BLACK-Comet UV-VIS Spectrometer
with Research Grade Concave Grating Optics Request a QuoteDownload Instrument PDF
Research Grade
Concave Grating Spectrometer Features
- Measurements in the 190-850nm or 280-900nm ranges
- High performance concave grating optics for UV-VIS applications
- Superb spectral imaging with no mirrors for lowest possible stray light
- Enhanced UV Sensitivity & Flat-field imaging for uniform resolution
- No optical adjustments for extreme thermal stability and ruggedness
- Thermo-electrically Cooled Detector (TEC) upgrade increases S/N by 60%
- BLACK-Comet-SR (Super Range) for wide range applications 200-1100nm
- BLACK-Comet-HR (High Resolution) for high resolution applications <0.4nm
- Interchangeable Slit upgrade Options – Now available!
BLACK-Comet Optics- The concave holographic grating is aberration corrected and has no mirrors to minimize stray light with superb imaging projecting a flat field on the detector
StellarNet BLACK-Comet concave grating spectrometers deliver high performance for spectroscopy applications in the UV-VIS wavelength ranges covering 190-850nm (model C), or optionally 280-900nm (model CXR)
Research Grade Optical Performance – The BLACK-Comet UV-VIS spectrometers utilize a 40mm diameter concave grating with aberration correction to provide the best optical performance of any compact spectrometer on the market.
- Improved spectral shapes by reducing coma and astigmatism found in plane grating spectrograph designs.
- Stray light reduction- The spectrograph architecture does not utilize mirrors, and therefore provides the lowest possible stray light, which is especially helpful for UV applications.
- Enhanced sensitivity- due to the spectrometers ability to reduce light scatter, especially high power UV light, the BLACK-Comet provides two to three times enhanced UV sensitivity as compared to plane grating/Czerny Turner optical configurations.
- Uniform resolution – The concave grating produces a flat field on the CCD detector creating uniform resolution over the entire spectral range.
- Thermal Stability- Optical bench architecture without mounting turrets and optical posts (typically in most USB spectrometers) decreases thermal expansion and contraction and increases overall system performance with temperature change
Various models provide a choice of wavelength range and slit resolutions. New and improved electronics with a high speed 16-bit digitizer allows for fast data acquisition and a signal to noise of 1000:1!
Check out our Technical Note on Concave Grating Optics
Ruggedized – The detachable spectrograph assembly and control electronics are protected inside a rugged metal enclosure, suitable for portable, process, lab, and field applications.
Interchangeable Slit Upgrade Options – Upgrade to your spectrometer’s optical bench input allows access to exchangeable slits. Includes pack of 14, 25 50, 100, 200um slits. 14um for best resolution and 200um for high sensitivity applications. New slit locking technology means no hardware or screwdriver is required creating the most flexible spectrometer solution on the planet.
Multi-unit connection (up to 8) can be daisy chained together and are able to run simultaneously.
USB Powered – BLACK-Comet UV-VIS spectrometers can be powered directly from your PC’s USB-2 port. A single strand fiber optic cable or probe assembly delivers input via standard SMA 905 fiber optic connector with a choice of cable lengths.
Onboard Memory with pre-set calibrations and spectrometer settings and snap shot memory to provide instantaneous spectral image from the highly sensitive CCD with 2048.
High Speed Electronic Interface can be attached directly to a computers USB port for high speed data transfer. Options for Wifi/ethernet communication available as well as other interfaces. ContactUs@StellarNet.us for more info.
