Dispersion of whitelightby a glassprism

Please Note: During normal operation, the temperature of the LED housing can increase by as much as 25 °C above the ambient temperature. Avoid handling the LED housing while the LED is on or shortly after it has been turned off.

The AD38 double-bored mounting adapter holds an LIU LED Array in place with a single 8-32 nylon-tipped setscrew. The adapter ring has a 2" outer diameter for compatibility with our Ø2" optic mounts, such as the KC2L kinematic mount shown to the right. To mount the LED array, simply secure it within the adapter with the top-located setscrew, slide the LED array and adapter into desired mount, and secure the adapter with either a setscrew or an SM2RR retaining ring, depending on the mount.

Light on prismequation

The question occurred to me when I was at a hardware store browsing the paint aisle, noticing all of the subtle gradations and color combinations. I wondered if when a light passes through a prism and onto a white surface if every possible combination of colors comes out the other side, or if that was not the case due to how light's visible wavelengths refract in a prism, or possibly minute imperfections of the crystal prism medium (ie. at the molecular level is not a perfect medium to catch some of the subtleties the human eye could otherwise observe).

Conveniently mounted in a Ø1.5" housing, these light sources can be used for a variety of lighting applications. The housing can be readily secured into most optical mounts used in camera illumination units. Additional mounting options include two threaded holes on the rear of the housing, one M4 and one 8-32 (see drawing below), as well as grooves running the length of the housing that allow the LED unit to be placed in a 30 mm cage system. The LED unit will be suspended by the cage rods but not restrained from moving along the optical axis of the cage system as shown in the photo below and to the right. To fix the position of the LED unit, clamp it between two fixed cage elements (see the Application Idea tab for more details). Thorlabs also offers a mounting adapter (Item # AD38) for these LEDs to be mounted in our Ø2" mirror mounts, such as the KS2 shown above.

What does aprismdo tolight

Light on prismformula

This tab includes all LEDs sold by Thorlabs. Click on More [+] to view all available wavelengths for each type of LED pictured below.

Dispersion oflightthroughprism

In this application, the CFW6 was loaded with Ø1" dichroic filters (FD1R Red Filter, FD1G Green Filter, FD1B Blue Filter, FD1M Magenta Filter, FD1Y Yellow Filter, and FD1C Cyan Filter). When combined with the white LED array, the user can illuminate the sample, object, or subject with any of the primary or secondary colors by simply rotating the filter wheel.

Note: This power supply is only intended for use with the LED arrays sold above. It is not compatible with our High-Power Mounted LEDs, Collimated LEDs, or Fiber-Coupled LEDs.

These LED arrays are only compatible with the 24 V LIU-PS power supply, which must be purchased separately. The LED arrays sold on this page are not compatible with Thorlabs' LED current controllers.

Glasslight on prism

Light on prismexperiment

For automated applications, the CFW6 can be replaced with either a FW102C or FW103(/M)  motorized filter wheel. In addition, these LED arrays can be mounted to any SM1-threaded (1.035"-40) motorized filter wheel that is not cage compatible by using 30 mm cage rods, an SM1T2 coupler, and a CP33 cage plate.

Thorlabs' LED Array Light Sources consist of 20 individual bright LEDs and are available with one of seven central wavelengths between 470 nm and 850 nm or with a broadband, cold-white output (see the graph below for the available emission spectra). Each array features a diffuser mounted over the LEDs and secured by the housing. The intensities of these LED arrays range from 1.4 mW/cm² to 4.0 mW/cm², as measured from 100 mm away along the emission axis.

Please Note: The pin diagram above is viewed looking into the male plug. The above color scheme is standard for M8 connectors and can be used for external wiring applications. When the PAA630 cable is plugged into an LIU series unit, the table above relates cable wire color to unit pin number.

To power the LED arrays sold above, two options are available. The LIU-PS is a 24 VDC power supply designed to power the LIU LED Arrays at full intensity. It is shipped with four plug adapters: plug type A (North America and Japan), plug type C (Europe), plug type G (UK and Ireland), and plug type I (Australia and New Zealand).

The image below and to the left shows the LIUCWHA white LED array being inserted between the 30 mm cage rods. The LED is sandwiched between a CFW6 30 mm Cage Filter Wheel and a CP37 30 mm Cage Plate so that it cannot slide along the cage rods. The Ø35 mm aperture of the CP37 cage plate allows for easy access to the power terminal located on the rear of the unit. The photo below and to the right shows the completed assembly.

We also offer the PAA630, a 2 m long power cord with an M8 connector on one end and four bare wires on the other end. The M8 connector is compatible with the receptacle on the LIU LED Arrays, allowing them to be easily connected to an existing 24 V power supply.