{"id":1557,"date":"2017-11-13T07:46:28","date_gmt":"2017-11-13T15:46:28","guid":{"rendered":""},"modified":"2025-09-05T14:09:42","modified_gmt":"2025-09-05T21:09:42","slug":"1557","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/www.vernier.com\/til\/1557","title":{"rendered":"Ocean Optics Spectrometers Troubleshooting and FAQs"},"content":{"rendered":"<h3 class=\"wp-block-heading\">Ocean Optics Absorbance and Emission Spectrometers <small>(discontinued)<\/small><\/h3>\n<p class=\"has-text-align-center has-very-light-gray-background-color has-background\"><strong>Ocean Optics spectrometers are not compatible with Spectral Analysis<\/strong>.<\/p>\n<div class=\"wp-block-columns is-layout-flex wp-container-core-columns-is-layout-9d6595d7 wp-block-columns-is-layout-flex\">\n<div class=\"wp-block-column is-layout-flow wp-block-column-is-layout-flow\">\n<h4 class=\"wp-block-heading\"><strong>VERNIER SPECTROMETER<\/strong> <small>(V-SPEC)<\/small><\/h4>\n<p><a href=\"https:\/\/www.vernier.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2025\/09\/V-SPEC.pdf\">Specifications and User Guide<\/a><\/p>\n<figure class=\"wp-block-image size-thumbnail\"><img loading=\"lazy\" decoding=\"async\" width=\"300\" height=\"300\" src=\"https:\/\/www.vernier.com\/til\/wp-content\/uploads\/sites\/2\/2020\/02\/product.v-spec._hero.001-300x300.jpg\" alt=\"\" class=\"wp-image-6065\" srcset=\"https:\/\/www.vernier.com\/til\/wp-content\/uploads\/sites\/2\/2020\/02\/product.v-spec._hero.001-300x300.jpg 300w, https:\/\/www.vernier.com\/til\/wp-content\/uploads\/sites\/2\/2020\/02\/product.v-spec._hero.001-90x90.jpg 90w\" sizes=\"auto, (max-width: 300px) 100vw, 300px\" \/><\/figure>\n<\/div>\n<div class=\"wp-block-column is-layout-flow wp-block-column-is-layout-flow\">\n<h4 class=\"wp-block-heading\"><strong>RED TIDE VIS-NIR SPECTROMETER<\/strong> <small>(SPRT-VIS)<\/small><\/h4>\n<p><a href=\"https:\/\/www.vernier.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2025\/09\/SPRT-VIS.pdf\">Specifications and User Guide<\/a><\/p>\n<figure class=\"wp-block-image size-thumbnail\"><img loading=\"lazy\" decoding=\"async\" width=\"300\" height=\"300\" src=\"https:\/\/www.vernier.com\/til\/wp-content\/uploads\/sites\/2\/2020\/02\/product.sprt-vis._hero.001-300x300.jpg\" alt=\"\" class=\"wp-image-6066\" srcset=\"https:\/\/www.vernier.com\/til\/wp-content\/uploads\/sites\/2\/2020\/02\/product.sprt-vis._hero.001-300x300.jpg 300w, https:\/\/www.vernier.com\/til\/wp-content\/uploads\/sites\/2\/2020\/02\/product.sprt-vis._hero.001-90x90.jpg 90w\" sizes=\"auto, (max-width: 300px) 100vw, 300px\" \/><\/figure>\n<\/div>\n<\/div>\n<div style=\"height:20px\" aria-hidden=\"true\" class=\"wp-block-spacer\"><\/div>\n<div class=\"wp-block-columns is-layout-flex wp-container-core-columns-is-layout-9d6595d7 wp-block-columns-is-layout-flex\">\n<div class=\"wp-block-column is-layout-flow wp-block-column-is-layout-flow\">\n<h4 class=\"wp-block-heading\"><strong>RED TIDE UV-VIS SPECTROMETER <\/strong><small>(SPRT-UV-VIS)<\/small><\/h4>\n<p><a href=\"https:\/\/www.vernier.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2025\/09\/SPRT-UV-VIS.pdf\">Specifications and User Guide<\/a><\/p>\n<figure class=\"wp-block-image size-thumbnail\"><img loading=\"lazy\" decoding=\"async\" width=\"300\" height=\"300\" src=\"https:\/\/www.vernier.com\/til\/wp-content\/uploads\/sites\/2\/2020\/02\/product.sprt-uv-vis._red-tide.001-300x300.jpg\" alt=\"\" class=\"wp-image-6067\" srcset=\"https:\/\/www.vernier.com\/til\/wp-content\/uploads\/sites\/2\/2020\/02\/product.sprt-uv-vis._red-tide.001-300x300.jpg 300w, https:\/\/www.vernier.com\/til\/wp-content\/uploads\/sites\/2\/2020\/02\/product.sprt-uv-vis._red-tide.001-90x90.jpg 90w\" sizes=\"auto, (max-width: 300px) 100vw, 300px\" \/><\/figure>\n<\/div>\n<div class=\"wp-block-column is-layout-flow wp-block-column-is-layout-flow\">\n<h4 class=\"wp-block-heading\"><strong>RED TIDE EMISSIONS SPECTROMETER<\/strong> <small>(ESRT-VIS)<\/small><\/h4>\n<p><a href=\"https:\/\/www.vernier.