Average rainfall 2001-2016, global tropics

Map: Average rainfall 2001-2016, global tropics

Sensor Project Nano Project Uno

component: AMS spectrometers breakout boards

Thomas Gumbricht bio photo By Thomas Gumbricht

Introduction

The Austrian company AMS produce filter based miniature spectrometers. When I first wrote this post in 2019 AMS produced three miniature spectrometers, each with 6 bands.

The AMS AS7341 11-band spectral sensor was launched in 2019 and became available in 2020 as breakout board from Adafruit. and Mikroe.

In February 2022 AMS presented a 14-band filter based visible (VIS) to Near Infra Red (NIR) sensor - the AMS AS7343 Spectral Sensor.

In September 2022 AMS presented a 64-band Near Infra Red (NIR) sensor - the [AS7421 Hyperspectral NIR Sensor.

Sparkfun

Sparkfun offers the AMS AS726X sensor engines as barebone components:

At time of writing this (January 2020) they are approximately 9 USD each.

Sparkfun also offers modules with integrated the AMS AS726X sensor engines and light sources. Only two of the three sensors components are offered as single breakout boards:

These two modules are priced at approximately 26 USD each.

Sparkfun also offers a breakout board that combines all three AMS spectrometers to an 18 channel spectrometer (SparkFun Triad Spectroscopy Sensor - AS7265x), prized at approximately 65 USD.

Sparfun presentation with video on AS726X NIR/VIS Spectral Sensor Hookup Guide

I bought the Sparkfun modules from digi-key Sweden, they arrived within 48 hours at my doorstep (now shipment cost). I was rather impressed by that.

Sparkfun offers the 11 channel AMS spectrometer, AS7341 as barebone component, and as a breakout board.

Adafruit

Adafruit only offers the visible sensor engine as an integrated module. The Adafruit component costs 20 USD.

Adafruit has a nice blog on wiring including a small TFT-screen “Adafruit AS7262 6-Channel Visible Light / Color Sensor Breakout”

The Adafruit AMS AS7262 breakout board is available in Sweden from Elfa, priced at 237.50 SKE incl. VAT.

Adafruit also offers the 11 channel AMS spectrometer, AS7341 assembled on a breakout board. It is available from Digikey at about 15 USD.

Sensor Project Nano Project Uno