Due to space and budget constraints, a decision to make a DIY spectrophotometer was taken. The plan was to compare the results of our DIY device with industrial grade lab equipment to set a golden standard a get a measure of our margin for error.

(Image explaining the underlying principle of our test)

Equipment used:

• Light source – LED
• Grating and Wavelength selector – Bandpass filter
• Detector – TCS3200D Color sensor
• Control – Arduino

Problems with design:

• Sensor only gave RGB values
• Bandpass filters are very expensive 
• LEDs do not emit light evenly throughout wavelengths

Hence this iteration was not usable and was considered a learning experience and an opportunity to research more.