BLACK-Comet Technical Specifications
(1) zAP1 Electronics Upgrade (2) zAP2 Wifi + Applications Processor Upgrade with SpectraWiz Mobile Software (3) SMART-Control Interface
Dynamic range: 2000:1 with 6 decades
Optical resolution: < 1 nm Resolving Res. with 25um slit
Detector type: CMOS/CCD or PDA, 2k/3k pixels
Detector range: C=190-850nm or CXR=280-900nm
Pixel size: 14 x 200um (CMOS/CCD) or 7 x 200um (PDA)
Diffraction Gratings: Concave; Aberration corrected
Grating g/mm: Holographic, 590 g/mm
Spectrograph: f/2, Flat field – No mirrors
Order sorting filters: Integrated multi-band
Signal to noise: 1000:1 CCD, *TEC optional upgrade
Digitizer: 16-bit
Dimensions: 69 x 100 x 150mm
Power consumption: < 100 mA via USB port
Interface Options: USB2 or Wifi (2), RS232 (3), SPI3, 4-20mA (3) Digital I/O (3) or ethernet (3)
Detector Integration: 1ms to 8 minutes
Data Transfer Speed: 30Hz or 1000Hz (1)
Slit size options: 14, 25, 50, 100, 200um
Stray light: 0.02% at 435 nm; 0.2% at 200 nm
Fiber optic input: SMA-905 0.22na single fiber
Operating systems: Windows and Linux (2), Andriod (2), iOS (2)
Software included: SpectraWiz Program, WinSDK (C,C#,VB, Delphi), Customizable LabVIEW, VBA for Excel (CRI & LED Report)
BLACK-Comet TE Cooler upgrades reduce the temperature of the CCD to 15 degrees below ambient and increase instrument S/N drastically by reducing noise over 50% at long exposures. This upgrade improves the compact spectrometer’s measurement quality and makes it a perfect solution for fluorescence and other weak emission applications. In order to achieve low temperatures the TEC add-on includes a new sealed and isolated detector enclosure with specialized heat sink and air flow design for added stability and cool operation.
TEC Upgrade Price -> $1,750
Low light spectral measurement of a dim backlit LED display. The display measurement is performed with a BLACK-Comet-TEC spectrometer with the thermo-electric cooler ON and OFF at a 30 second exposure time. The background noise is drastically reduced, increasing instrument detection capabilities.
BLACK-Comet Base Price –$3,450.00 CMOS/CCD/PDA Detectors – Typical Response Predicted Slit Resolving Resolutions
BLACK-Comet Models - Choose your model and slit
| BLACK-Comet Model | Wavelength Range (nm) | Grating g/mm | Slit-200 nm res. | Slit-100 nm res. | Slit-50 nm res. | Slit-25 nm res. | Slit-14 nm res. |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
BLK-C   | 190-850 | 590  | 6.0 | 3.0 | 1.5 | 0.85 | 0.75 |
| BLK-CXR | 280-900 | 590 | 6.0 | 3.0 | 1.5 | 0.85 | 0.75 |
Deuterium Lamp Spectra
Tungsten Halogen Lamp spectrum
Grating Efficiency Curve
Super Ranges (200-1100nm)
StellarNet has released super range concave grating spectrometers, BLACK-Comet-SR. The grating uses an enhanced Dual Blaze technology to extend the concave grating models range to 1100nm.
See more at BLACK-Comet-SR
High Resolutions (<0.4nm)
StellarNet has just released high resolution concave grating spectrometers, BLACK-Comet-HR. The new models come in a UV (200-600nm) and VIS (380-750nm) range with resolutions down to 0.4nm.
See more at BLACK-Comet-HR
BLACK-Comet Sample Spectra
Optical Metrology and Colorimetry
BLACK-Comet UV-VIS spectrometer model CXR-25 (-25 denotes slit size) measuring the transmission of a blue plastic film using a SL1 tungsten halogen lamp, TXF-4 transmission fixture, and two F600-VIS-NIR fiber optic cables and providing colorimetric data in CIELAB color space. Go to the colorimetry page.
Solar Irradiance Monitoring
BLACK-Comet-SR in DSR-CSR-512 system measuring solar irradiance. The dual blaze concave grating allows for superb spectral imaging from 220-1100nm.
BLACK-Comet Sensitivity
Spectral sensitivity is one of the most important factors in choosing the proper miniature spectrometer. The concave grating optical design allows for high sensitivity and a smooth spectral distribution over the wavelength range as shown in the above spectrum of a Tungsten Halogen lamp.
UV-VIS Absorbance System
StellarNet’s Low Cost UV-VIS Spectrometer system is composed of the BLACK-Comet research grade concave grating spectrometer, a SL5 high stability light source with integrated cuvette holder, and an optical coupling fiber. Above is the absorbance spectrum of various sugars.
Optical Metrology and Colorimetry BLACK-Comet UV-VIS spectrometer model CXR-25 (-25 denotes slit size) measuring the transmission of a blue plastic film using a SL1 tungsten halogen lamp, TXF-4 transmission fixture, and two F600-VIS-NIR fiber optic cables and providing colorimetric data in CIELAB color space. Go to the colorimetry page.