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2025\/09\/ESRT-VIS.pdf\">Specifications and User Guide<\/a><\/p>\n<figure class=\"wp-block-image size-thumbnail\"><img loading=\"lazy\" decoding=\"async\" width=\"300\" height=\"300\" src=\"https:\/\/www.vernier.com\/til\/wp-content\/uploads\/sites\/2\/2020\/02\/product.esrt-vis._hero.001-e1713993184664-300x300.jpg\" alt=\"\" class=\"wp-image-6068\" srcset=\"https:\/\/www.vernier.com\/til\/wp-content\/uploads\/sites\/2\/2020\/02\/product.esrt-vis._hero.001-e1713993184664-300x300.jpg 300w, https:\/\/www.vernier.com\/til\/wp-content\/uploads\/sites\/2\/2020\/02\/product.esrt-vis._hero.001-e1713993184664-90x90.jpg 90w\" sizes=\"auto, (max-width: 300px) 100vw, 300px\" \/><\/figure>\n<\/div>\n<\/div>\n<div style=\"height:20px\" aria-hidden=\"true\" class=\"wp-block-spacer\"><\/div>\n<h3 class=\"wp-block-heading\">Troubleshooting<\/h3>\n<ul class=\"wp-block-list\">\n<li><strong>Primary Test: <\/strong>Are you using Logger <i>Pro<\/i> 3.6 (or newer)?<\/li>\n<li><strong>Secondary Test:<\/strong> Is the USB cable securely connected?<\/li>\n<\/ul>\n<p class=\"has-text-align-center has-very-light-gray-background-color has-background\">Refer to your sensor&#8217;s <strong><em>Specifications and User Guide<\/em><\/strong> for general usage information.<\/p>\n<div style=\"height:20px\" aria-hidden=\"true\" class=\"wp-block-spacer\"><\/div>\n<h3 class=\"wp-block-heading\">Additional Troubleshooting<\/h3>\n<h4 class=\"wp-block-heading\"><strong>GENERAL<\/strong><\/h4>\n<ul class=\"wp-block-list\">\n<li><a href=\"\/til\/810\/\">Can Logger <i>Pro<\/i> or LabQuest be used to collect data from spectrophotometers?<\/a><\/li>\n<li><a href=\"\/til\/2065\/\">How do I separate the light source from the detector of an Ocean Optics spectrometer?<\/a><\/li>\n<li><a href=\"\/til\/1990\/\">How do I connect a fiber optic cable to an Ocean Optics spectrometer?<\/a><\/li>\n<li><a href=\"\/til\/2016\/\">What is the difference between the types of cuvettes you sell for colorimeters and spectrophotometers?<\/a><\/li>\n<li><a href=\"\/til\/1846\/\">Does the Vernier Spectrophotometer Optical Fiber work with any of the Ocean Optics Spectrometers or vice versa?<\/a><\/li>\n<li><a href=\"\/til\/1921\/\">Do you sell replacement lids for your plastic cuvettes?<\/a><\/li>\n<li><a href=\"\/til\/2416\/\">How do I check the lamp output of my spectrometer?<\/a><\/li>\n<li><a href=\"\/til\/2466\/\">Do you accept donations of old spectrometers?<\/a><\/li>\n<li><a href=\"\/til\/2569\/\">Why don't all of my spectrometers and\/or colorimeters read the same absorbance value for the same sample?<\/a><\/li>\n<li><a href=\"\/til\/2520\/\">What types of liquids can be poured into your plastic colorimeter or spectrophotometer cuvettes without harming the cuvette?<\/a><\/li>\n<li><a href=\"\/til\/1660\/\">Where can I get quartz cuvettes for your spectrophotometers?<\/a><\/li>\n<li><a href=\"\/til\/2539\/\">Why don't the absorbance readings for the colorimeters and spectrometers have units?<\/a><\/li>\n<li><a href=\"\/til\/3315\/\">What is the cost of repairs for an Ocean Insight (formerly Ocean Optics) spectrometer?<\/a><\/li>\n<\/ul>\n<div style=\"height:10px\" aria-hidden=\"true\" class=\"wp-block-spacer\"><\/div>\n<h4 class=\"wp-block-heading\"><strong>SOFTWARE ISSUES<\/strong><\/h4>\n<ul class=\"wp-block-list\">\n<li><a href=\"\/til\/2066\/\">Why is the maximum sample time for a spectrometer set at 1000 milliseconds?