gamma scientific SpectralLED RS-7 Mounting instructions

USER OPERATION MANUAL
SpectralLED®TUNABLE LIGHT SOURCE
MODEL: RS-7
Revision A
SpectralLED – Spectral Simulation Assistant, Revision 2.15
RS-7 Firmware Revision 1.11
Gamma Scientific
9925 Carroll Canyon Road
San Diego, CA 92131
Toll Free: [phone] Direct: [phone] Fax: [phone]
www.gamma-sci.com

SpectralLED® RS-7 USER MANUAL Page 1
Copyright Information
Copyright © 2016 Gamma Scientific, Inc. All rights reserved. No part of the
publication may be reproduced, transmitted, transcribed, stored in a retrieval
system, or translated into any language or computer language, in any form or by
any means, electronic, mechanical, magnetic, optical, chemical manual or
otherwise, without the prior written permission of Gamma Scientific, Inc., 9925
Carroll Canyon Road, San Diego, CA 92131.
Disclaimer
Gamma Scientific, Inc. makes no representations or warranties with respect to
the contents hereof and specifically disclaim any implied warranties of
merchantability or fitness for any particular purpose. Further, Gamma Scientific,
Inc. reserves the right to revise this publication and to make changes from time to
time in the content hereof without obligation of Gamma Scientific, Inc. to notify
any person of such revision or changes.
Comments and Suggestions
If anyone has comments or suggestions regarding this manual,
its format, content, or otherwise, please direct them to:
Gamma Scientific
9925 Carroll Canyon Road
San Diego, CA 92131
www.gamma-sci.com
Your input is appreciated

SpectralLED® RS-7 USER MANUAL Page 2
SAFETY FIRST
Protect yourself. Follow these precautions:
•This Manual contains information about the proper procedures for preparing this product for its use and
care.
•Follow the instructions of other manufacturer’s equipment when used in conjunction with this product.
•Explosion Hazard. Do not use in the presence of flammable liquids, vapors, gases or dusts.
•FIRE HAZARD: DO NOT DRAPE OR COVER ANY LIGHT SOURCE WHILE IT IS OPERATING.
•Pay attention to WARNING statements. They point out situations that can cause injury or death.
•Pay attention to CAUTION statements. They point out situations that can cause equipment damage.
•The user of this product should be thoroughly familiar in the set-up, use, and care of this product.
•The user should carefully study this manual before using the equipment. Instructions should be followed,
with special attention given to warnings, controls and user specifications. This manual should be available
to the appropriate personnel.
•Before every procedure, carefully inspect the equipment to ensure it has been properly maintained and
cleaned, and that it is fully functional. DO NOT use if inspection reveals anything unusual, including case
damage or loose connectors.
•SAFETY PRECAUTIONS MUST ALWAYS BE EXERCISED WHEN USING ELECTRICAL EQUIPMENT TO PREVENT
OPERATOR SHOCK, FIRE HAZARD OR EQUIPMENT DAMAGE.
•Don’t touch any exposed wiring.
•All electrical equipment must be used with approved power cords and power plugs inserted properly into
grounded AC power outlets.
•Don’t plug in the power cord until directed to by the installation instructions.
•Don’t bypass the power cord’s ground lead with two-wire extension cords or plug adaptors.
•Don’t disconnect the green and yellow safety-earth-ground wire that connects the ground lug of the power
receptacle to the chassis ground terminal (marked with or
!
).
•To reduce the risk of fire and electric shock, do not expose electrical equipment to moisture. When
cleaning, do not immerse any electrical device in liquid.
•Do not use or store liquids on or above the equipment.

SpectralLED® RS-7 USER MANUAL Page 3
•Electric shock hazard. If unit is not functioning properly, DO NOT OPEN. Please refer to the Maintenance
and Troubleshooting section of this manual.
•Use only properly functioning cables that are made for system instrument connectors.
•Light sources produce high intensity light. Thermal burns can result from improper use of the light source.
•Use care not to point any operating light source directly at the eye.
•When light source is not in use, turn off the power.
•Keep any cooling vents and fans free of obstructions.

