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Set up the software

 SPARKvue

Connecting the sensor to a tablet or computer:

1. Turn on the Wireless Light Sensor. Check to make sure the

Bluetooth Status LED is blinking red.

2. Open SPARKvue, then click Sensor Data.

3. From the list of available wireless devices on the left, select

the device which matches the device ID printed on your
Wireless Light Sensor.

Collecting data:

1. Select the measurements you intend to record from the

Select Measurements for Templates menu by clicking the
check box next to the relevant measurements' names.

2. Click Graph in the Templates section to open the

Experiment Screen. The graph’s axes will auto-populate
with the selected measurements.

3. Click Start 

 to begin recording data.

 PASCO Capstone

Connecting the sensor to a computer:

1. Turn on the Wireless Light Sensor. Check to make sure the

Bluetooth Status LED is blinking red.

2. Open Capstone, then click Hardware Setup 

 in the

Tools palette.

3. From the list of Available Wireless Devices, click the

device which matches the device ID printed on your
Wireless Light Sensor.

Collecting data:

1. Double-click or drag the Graph 

 icon in the Displays

palette to create a new blank graph display.

2. To assign measurements to the graph’s axes, click each

<Select Measurement> box and select an appropriate
measurement from the list.

3. Click Record 

 to begin collecting data.

Measurements

The Spot sensor measures relative light levels in red, green,
blue, and white. The Ambient sensor measures relative light
levels in red, green, blue, white, UVA, and UVB. Note that the
software does not report red, green, blue, or white from the
Ambient Light Aperture.

Spot Light Sensor:

Measurement

Range of Values

White (count)

0 to 65,535

Red* (%)

0 to 100

Green* (%)

0 to 100

Blue* (%)

0 to 100

*As a percentage of the total light detected by the Spot Light
Sensor

Ambient Light Sensor:

Measurement

Range of Values

UVA (count)

0 to 65,535

UVB (count)

0 to 65,535

UV Index

0 to 12 (typical in daylight)

Illuminance* (lux)

0 to 131,000

Solar Irradiance* (W/m

2

)

0 to 1,362

Solar PAR* (µmol/m

2

/s)

0 to 2,400

*Based on solar radiance

Definitions of measurements

UVA: Ultraviolet A refers to ultraviolet radiation with wavelengths
between 315 and 400 nm.

UVB: Ultraviolet B refers to ultraviolet radiation with wavelengths
between 290 and 320 nm; this range comprises less than 1% of
the ultraviolet radiation that reaches Earth.

UV Index: The ultraviolet index, or UV index, measures the
potential for skin damage by exposure to sunlight at a given
location. A low number means less risk than a higher number.

Illuminance: This refers to the total luminous flux incident on a
surface per unit area. It is used as a measure of how much the
incident light illuminates the surface. Illuminance is measured in
lux, or lumens per square meter.

Irradiance: In radiometry, irradiance is the radiant flux (power)
received by a surface per unit area. The SI unit of irradiance is
the watt per square meter (W/m

2

).

PAR (Photosynthetically Active Radiation): This designates
the spectral range, or wave band, of solar radiation from 400 to
700 nm that photosynthetic organisms are able to use in the
process of photosynthesis. This spectral region corresponds
closely with the range of light visible to the human eye.

Light Sensor response curves

The sensor’s relative responsivity for a given wavelength refers
to a ratio of the current produced in the sensor in response to
light of this wavelength from an LED of a specific color to the
current produced in response to the same wavelength from a
clear LED. The graph in Figure 1 shows normalized Relative
Responsivity versus Wavelength (in nm) for red, green, blue, and
clear LEDs.

The approximate wavelength ranges at half-max are:

• Red: 580 to 650 nm

• Green: 510 to 580 nm

• Blue: 400 to 510 nm

Wireless Light Sensor | PS-3213

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