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How to Take Strobe Data Through a Sight Glass

To take strobe data, you will likely want to measure various factors of the strobe such as light intensity, strobe shape and size, strobe duration and color of emitted light waves. The best way to get the most accurate readings is to have all other lights off -- or dimmed, if some must be on -- when the measurements are being recorded with light-sensitive equipment. Much of the equipment needed can be very expensive, and in some cases may require some familiarity to be operated correctly.

Things You'll Need

Footcandle meter
DSLR camera with high FPS
Computer
Spectrometer

Instructions

- 1
  Use a footcandle meter to measure the light intensity of the strobe. Hold the meter so that its light-gathering open end is facing the glass. The spindle on the face of the meter will jump to indicate the lux of the strobe. Record the lux both of the peak -- the brightest point -- of the strobe, as well as the lowest point of the strobe, which may be zero if the lowest point of the strobe is darkness.
- 2
  Position a DSLR camera against the glass, with the flash turned off. Using the highest FPS settings, capture a round of photos to comprise two full strobe durations. Upload these photos to a computer and study them. You will be able to see the shape and size of the strobe, and also be able to discern whether the shape and size are consistent between strobes. Based on the timestamps of the photos, you will also be able to determine the duration of the strobe, the duration of the lag between strobes and the duration of highest light intensity. Many varieties of image editing software come with grid and measurement tools to allow you to superimpose rulers, graphs and shapes over photographs to allow you to more objectively quantify minute and exact measurements.
- 3
  Use a single beam spectrometer to measure the reflectance, diffusivity and wavelength of the strobe. The spectrometer should be connected to a nearby computer, and its aperture set against the sight glass. The spectrometer will diffract the wavelength of the pulse, and transfer the data of its measurements onto the computer.

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