SpectralLED® RS-7 USER MANUAL Page 4
INSTRUMENT CERTIFICATION
Gamma Scientific, Inc., certifies that this instrument was thoroughly tested, inspected and found to meet its
published specifications when it was shipped from the factory. Gamma Scientific, Inc., further certifies that its
calibration measurements are traceable to the U. S. National Institute of Standards and Technology (NIST)
formerly National Bureau of Standards to the extent permitted by the Bureau's calibration facility.
WARRANTY AND CUSTOMER SERVICE
All products manufactured by Gamma Scientific are warrantied to be free from defects in material or
workmanship subject to the following terms and conditions. All other products sold by Gamma Scientific are
warrantied only to the extent of that offered by the manufacturer.
(a) PERIOD OF WARRANTY:
This warranty shall terminate one year after the date of shipment.
(b) REPAIR OR REPLACEMENT:
Seller's obligations under this clause shall be limited to repair or correction of any defect of material or
workmanship in any such product or to replacement of any defective product or part or unit thereof, notice of
which shall have been given to Seller within the warranty period specified in subdivision (a) above.
(c) LIMITATION AS TO REPLACEABLE COMPONENTS WHOSE LIFE IS A FUNCTION OF USAGE TIME:
Since the life of such components is a function of the customer's usage of them, all electron tubes and
photomultiplier tubes are warrantied only to the extent that the original manufacturer's warranty applies.
Claims are limited to those presented within 30 days after occurrence of any failure.
(d) CANCELLATION OF WARRANTY:
This warranty shall not apply if modifications not authorized in writing by Seller are made.
The warranties set forth in this clause are in lieu of any other warranties, expressed or implied, which the
purchaser or others might have under or arising from this agreement, by statute, at law, in equity, or otherwise,
INCLUDING ANY WARRANTY OR MERCHANTABILITY OR FITNESS. Goods sold subject to above warranty only,
and Seller expressly denies any other warranties or representations, statutory, legal or equitable, expressed or
implied.

SpectralLED® RS-7 USER MANUAL Page 5
Gamma Scientific, Inc., provides repair services for all Gamma products. A complete, modern Service
Department, Stock Room and ISO/IEC 17025 NVLAP Accredited Calibration Facility (Lab Code 200823-0) are
employed at the factory.
In the event the instrument does not function properly or is damaged, Gamma Scientific Inc. should be
contacted with regard to the specific symptoms of the problem.
NOTE
For all service requirements, please ask for the Customer Service
Department. Gamma Scientific must be contacted prior to any
return shipment of equipment, and an RMA must be issued prior
to returning equipment. Failure to do so will result in delayed
return to the customers.

SpectralLED® RS-7 USER MANUAL Page 6
Table of Contents
SECTION 1 INTRODUCTION.......................................................................................................................................9
1.1 General Information.........................................................................................................................................9
1.1.1 Features.....................................................................................................................................................9
1.1.2 Precautions................................................................................................................................................9
1.2 System Specifications .................................................................................................................................... 10
SECTION 2 OPERATING PROCEDURES ................................................................................................................... 12
2.1 Principle of Operation ................................................................................................................................... 12
2.1.1 Overall Design......................................................................................................................................... 12
2.1.2 Linear Brightness Control ....................................................................................................................... 12
2.1.3 Real-Time Feedback................................................................................................................................ 12
2.1.4 Spectral and Colorimetric Matching....................................................................................................... 12
2.2 Hardware Configuration................................................................................................................................ 13
SECTION 3 SpectralLED - Spectral Simulation Assistant ........................................................................................ 16
3.1 SpectralLED Assistant Main Window............................................................................................................. 17
3.2 Settings Menu................................................................................................................................................ 21
3.3 Target Spectrum/Spectral Matching ............................................................................................................. 26
3.4 Export ............................................................................................................................................................ 30
SECTION 4 ASCII COMMAND API ........................................................................................................................... 31
4.1 Overview........................................................................................................................................................ 31
4.2 Individual Channel Control ............................................................................................................................ 35
4.2.1 -SCP -Set Channel Power Level .......................................................................................................... 35
4.2.2 – PUL -Pulse Channel ........................................................................................................................... 36
4.2.3 – PTY -Peak type .................................................................................................................................. 37
4.2.4 -MON – Wavelength Monitor System Query ....................................................................................... 38
4.2.5 -LIN -LED Channel Information .......................................................................................................... 38
4.2.6 - SCA -Scan Thru Individual Channels/Channel Groups by Increasing Wavelength ............................ 39
4.2.7 NPL -Nominal Power Level.................................................................................................................... 39
4.2.8 GRP -Channel Grouping Enable/Disable .............................................................................................. 40
4.2.9 - CGL -Channel Group List .................................................................................................................... 40

