The goal of this research was to develop a simple, quick analytical, portable, and low-cost spectrophotometer. Unlike earlier spectrophotometers, this one used a single white light-emitting-diode (LED) as a light source, a light sensor, and an arduino electrical card as an acquisition system. A typical white-color LED generating a continuous spectrum of 450-620 nm was used to maintain a steady light level. C++ software was built to operate the photometer through a USB interface and to collect data for storage on the PC. The instrument is basic and small in design, with dimensions of 200 x 130 x 150 mm for length, breadth, and height, respectively. The overall cost is estimated to be less than
$500 USD, whereas commercially available options cost more than $10,000 USD. As a result, the current tool may be used to educate support media in impoverished nations. The current spectrophotometer's ability to analyse solution concentration (i.e. curcumin) was also proven. Surprisingly, the current spectrophotometer can correctly quantify the concentration of curcumin with an accuracy of more than 90%. Unlike commercially available conventional UV-visible spectrophotometers, which have restrictions in the examination of concentrations smaller than 50 ppm, the current device has no such constraints since the measurement is based on the LED light being penetrated.
Keywords: Spectrophotometer, Light-Emitting Diode (LED), Curcumin, Concentration Analysis; Arduino
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