JACK 1-In Trigger
TTL input trigger to enable spectrometer scan. $250.00
TE Cooler Upgrade reduces the temperature of the CCD to 15 degrees below ambient and increase instrument S/N by 60% at long exposures, improving low light measurement quality for fluorescence and other weak emission applications. In order to achieve low temperatures the TEC add-on includes a sealed and isolated detector enclosure with specialized heat sink and air flow design for added stability and cool operation. $1,750.00
zAP1 Electronics Upgrade
zAutomation Processor 1 upgrade provides auto and user controllable spectral baseline and gain for maximized dynamic range and burst mode for high speed consecutive spectral capture. $450.00 (available currently on new spectrometers)
zAP2 WiFi Upgrade
The zAP2 WiFi upgrade enables WiFi access to any spectrometer. Now use our new StellarRAD App, ColorWiz, or ChemWiz Apps on your iPhone or Android device. zAP2 WiFi upgrade can be added to all new and some old spectrometers in the field. Once added, the spectrometer runs as normal receiving power from the computer’s USB. When you connect your zAP2 5VDC power plug, the WiFi initializes and you can connect your device. Also, the zAP2 enables USB over IP and you can run SpectraWiz wirelessly on your Windows computer. $600.00
Optional Configurations
Units may be daisy chained via USB-2 hub allowing simple configurations for dual and multi-beam process applications. 8 BLACK-Comet spectrometers can be operated at once!
Free SpectraWiz Software
The powerful SpectraWiz® spectrometer software is provided free of charge with every spectrometer instrument. This includes drivers and customizable software for Windows. The SpectraWiz software is considered the “Swiss Army Knife of Spectroscopy” and may be used to accurately measure wavelength emissions, reflectance, transmission, absorption, concentrations, and absolute intensities. In addition to real-time spectroscopy, SpectraWiz® has built-in applications for SpectroRadiometry, SpectroColorimetry, ChemWiz chemistry lab concentration analyzer, and UV level monitors. Download SpectraWiz Software FREE
StellarRAD for iPhone and Andriod – Light Spectral Analysis App
The StellarRAD App for all WiFi-enabled StellarNet spectrometers (zAP2 WiFi upgrade) makes real-time light measurement quick and easy. Acquire full spectrum analysis of LEDs, lamps, lasers, solar or grow lights, and just about any type of luminaire from ultra-violet through the visible and near-infrared!
This intuitive app lets users control their spectrometer and capture basic and more advanced light measurement parameters such as spectral irradiance and lumens. Colorimetric analysis such as CRI (color rendering index), CCT (correlated color temperature), xy chromaticity, and much more are included. Easily save and export your data and full spectral graph as an .IRR text data file, screenshot, and/or PDF report with all parameters listed.
SpectraWiz MobileTM for Linux/RasPi
The SpectraWiz MobileTM for Linux/RasPi is designed to run directly on the SMART-Control spectrometer interfaces or can be packaged for your your requirements. Using the local access point or WiFi you can easily log in and run applications for General Spectroscopy, Radiometry, Colorimetry, and Concentration analysis.
The easy to use applications are written in python and provided free with purchase of a SMART-Control spectrometer upgrade. Source codes can be purchased separately and can be further customized to suite each user’s requirements. OEM customers can add their logos or additional computations and industrial customers can set their spectrometer and stream their data to PLCs or other process monitoring platforms. SMART-Control devices support RS232, 4-20mA Analog, 26 pin digital I/O, Ethernet, I2C and other options available upon request.
Standard Interface
The system includes a high speed plug & play interface using USB-2 connection.
zAP2 WiFi Upgrade
The zAP2 WiFi upgrade enables WiFi access to any spectrometer. Now use our new StellarRAD App on your iPhone or Android device to make real-time spectral measurements quick and easy. The zAP2 WiFi upgrade can be added to all new and some old spectrometers in the field. Once added, the spectrometer runs as normal receiving power from the computer’s USB. When you connect your zAP2 5VDC power plug, the WiFi initializes and you can connect your device. Also, the zAP2 enables USB over IP and you can run SpectraWiz wirelessly on your Windows computer. $600.00
SMART-Control Interface Upgrade
The SMART-Control device offers communication flexibility and application specific customization for any StellarNet spectrometer. This add-on interface includes an integrated CPU with 1GB RAM and many communication protocols such as RS232, SPI, 4-20mA Analog for PLCs, Digital I/O, Ethernet, Wifi and many other options. The SMART-Control allows customers to move their spectrometers into process or OEM environments and stream their selected real world data. $2,000.00
Technical Information Request
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