Introduce yourself!

Any discussions that does not fit within other forums
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andy
Posts: 43
Joined: Sun Mar 19, 2023 4:56 pm

Introduce yourself!

Post by andy »

I'd love to learn:
  • What brought you to OpenRaman or the other Pulsar projects?
  • What country are you from?
  • What is your background in?
  • Other hobbies or anything else about you!
I sell OpenRaman kits and pre-builds at https://ramanbuilds.andychase.me
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andy
Posts: 43
Joined: Sun Mar 19, 2023 4:56 pm

Re: Introduce yourself!

Post by andy »

I'm interested in OpenRaman specifically, as I was looking for a low cost, high performance system (combined with chromatography)to identify chemicals in food/beverages. I'm not sure if it will work, but has been a fun hobby. I am from the US and have a background in Software Development. My other hobbies are outdoor related!
I sell OpenRaman kits and pre-builds at https://ramanbuilds.andychase.me
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Luc
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Posts: 134
Joined: Fri Mar 17, 2023 9:18 am
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Re: Introduce yourself!

Post by Luc »

Welcome Andy and thank you for your active enthusiasm with the project!

I would love to hear about your experiments with chromatography as it's something I wanted to investigate since I was a student (my only experience of chromatography was basically to look at an operator saying "don't touch -- it's an expensive piece of instrument!" in front of an HPLC that was probably bought in the 80's :)).

Personally, one of the project I'd like to do with OpenRAMAN is to replace the cuvette with an inline cell with some pumping devices to do real-time analysis of reactions over long period of time (like fermentations)!
hartung
Posts: 5
Joined: Sun Mar 19, 2023 9:22 pm

Re: Introduce yourself!

Post by hartung »

Hello and thanks for the OpenRAMAN project! My day job involves fabrication and installation of machined and precision sheet metal parts to support test instrumentation. That is all I'm allowed to say about it.
My avocation has been to play with instrumentation for chemical analysis and I say 'play' because for the last 24 years all I've been doing is trying to get old instrumentation to work, to understand it at the component level, to modify them as required to bring them into the 21st century (analog to digital upgrades required), with the ultimate goal of performing some tangible analytical chemistry. I have much to learn and explore in this most interesting endeavor.
OpenRAMAN is a great project for one interested in RAMAN spectroscopy. It adds considerably to the affordability of a precision instrument, it imparts a deeper understanding of the technology behind RAMAN, and it provides a platform for experimentation.
I very much appreciate this forum where I can maybe get some answers to my many questions! You asked for it.
jonathon
Posts: 1
Joined: Sat Mar 25, 2023 2:41 am

Re: Introduce yourself!

Post by jonathon »

I am a recent graduate geologist from America working in Australia for a start-up battery mineral exploration company. When I made the move last December I was searching for a project to dive into during my free time. Now I am using OpenRaman as a platform to learn about spectroscopy and would ultimately like to design my own system. I am also keen to determine if OpenRaman is suitable for spectral identification of minerals and hoping to persuade my employers to assist funding this endeavour. In terms of other hobbies, my most recent project was creating a fluxgate magnetometer but apart from science related hobbies I also enjoy mountaineering, rock climbing, and kayaking.
tyler
Posts: 2
Joined: Fri Apr 07, 2023 7:15 pm

Re: Introduce yourself!

Post by tyler »

Hi, my name is Tyler.

I am a chemistry educator in the USA interested in open source lab equipment and scientific instruments. I purchased my first 3D printer a few months ago and came across the OpenRaman project while researching things to build with my students. I could not resist the opportunity to build my own Raman spectrometer! Thank you Luc for this excellent design!

My hobbies include hiking, camping, cooking, and playing the mandolin(poorly).
Karel
Posts: 2
Joined: Fri Apr 28, 2023 10:38 am

Re: Introduce yourself!

Post by Karel »

Hi, my name is Karel.

I am a Belgian postdoc interested in powder Raman spectroscopy. My first trial was measuring the spectrum of paracetamol with the solid add-on module on the performance edition. I would like to gain more understanding in the ambiguous scattering properties of this and other powders.

A tremendous thank you is directed at Luc who founded this and other projects with such great care. Really, big thumb!
Gemlover
Posts: 1
Joined: Wed Oct 02, 2024 1:42 pm

Re: Introduce yourself!

Post by Gemlover »

Hello I live close to Toronto (Canada).

My background is in Finance/Economics but recently (few months ago) I decided to switch careers into gemology. There were a few reasons I made this choice. I have been reading a lot of books and experimenting on my own. When I saw that professional gemologists are using equipment like Raman spectroscopes, UV-VIS-NIR spectrometers, etc...I thought that I should get them too.

When I saw the price....especially in Canada... :shock: :shock: I decided I would try to find other alternatives or make my own.

Anyway, it seems that making my own is also quite difficult since my background isn't optics or physics or engineering...I am happy to find this website. I hope I can make my own devices/equipment.

I would be happy to work together with you all. I firmly believe that people at grass-roots level should collaborate to make affordable and accessible equipment/methods for scientific investigation.

The creator of this OPENRaman project feels the same, as does Friedrich Menges (creator of Spectragryph) and also Dr. Bill Hanneman (who I admire and have some of his equipment, which was given to me by my father. Although Dr. Hanneman has passed away).
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Luc
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Re: Introduce yourself!

Post by Luc »

First, let me welcome you aboard :)

Don't worry about not knowing a thing in optics, that's the case for a lot of people here :) I had no formal optical training and I learned it myself during my spare time!

All the instruments that I present here and on thepulsar.be were especially designed to teach optics without requiring people to solve curvy integrals like it's too often the case in academic textbooks. Here, it's the "get your hands dirty" approach. And we're here to answer any questions if needed.

I personaly don't know much about mineralogy but I'm planning to do some experiments about this in the following weeks. I haven't announced it yet (so I'm sort of doing right now) but the next big posts will be about confocal spectroscopy and fluorescence spectroscopy. So be sure to stay around if you don't want to miss it :)
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