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4.2.10 – OCL -Offending Channels List.......................................................................................................... 41
4.3 Presets ........................................................................................................................................................... 42
4.3.1 - PRE -Recall Preset .............................................................................................................................. 42
4.3.2 - SPR -Store Preset ............................................................................................................................... 43
4.3.3 - DPR -Delete Preset............................................................................................................................. 43
4.4 Spectral Operations....................................................................................................................................... 45
4.4.1 - WLR -Set Wavelength Range ............................................................................................................. 45
4.4.2 - STM -Spectrum Transfer Mode ......................................................................................................... 45
4.4.3 - OSP -Output Spectrum ...................................................................................................................... 47
4.4.4 - TSP -Target Spectrum ........................................................................................................................ 47
4.4.5 - FTS - Fit to TSP ..................................................................................................................................... 48
4.4.6 - CCS -Color-correct to TSP or to a specific chromaticity..................................................................... 49
4.4.7 - RPE -Report RMS Error % OSP vs. TSP ............................................................................................... 50
4.4.8 - STS -Scale TSP to specific UNI ............................................................................................................ 50
4.5 Integrated Absolute Units, Colorimetry ........................................................................................................ 52
4.5.1 UNI – Set Units: Radiometric (irradiance or radiance, µW/cm² or µW/cm²/sr), Photometric
(illuminance or luminance, lm/m2[lux] or cd/m2[nits]), or Internal Units (0-100%) ..................................... 52
4.5.2 - OUT -Integrated output power level of OSP as UNI .......................................................................... 52
4.5.3 - OUTC -Adjust integrated output power level of OSP as UNI while maintaining chromaticity.......... 53
4.5.4 - OUTA -Report Actual (sampled) Output power level as UNI............................................................. 54
4.5.5 - SOB -Standard observer select, 2 degree or 10 degree..................................................................... 55
4.5.6 - OXY -Chromaticity of OSP as CIE 1931 x,y ......................................................................................... 55
4.5.7 - OXYZ -Tristimulus of OSP as CIE X,Y,Z................................................................................................ 55
4.5.8 - TXY -Chromaticity of TSP as CIE 1931 x,y........................................................................................... 56
4.5.9 - TXYZ -Tristimulus of TSP as CIE X,Y,Z ................................................................................................. 56
4.5.10 - CCT -Correlated Color Temperature of OSP in degrees Kelvin........................................................ 57
4.6 Hardware & Housekeeping ........................................................................................................................... 58
4.6.1 - HLP or HELP -Display Help text .......................................................................................................... 58
4.6.2 - CTY -Calibration Type, Radiant or Irradiant source ........................................................................... 58
4.6.3 - CAL -Calibration Information string................................................................................................... 58

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4.6.4 - ATF -Accessory Transfer Function ...................................................................................................... 59
4.6.5 - IRR -Irradiance mode working distance, millimeters ........................................................................ 59
4.6.6 - STP -Output settling threshhold, percent.......................................................................................... 60
4.6.7 - LSN -LED board serial number ........................................................................................................... 61
4.6.8 - USN -RS-7 unit serial number ............................................................................................................ 61
4.6.9 – ICK -Integrity Check........................................................................................................................... 61
4.6.10 - BAT -Basic assurance test ................................................................................................................ 62
4.6.11 - CPA -Channel Power Audit .............................................................................................................. 62
4.6.12 - PDI - Read photodiode(s) response.................................................................................................. 63
4.6.13 - PDT -Photodiode target................................................................................................................... 63
4.6.14 - SDC -Spectral calibration data CRC32............................................................................................... 64
4.6.15 - TMP -Read TEC(s) temperature ....................................................................................................... 64
4.6.16 - VER -Firmware version..................................................................................................................... 64
4.6.17 - FBK -Optical feedback enable/disable............................................................................................. 65
4.6.18 - FBG -Query optical feedback gain ................................................................................................... 65
4.6.19 - SLM -Soft power limit ...................................................................................................................... 65
4.6.20 - ALA -Query/reset alarms ................................................................................................................. 66
4.6.21 - ASA - Asynchronous Alarm................................................................................................................. 66
4.6.22 - CFC - Clear Fault Condition................................................................................................................. 67
4.6.23 - UDB -User Data Block ...................................................................................................................... 68
4.6.24 - RST -Restart Unit.............................................................................................................................. 68
4.6.25 - POT -Power-on time ........................................................................................................................ 68
4.6.26 – IRI – Iris control.................................................................................................................................. 68
4.7 Error Codes and Alarm Messages.................................................................................................................. 70
4.7.1 Error Codes: ............................................................................................................................................ 70
4.7.2 Alarm Codes: .......................................................................................................................................... 72
4.7.3 Fault Codes: ............................................................................................................................................ 73
SECTION 5 Glossary................................................................................................................................................ 74
SECTION 6 EUROPEAN DECLARATION OF CONFORMITY....................................................................................... 76
SECTION 7 REVISION HISTORY ............................................................................................................................... 79

