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UltravioletPhotography

Optical spectrum analyzer


Ultrapurplepix

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Ultrapurplepix

I have dug out an old optical spectrum analyzer, a Monolight 6601, that has a spectral measurement range of 2500-300nm. I have the documentation and even the original driver software but, regrettably, no PC driver card or connecting cable and no hints on what they might be.

 

Anyway, it does have BNC outputs for trigger and signal and, by dint of connecting up an oscilloscope and shining a flashlight and various lasers into the input aperture, I have managed to prove that it works (at least after a fashion). I had to disconnect the stepper motors that run the input and output slit wheel selections because they just kept going round and round, and also remove the filter wheel from the input section, but these are by no means irreversible changes.

 

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I figure that if I can get the thing working repeatably I can probably use it with a suitable light source (perhaps a HID xenon headlamp bulb) and get some idea of the UV response of the various lenses in my junkbox. Any thoughts?

 

Of course, it would be nice to have a shiny new spectrum analyzer or, better, a UV-Nikkor, but one has to use what one has - and can afford.

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Somewhat outside my ken. But others might weigh in here.

Our member Shane Elen is experienced with such equipment. Shoot him a PM and maybe he can make some suggestions.

 

As for the lenses - you can also just experiment !! Make note of camera settings and exposure data. It is usually fairly obvious whether a lens works for UV or not. Do check our lens list to see if any of your lenses are in it. Or list them here, and Bjørn can tell you a lot about them if they are Nikkors. Maybe also if they are not.

(He is dealing with some stuff right now, so it might be awhile before he sees this.)

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Giles,

 

Welcome from a fellow newcomer. I have lots of vintage spectroradiometer gear in the back of my lab. Optically they are beautiful, electronically they are dinosaurs. It is difficult to keep them up when the old computers with vintage IO cards die but I cannot bear to throw them out.

Your Monolight OSI used to be handled by the now defunct UK company Macam. The company has reconstituted as Irradian (http://www.irradian.co.uk/). They likely no longer support the Monolight but may be able to provide guidance if enough institutional memory remains.

 

I use Optronic Laboratories instruments so I am not familiar with your OSA. However, since you mentioned an exit slit I suspect it mounts an external detector module. That also means that there may be a radiometer of some sort to read the detector signal. Some grating spectrometers have an auxiliary output port so they may be also be used as monochromator sources with an internal switching mirror to switch the light between the exit port and internal detector, so you may want to look for an internal detector but given the wavelength range you state there were probably multiple external detector modules.

 

Good Luck!

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