * web-based, open-source capture/analysis software at: https://spectralworkbench.org ##Goals## Our early goals are to: * Identify a contaminant in a sample, like Polycyclic Aromatic Hydrocarbons -- like [naphthalene, anthracene and tetracene](http://publiclaboratory.org/notes/warren/8-5-2011/uv-visible-spectral-features-benzine-and-some-pahs). Tetracene has absorption bands well into the visible range. * Identify a plant species by its spectrum. (see [this helpful paper by Zomer et al](https://publiclab.org/sites/default/files/Zomer_2009.PDF)) Or perhaps a mineral, using the [ASTER spectral library](http://archive.publiclaboratory.org/aster-spectral-library/) * Try to identify something in a smokestack plume, like a refinery plume ##How to build your own## Instructions on building your spectrometer can be found here: ###[Video Spectrometer Construction »](/wiki/video-spectrometer-construction)###