SpectralLED® RS-7 USER MANUAL Page 9
SECTION 1 INTRODUCTION
1.1 General Information
Gamma Scientific’s SpectralLED® Tunable LED Light Source (Model: RS-7) is a multi-channel light source capable
of providing single channel illumination or broadband illumination using multiple channels. It is designed to
simulate broadband illuminants or any arbitrary spectrum by precisely combining the output of its LED channels
closely recreate real-world spectra. Gamma Scientific’s RS-7 features near perfect linearity and uniformity over
the entire intensity range, and comes with NIST-traceable absolute calibrations.
1.1.1 Features
•Multi-Channel LED Light Source covering a wavelength range from 360nm to 1000nm
•Digital Linear DC Drive Current Control
•High Dynamic Intensity Range (16 bit)
•Built-in Photodiode Feedback
•NIST Traceable Irradiance Calibration
•Long Lifetime
1.1.2 Precautions
WARNING:
Maintain ground to avoid electric shock
Disconnect power cord before replacing fuse
Replace fuse with same type and rating only
WARNING:
No user serviceable parts inside
Service by a qualified Gamma Scientific professional only
Do not open cover

SpectralLED® RS-7 USER MANUAL Page 10
1.2 System Specifications
RS-7 System Specifications
Spectral Range
3
60nm-1000nm (Standard version, custom configurations available)
Spectral Output
32
discrete LED channels, 3 broadband LED channels
Visible
resolution ≈15nm, NIR resolution ≈50nm (typical channel spacing)
Spectral Peaks
395
nm, 405nm, 420nm, 430nm, 450nm, 460nm, 475nm, 495nm, 505nm,
520
nm, 525nm, 535 nm, 545nm, 590nm, 595nm, 620nm, 630nm, 637nm,
660
nm, 675nm, 685nm, 700nm, 715nm, 735nm, 750nm, 760nm, 780 nm,
805
nm, 850nm, 910nm, 940nm, 985nm,
2700
K Warm White, 3000K Warm White, 6500K Cool White
(Standard
version, custom configurations available)
Spectral Bandwidth
¹
Channel
dependent visible typical ≈20nm FWHM, NIR typical ≈50nm FWHM
Source Geometry
75
mm diameter uniform output, Lambertian radiant source
Spatial Uniformity
2
≥ 97%
Optical Geometry
Built
-in integrating sphere, 200mm diameter (other output geometries available
for projection or illuminator applications
)
Radiance Range
3
Typical
maximum ≈ 7,500μW/cm²/sr Typical minimum ≈ 10μW/cm²/sr (spectrum
dependent
)
Luminance Range
3
Typical
maximum ≈ 15,000cd/m² Typical minimum ≈ 20cd/m² (spectrum
dependent)
CCT Range
1,900
K - 40,000K
SpectralLED Assistant
Application
Spectra
CIE Illuminants A, B, C, D50, D55, D65, D75, E, F1
-F12,
Macbeth
®4/X-Rite®4color patches
Custom Preset Spectra
A
rbitrary spectra; can be configured as presets using API.
Gamma can
provide factory loaded custom presets, use part number RS-7-PRE
(Spectral Information must be Provided by Customer at Time of Order)
Illumination Stability
≥ 99.99% after settling
(channel dependent, settling occurs after ≈50ms for
radiance and ≈2000
ms for color)
Illumination Accuracy
± 1%
absolute NIST traceable, calibration stored internally
Spectral Accuracy
± 1
nm centroid wavelength
Color Accuracy
C
IE 1931 x,y = ±0.003
Linearity
< 0.1% RMS of full scale
Temperature Stability
Active
thermoelectric cooler with feedback, temperature control within ± 1C°
Long Term Drift
Output:
≤ 0.2%
Spectral: ≤ 1
nm (typical, channel dependent)

