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I am in need of a light meter or camera that would be able to caputre the intensity of a flash produced from a small explosion, much like the muzzle flash from a gunshot. I've never measured light before and I could use some reccomendations on equipment to measure visible light flash. I currently have a NI USB-4432 that I use for several other types of measurements, and I would prefer something that works with that, but I will happily take all suggestions. Thanks.
Light measurements can be complicated. A simple photodiode can produce a current proportional to light intensity. Photomultiplier tubes can be very fast and very sensitive, but may not tolerate optical overload well.
Does the spectral response matter? To what standard does the measurement need to be calibrated? How fast is the flash? What is the maximum intensity or power level (at what wavelengths) expected at the sensor? Do you need to measure the peak value or the time behavior? What level of accuracy and precision do you need? How far is the detector from the explosion? Are any optics (lenses or mirrors) required?
I've found International Light Technologies (http://www.intl-lighttech.com) very helpful when I had to measure light several years ago. I was measuring the light output (among other things) of muzzle flashes and small to medium explosions.
They set me up with several SEL033 Detectors with a variety of filters (green, red far-red, photopic, etc) and the A430 Detector Amplifier which converts the output to a 0-5V signal that can be captured on a digitizer.
Thanks for the help on where to get started on this project of mine. I'll contact the folks over at International Light Technologies and see what they can do for me. When I get stumped again, I'll be back here on the boards.
