Qwiic Visible Spectrum Emitter

The Qwiic Visible Spectrum Emitter is a unique product that offers a broad spectrum of light emission, unlike the standard RGB LEDs that emit only three colors. This product features 9 discrete LEDs that span the visible spectrum from 455 to 720nm. Each LED is designed to emit light with a narrow peak wavelength, providing a more comprehensive range of colors. The exception is the phosphor-based green LED, which is a compromise to maintain overall luminous intensity and cost-effectiveness. This product is ideal for those interested in spectroscopy, photography, and photochemistry.

The Qwiic Visible Spectrum Emitter is based on the MultiSpecLED design by Ben Krasnow, but with slight modifications. The LEDs used in this product are less powerful and are placed closer together. Sparkfun has also made the product Qwiic-compatible by designing it around the LP55231 I²C LED controller. This design ensures that the product can be used for a variety of applications that require a broad-spectrum LED emitter.

The emitter comes with a USB-C port that allows you to connect a high-current 5V power supply for the LEDs. The back of the board features exposed copper that can accommodate a self-adhesive copper heatsink for applications that require active cooling. The LEDs can function at about 80% PWM cycle without the need for an auxiliary heatsink or active cooling, however, if operated at higher than that, the board will heat up quickly.

The Qwiic Visible Spectrum Emitter can be controlled using example Arduino code available in the SparkFun LP55231 Arduino Library. This feature allows even those with minimal coding experience to operate the product effectively.

Features:

• USB-C Connector for LED Power
• 2x Qwiic Connection Ports
• I²C Address: Default 0x35 (2-bit selectable)
• 9 Discrete Single-color LEDs at the following wavelengths: 455nm, 475nm, 500nm, 525nm, 540nm, 590nm, 615nm, 660nm, 730nm

Documents:

• Schematic
• Eagle Files
• Datasheets: LP55231 Programmable LED Driver, AL8860 Buck LED Driver, Cree J-Series LEDs
• LP55231 Arduino Library
• GitHub Hardware Repo

Please note that Sparkfun's SparkX products are experimental and rapidly produced to bring the latest technology to consumers. These products are tested but come without guarantees. Live technical support is not available for SparkX products. For support or to ask a question, please visit Sparkfun's forum.