SpectralLED® RS-7 USER MANUAL Page 11
Table 1. RS-7 System Specifications continued
Electrical Resolution
16 bit DAC for
channel current drivers (32 independent DACs, 1 for each LED
c
hannel) 24 bit ADC for internal radiance monitor/feedback
Dynamic Range
Adjustment
Spectrum
dependent, 4-5 decades typical
LED Control
Pure DC
constant current with floating differential sensing
Software
Firmware
contains full spectral calibration, handles spectral fitting, preset storage,
r
eal-time optical feedback, radiometric and photometric units supported.
Interface
USB 2.0
type B connector and DB-9 connector
Interface Protocol
Simple ASCII
commands with optional binary block transfer
Supported Operating
Systems
USB
drivers for Windows®, OSX, and Linux® via FTDI virtual COM port
Legacy RS
-232 serial port for integration into automated systems (no OS required)
Input Voltage
110
-240 VAC, 50-60Hz
Maximum Power
Consumption
600
W
System Dimensions
Height: 405
mm, Width: 460mm, Depth: 305mm, Weight: 25kg
1. FWHM: Full-Width Half-Maximum.
2. Uniformity measured using an 8° FOV at the output plane of the device while simulating illuminant E over a wavelength range of 380nm-1000nm.
Uniformity spec measures over the entire Ø 75mm active area, when considering only the center Ø 50mm area uniformity exceeds 98%.
3. Spectra fit over a wavelength range of 380nm-780nm, maximum output is dependent on spectral content of the target spectra. Most CIE illuminants
and color patches can fit to at least this level, typical spectra can far exceed this maximum however some spectra cannot achieve this maximum.
4. X-Rite, Macbeth, and ColorChecker are registered trademarks of X-Rite, Inc.

SpectralLED® RS-7 USER MANUAL Page 12
SECTION 2 OPERATING PROCEDURES
2.1 Principle of Operation
2.1.1 Overall Design
The SpectralLED® RS-7 Tunable Light Source uses light emitting diodes driven by digitally controlled constant
current sources. The use of precision voltage references, along with active optical feedback, enables a stable
output with extremely linear brightness adjustment. In addition, the incorporation of multiple independent
spectral channels provides flexible spectral and colorimetric programmability of the output. NIST-traceable
calibration of the spectral output, luminance, and uniformity, add to the reliability of the source as an optical
reference tool.
2.1.2 Linear Brightness Control
The SpectralLED® RS-7 Tunable Light Source built around a 16-bit DAC controlled linear brightness adjustment
circuit operating at comparatively high speeds, and exhibits excellent repeatability. An integral real-time optical
feedback circuit arbitrates the brightness control circuit, resulting in the RS-7’s extremely linear intensity
adjustment capability. This allows the source to adjust linearly without independent monitoring by a radiometer,
without the need for neutral density filters or other attenuators, and without the need for pulse width
modulated intensity control, which can cause flicker.
2.1.3 Real-Time Feedback
The SpectralLED® RS-7 Tunable Light Source has a fully integrated real-time optical feedback system, which
monitors the source output and constantly adjusts the brightness to maintain the selected intensity level. The
RS-7 also features closed loop thermal feedback control to add another level of stability and maintain reliable
operation over many years. The RS-7 can be operated reliably even in high temperature environments (up to
40°C) while retaining linearity and stability.
2.1.4 Spectral and Colorimetric Matching
The SpectralLED® RS-7 Tunable Light Source is spectrally programmable to allow for the creation of both
narrowband and/or broadband spectrums with arbitrary spectral distributions. In addition, it can provide
‘preset’ standard illuminants and individual color components combined, simulates among other things; X-Rite
Color Checker patches illuminated by standard illuminants. Each RS-7 spectral channel is individually calibrated
and controlled. For colorimetric applications, the RS-7 can be used to accurately reproduce color coordinates
over a much larger gamut than most any standard RGB source, while exhibiting a much smaller color error than
is possible with three component RGB sources or reflective color test targets.

