The RSpec Explorer Spectrometer is an easy-to-use, inexpensive optical spectrometer that is marketed as a classroom demonstration tool for gas discharge tubes. However, it can be used for reflectance spectroscopy, measuring blackbody curve temperatures, examining light bulb and glowstick spectra, and even fluorescence spectroscopy.1–3 In a video, James Lincoln demonstrates how the RSpec Explorer can be adapted to see the infrared spectral region.4 This might lead one to conclude that the device can be used for near-infrared spectroscopy. Here, we demonstrate that the RSpec Explorer has limited sensitivity in the near-infrared spectral range. Nonetheless, we suggest that imaging an infrared light source with RSpec Explorer provides a unique learning opportunity for students.
In his video, at the 9:07 time stamp, James Lincoln explains how to recalibrate the RSpec Explorer to image the infrared emission from a 940-nm LED in a TV remote. He uses his smartphone’s LED flashlight...
