dev-kit-2020

Introduction

Reasons to use Chromation’s Development kit:

• evaluate Chromation’s spectrometer technology
• design a product using Chromation’s spectrometer chip

Dev-kit setup and usage

Please see additional information about setting up and using:

• the dev-kit hardware
  • see DEV-KIT.md
• the dev-kit Python interface
  • see PYTHON.md

Windows users: please enable “Load VCP”.

See PYTHON-SETUP.md for steps starting on a Windows or Linux system without Python.

Dev-kit circuit boards

Each interface has its own circuit board. So the dev-kit divides into three printed circuit boards (PCBs):

• vis-analog-out
  • breakout board for Chromation CUVV-45-1-1-1-SMT
  • direct analog interface to the spectrometer chip
  • converts the QFN-48 chip to ZIF-8
• vis-spi-out
  • SPI interface to Chromation CUVV-45-1-1-1-SMT
• usb-bridge
  • converts SPI interface to USB interface

Circuit board names

The names of the circuit boards are the names used in the hardware and firmware files.

vis refers to the CMOS image sensor 300-1100nm wavelength range

The vis prefix is short for visible spectrum, as opposed to UV (ultra-violet) or IR (infrared).

The Chromation spectrometer chip uses a CMOS image sensor. The image sensor peaks in the visible part of the wavelength range, so the breakout and readout boards are prefixed with the name vis.

The visible wavelength range is 400-700nm. This is not what vis refers to.

Chromation’s vis spectrometer spans the full wavelength sensitivity range of standard CMOS image sensors, roughly 300-1100nm. This range includes UV and NIR (near-infrared), but CMOS image sensor sensitivity is weak at the tail ends of this range. The exact wavelength range is provided with the spectrometer’s wavelength calibration data.

Back to Table of Contents