SpectralLED® RS-7 USER MANUAL Page 13
2.2 Hardware Configuration
Figure 1. RS-7 Schematic – Hardware Configuration

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Basic Operation
Step 1. Connect the USB and power cables to the RS-7.
Step 2. Locate the power switch on the RS-7 and turn the unit on by flipping the switch.
Step 3. Connect the USB cable to the host computer, drivers should automatically install on Windows and OSX.
a. If drivers do not automatically install, please use the drivers provided by Gamma Scientific.
Step 4. On the host computer, determine the COM port assigned to the RS-7.
a. In Windows, done via Device Manager.
b. The RS-7 will appear as a USB Serial Port (virtual COM port).
Figure 2. Device Manager

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Step 5. On the host computer, start terminal emulation software of your choice, and set the following serial
connection parameters (e.g. Tera Term for Windows, CoolTerm for OSX).
a. Baud rate: 460,800 (note that the RS-7 may be optionally configured for 115,200 baud operation)
b. Data bits: 8
c. Parity: None
d. Stop bits: 1
e. Flow control: None
Since the RS-7 does not echo characters as they are being typed, it is helpful to enable “Display Typed
Characters Locally”. Also, the RS-7 always sends a linefeed <LF> with each carriage return <CR>, so it is not
necessary to enable any kind of “Add LF to each CR” or “Implicit LF in each CR” function.
Figure 3. Tera Term: Serial port setup
Step 6. Once the terminal connects to the RS-7, user should be able to start issuing commands as defined in
the ASCII Command API, SECTION 4 below. Alternatively, the graphical user interface provided by the
SpectralLED Assistant application program (MS Windows) controls the operation of the RS-7, as
described in SECTION 3.

SpectralLED® RS-7 USER MANUAL Page 16
SECTION 3 SPECTRALLED - SPECTRAL SIMULATION ASSISTANT
Getting Started
To connect to the RS-7, click on the Settings menu (2) and then select the a COM port by clicking on the down-
arrow and selecting the appropriate COM port going to the RS-7.
Don’t know which COM port to select? Click on the Windows Start button, then right-click Computer, then click
Manage. When the Computer Management window opens, click Device Manager in the left pane. Then, in the
right pane, expand Ports (COM & LPT). The RS-7 will appear as “USB Serial Port”. In this example, the COM port
is COM6.

SpectralLED® RS-7 USER MANUAL Page 17
3.1 SpectralLED Assistant Main Window
CLICK ON THE ARROW AND SELECT FROM DROP-DOWN LIST to load an existing spectral preset (1k).
DRAG the individual channel power controls (1c) up and down to manually create/modify a spectrum.
DRAG the main power level control (1b) up and down to change the current spectrum’s overall power level.
CLICK, TYPE IN A NUMBER, and PRESS ENTER to input a specific power level, CCT, or chromaticity in the boxes
(1a).
CLICK on the CIE 1931 x,y chromaticity diagram to modify the current spectrum’s chromaticity (1i).
1j
1a
1i
1d
1e
1f
1g
1h
1k
1l
2
1b
1c
3
4
1m

SpectralLED® RS-7 USER MANUAL Page 18
1a. Output Pane
Power Level shows the output power of the currently generated spectrum as a percentage between 0 and the
RS-7’s Soft Limit (see the SLM command, section 4.6.19) which represents the maximum possible power that
can be achieved for the current spectrum. Radiance (or Irradiance), Luminance (or Illuminance), CCT
(Correlated Color Temperature in degrees Kelvin), and 1931 x,y chromaticity are also reported.
Centroid shows the wavelength-weighted average of the combined spectral output power distribution; this can
be configured to alternatively display Parabolic Peak wavelength or Center wavelength (2d). An RS-7 equipped
with the optional Wavelength Monitor System has the additional capability of measuring and reporting the
centroid/peak/center wavelength of a single channel in real time, and this box will continuously be updating
with wavelength information whenever one and only one channel is active.
Note that all of the boxes except Centroid accept input, by clicking on the box, typing in a new value, and
pressing ENTER. Changing the CCT (Correlated Color Temperature) or the CIE 1931 x,y chromaticity will modify
the output spectrum to match the specified chromaticity using a color-matching algorithm that uses the
tristimulus curves as weighting functions to add or remove energy in the three X, Y, and Z regions to arrive at the
new chromaticity.
Holding down the SHIFT key when you press ENTER when typing a new level into any of the Power Level,
Radiance/Irradiance, and Luminance/Illuminance boxes will cause the RS-7 to maintain the same chromaticity
at the new power level. This is because LEDs tend to slightly shift in wavelength (change color) as their drive
current is increased or decreased, so this option provides a way to “touch up” the spectrum at the new power
level to keep chromaticity constant. You will see the CIE 1931 x,y box change from blue to green when the SHIFT
key is being held down, as an indicator that the chromaticity is to be maintained. This also applies to the Main
Power Level control (1b); change it while holding down the SHIFT key will keep the chromaticity constant.
(ASCII Command API reference CCSx,y Section 4.4.6, OUTC Section 4.5.3)
1b. Main Output Power Level Control
Click and drag this control up or down to change the output power of the current spectrum in real time. Holding
down the SHIFT key while changing this control will cause the RS-7 to maintain the same chromaticity
throughout the output power range (see the comment about Holding down the SHIFT key in the box above).
(ASCII Command API reference OUT Section 4.5.2, OUTC Section 4.5.3)
1c. Individual Channel Power Level Controls
Click and drag these controls up or down to change an individual channel’s power level. Hover the mouse
pointer over a control to display the channel’s nominal wavelength and channel number(s). These controls can
be configured to show either absolute channel power levels (0 to maximum possible), or relative power levels
(relative to the channel that is set to the highest level) using the Abs/Rel control (1d).
(ASCII Command API reference SCP Section 4.2.1)
1d. Absolute vs. Relative Channel Output Power Level
When the Main Output Power of the RS-7 is set to very low levels, the individual Channel Power Level controls
(1c), if they are showing absolute power levels (between 0 and the maximum possible for each channel), will
barely be moving at all, and their individual contribution to the current Output Spectrum will not be obvious. By

