What Factors Affect the Stability of Colorimeter Signal?

A colorimeter is an instrument that measures the color characteristics of materials. The main purpose of the colorimeter is to measure and analyze the color, hue and color value of the tested material.

In order to overcome or reduce the misjudgment caused by stability, reduce the economic loss of users, and improve the efficiency of the colorimeter in ATO automation, it is necessary for us to analyze the main factors of insufficient stability of the colorimeter detected by the sample. In this article, we will go into details.

The External Factors:

• The AC power supply is unstable, and the ambient light of the instrument can sometimes be seen to flicker momentarily. This phenomenon is the same as the large load on the power supply network, which leads to the fluctuation of the power supply voltage. The power supply voltage should be guaranteed to be within the range of 220V. If the AC power supply is unstable, it can be stabilized with an electronic voltage stabilizer. The AC power supply is unstable, the pointer on the pointer meter will sway, and the display on the digital display meter will jump.
• Collection of samples should be standardized and meet the requirements presented.
• Lack of environmental vibration, workbench and other conditions do not meet strict seismic requirements.
• The instrument warm-up time is insufficient. Generally, the instrument should be turned on and warmed up for about 20 minutes before use, before data detection can be performed, and no fault display can be solved when it is turned on.
• It is important to make sure the lab colorimeter is well grounded.
• When the color of the desiccant turns red, it should be replaced in time or dried before use.

The Internal Factors:

In addition to external factors, internal factors are more important. In order to make the colorimeter work normally and reliably, give accurate and reliable test results, and have high detection efficiency, the following aspects are mainly considered:

• Photoelectric receiver tube performance is degraded or damaged.
• The circuit design should be stable and reliable. The selection of electronic components is good, and the drift of electrical parameters is small. Adjusting the linearity of the potentiometer reduces power fluctuations well.
• The DC power supply of each unit electronic circuit must be stable, otherwise it will affect the normal and stable operation of the circuit.
• The DC power supply of the light source power supply is unstable, which affects the stability of the luminous intensity of the light source lamp.
• To ensure accurate processing of optical components, good focus, small errors, and stable mechanical positioning. After the single beam generated by color spectrophotometry passes through the sample, the light spot falls on the optimal position on the cathode surface of the light-receiving tube.
• The processing precision of the caliber 8 mm pocket colorimeter should be high, such as manually pushing the sample into the pull rod, the mechanical movement positioning is accurate, and the operation is flexible and convenient. The test tube holder should be fixed so as not to shake.
• Of particular importance is the complete free fall of the light door flaps. After many instruments are used for a long time, due to the harsh use environment, the rust phenomenon gradually accumulates, causing the light door to close loosely, resulting in light leakage.
• The sample chamber is well sealed and protected from external interference as much as possible to reduce the intrusion of stray light.