Hardware design changes

We have recently been working on a modification to the colorimeter hardware design. In the new design, the colorimeter base plate has been extended lengthwise so that the Arduino can be mounted right next to the colorimeter. We have found that this makes handling the colorimeter much easier than the original design with 2 separate parts.

Shown below is an image of the new colorimeter base plate. The base plate is laser cut from 1/4" black acrylic, shown below with the paper backing still on. As you can see, the right-hand "Arduino side" has 2 sets of mounting holes: one for mounting the Arduino directly to the board (shown in green) and a second set for mounting the aluminum colorimeter TuxCase (shown in red).

Typically the colorimeter is assembled with the Arduino mounted directly onto the base plate, as shown in the Image below on the left. However, the base plate can also be used to mount a colorimeter TuxCase. This aluminum Arduino enclosure is a nice addition for protecting the Arduino board from liquid spills in the lab or classroom.

Kit content changes

In addition to the new base plate described above, we have also made a couple of other additional changes to improve the colorimeter kit.

1) Larger kit box

The new kits will ship in a larger kit box (1.6 L). The assembled colorimeter will fit back into the tub for storage along with your Arduino USB cable, screwdriver and cuvettes. You can also choose from 2 different colors for the storage tub: clear or transparent blue (shown opposite).

2) New cuvettes

We have recently started using macro cuvettes in our work here with the colorimeter. These cuvettes have a larger max. volume (3.5 mL) and work well with the colorimeter. We wanted to include this style of cuvette with the kit so now they will ship with 3 of the original semi-macro (1 mL volume) and 3 macro cuvettes. This way you can try out the two different cuvette volume sizes. The 6 cuvettes also now include caps.

3) Additional hardware for mounting Arduino &/or TuxCase

For mounting both the colorimeter and Arduino to the new base plate design, we have made some changes to the hardware. The new hardware is packed into 3 different labeled hardware bags for easier identification during assembly.

User manual v 2.0

We have re-written all of the assembly steps for the kit along with much better images. The new User Manual (v 2.0) is an online Google document as before so anyone can view and download the Manual. A PDF version will be added to the website shortly.

Upgrading your colorimeter to the new design

For users that are currently using the original colorimeter design, upgrading to the newer version is pretty simple. Please contact us with a request for the colorimeter upgrade kit along with your Order Number or Kickstarter backer name, and we will send you a new base plate, accessory hardware and 3 of the macro cuvettes for free - we only ask that you be willing to pay for shipping.