SpectralLED® RS-7 USER MANUAL Page 19
changing to relative power levels, the controls are all scaled relative to the channel which is set to the highest
output power; in this way, the actual spectrum as shown by the controls’ relative positions to each other can be
seen regardless of the RS-7’s Main Output Power.
1e. All Off (Reset Spectrum To Zero)
This button will set all the channels to OFF (0), thus removing the current output spectrum completely. If you
merely want to turn the RS-7’s output off but want to maintain the spectrum, instead use the Main Output
Power Level control (1b) or type zero into one of the power level boxes (1a); in this case, the RS-7 “remembers”
the current spectrum in spite of the fact that all of the Individual Channel Power Level controls (1b) appear to be
set to OFF (in other words, using the All Off button really turns all the channels off, and you won’t be able to set
the Main Output Power Level to anything besides zero because there is no Output Spectrum for it to use. Move
at least one Channel Power Level Control to start creating a new spectrum).
1f. Spectral Plot
The white line shows the RS-7’s current Output Spectrum, and the individual channels’ spectra are shown in
their approximate color, with infrared channels displayed as deep reds, if Plot All (1h) is checked. Additionally, if
the Target Spectrum is visible (3b), it will be shown as a blue line, with graphic brackets representing the
effective Wavelength Range (3n, 3o) for spectral operations. The wavelength range of the Spectral Plot itself can
be adjusted by changing the Start and End wavelengths (1g).
(ASCII Command API reference OSP Section 4.4.3, TSP Section 4.4.4, WLR Section 4.4.1)
1g. Spectral Plot Wavelength Range
The starting and ending wavelengths of the Spectral Plot can be changed in order to display just a portion of the
spectrum.
1h. Plot All Chan
If this is not checked, only the current Output Spectrum (white line), and optionally the Target Spectrum (blue
line) (see Section 3.3) will be plotted. Checking this box will include all of the individual channels’ spectra in
approximately the color of each channel, with infrared channels all shown in red.
1i. CIE 1931 x,y Color Chart
The chromaticity of the RS-7’s current Output Spectrum is shown on the Color Chart as the little black circle.
Note that the Color Chart also accepts input; you can click anywhere on the chart and the RS-7 will attempt to
modify the current Output Spectrum using a color-matching algorithm that uses the tristimulus curves as
weighting functions to add or remove energy in the three X, Y, and Z regions to arrive at the new chromaticity.
(ASCII Command API reference OXY Section 4.5.6, CCSx,y Section 4.4.6)
1j. Command/Status Bar
ASCII Commands sent to the RS-7 over the COM port, and the responses received back from the unit, are
displayed in this box. In the event there is an error, the box will briefly flash red to draw attention to what went
wrong. See SECTION 4 for a description of the each of the ASCII commands used to operate the unit, and
Section 4.7 for an explanation of the “?nn –“ error codes at the end.
1k. Presets
The RS-7’s current output state can be stored as a preset. To load an existing preset, click on the arrow and
select a preset from the list. To save the RS-7’s current output state as a new preset, click the Store Preset
button, select the preset # where you want to store the preset by clicking on the arrow and selecting from the