A group of interdisciplinary students have previously designed and constructed a low-cost, open-source Raman spectrometer, including a tunable diode laser system. The symmetrical Czerny-Turner design uses a linear ccd array and digital-to-analog conversion circuitry driven by an Arduino microcontroller with a Python based custom user interface running on a Raspberry Pi3. While Raman spectroscopy is included in most undergraduate texts in both chemistry and modern physics, laboratory experiences with Raman is cost prohibitive in many programs. Compared to commercial units with similar performance, our laser system is ~1/6 the cost and the spectrometer is ~1/3 the cost. We present a qualitative discussion of the impact on student experiential learning in the construction of the apparatus. Additionally, we describe the integration of Raman spectroscopy into our research methods course.

Experiential learning with open-source hardware: Application to Raman spectroscopy

2019 Spring National Meeting

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