Getting Started: Open Colorimeter Plus

These instructions apply to the Open Colorimeter Plus version only. A separate page covers basic operation & menu navigation instructions for all Open Colorimeter instruments.

Once switched on, the first screen after the splashscreen is the Menu. Use the Menu Navigation buttons ⇧⇩ to select the measurement mode you want to use. To select a Mode (e.g. Irradiance) press the right ⇨ button in the cluster.

Raw Count

In this mode you can view the raw counts at both the 90° and 180° sensors. You can set the gain and integration time for both sensors in this mode. There is more information on setting sensor integration time and gain in Optimizing the light sensor settings.

Irradiance

This mode returns the irradiance at the 90° and 180° sensors in units of µW/cm².

Relative Units

This mode returns the relative irradiance value from the 90° sensor in µW/cm². This value is relative to the actual excitation LED irradiance at the 180° sensor. As the actual LED intensity at the time of fluorescence measurement can vary, it is very helpful to normalize your results to the actual LED intensity for comparison to data taken at a different time or on a second instrument.

It is important to take a measurement from the 180° sensor before measuring your sample. Steps:

Select the Relative Units mode from the Menu
The screen will display no units yet as shown below

Before placing your samples in the instrument, press the Top Right "Blank" button. This will take a measurement of the light intensity at the 180° sensor
Place your sample in the holder. Your relative units will be displayed

Relative units after a 180° sensor measurement

Open Colorimeter Product Guide

Documentation site for the Open Colorimeter, Multi-Channel Colorimeter, UV Open Colorimeter & Open Colorimeter Plus

Product Guide Home Page