<\/a><\/li>\n<li><a href=\"\/til\/2056\/\">Does Logger <i>Pro<\/i> support Ocean Optics Spectrometers on a 64-bit Windows system?<\/a><\/li>\n<li><a href=\"\/til\/1850\/\">Why are there blank data table cells in my spectrometer absorbance data?<\/a><\/li>\n<li><a href=\"\/til\/2408\/\">Spectrometer Error: 'Could Not Collect Values' or 'Calibration Failed'<\/a><\/li>\n<li><a href=\"\/til\/2354\/\">My Spectrometer is not working properly. It won't calibrate or is giving very noisy data.<\/a><\/li>\n<li><a href=\"\/til\/2276\/\">How can I overlay two emission spectra graphs in Logger <i>Pro<\/i>?<\/a><\/li>\n<li><a href=\"\/til\/2177\/\">How can I display both Absorbance and % Transmittance, from Spectrometer measurements, in Logger <i>Pro<\/i> 3?<\/a><\/li>\n<li><a href=\"\/til\/2233\/\">I collected Absorbance data and then Fluorescence data (or emission data) with my spectrometer. I am now collecting Absorbance data again and my data does not look correct.<\/a><\/li>\n<li><a href=\"\/til\/2853\/\">Is there a way to toggle on\/off the colored background behind the absorbance spectrum graph?<\/a><\/li>\n<li><a href=\"\/til\/4099\/\">Ocean Optics spectrometers fail to connect to a computer running Logger <i>Pro<\/i> for Windows (Windows 8,8.1,or 10).<\/a><\/li>\n<\/ul>\n<div style=\"height:10px\" aria-hidden=\"true\" class=\"wp-block-spacer\"><\/div>\n<h4 class=\"wp-block-heading\"><strong>EXPERIMENTS<\/strong><\/h4>\n<ul class=\"wp-block-list\">\n<li><a href=\"\/til\/1577\/\">Do you have labs written for your spectrophotometers?<\/a><\/li>\n<li><a href=\"\/til\/1563\/\">Can I do blackbody experiments with your Spectrometers?<\/a><\/li>\n<li><a href=\"\/til\/1683\/\">Do you have a spectrometer that can measure DNA concentration and purity?<\/a><\/li>\n<li><a href=\"\/til\/2404\/\">Can I use my spectrometer to collect data at one wavelength (Beer's law or kinetics)?<\/a><\/li>\n<li><a href=\"\/til\/2578\/\">How do I get an A260\/A280 value with your UV-VIS spectrometers in Logger <i>Pro<\/i>?<\/a><\/li>\n<li><a href=\"\/til\/2589\/\">Why is the absorbance reading on my device (spectrometer\/colorimeter) unstable or nonlinear at values above 1.0?<\/a><\/li>\n<li><a href=\"\/til\/2223\/\">Can I have my spectrometer capture full wavelength spectra episodically?<\/a><\/li>\n<li><a href=\"\/til\/2224\/\">Do you have instructions on how to use a spectrophotometer to conduct the Photosynthesis lab?<\/a><\/li>\n<li><a href=\"\/til\/2553\/\">Why can't I see better Hydrogen emission lines with my spectrometer?<\/a><\/li>\n<\/ul>\n<div style=\"height:20px\" aria-hidden=\"true\" class=\"wp-block-spacer\"><\/div>\n<h3 class=\"wp-block-heading\">Specifications<\/h3>\n<p>Specs are different for each spectrometer. See your spectrometer&#8217;s <strong><em>Specifications and User Guide<\/em><\/strong> for more information.<\/p>\n<ul class=\"wp-block-list\">\n<li>Light Source<br \/>\u26ac Vernier Spectrometer: Tungsten and violet LED<br \/>\u26ac Red Tide VIS Spectrometer: Tungsten and violet LED<br \/>\u26ac Red Tide UV-VIS Spectrometer: Tungsten (VIS) and deuterium (UV)<br \/>\u26ac Red Tide Emissions Spectrometer: None<\/li>\n<li>Detector: Linear CCD<\/li>\n<li>Wavelength Range:<br \/>\u26ac Vernier Spectrometer: 380 to 950 nm<br \/>\u26ac Red Tide VIS Spectrometer: 380 to 950 nm<br \/>\u26ac Red Tide UV-VIS Spectrometer: 220 to 850 nm<br \/>\u26ac Red Tide Emissions Spectrometer: 380 to 950 nm<\/li>\n<li>Wavelength Reporting Interval<br \/>\u26ac Vernier Spectrometer: 2 nm<br \/>\u26ac Red Tide VIS Spectrometer: 1 nm<br \/>\u26ac Red Tide UV-VIS Spectrometer: 1 nm<br \/>\u26ac Red Tide Emissions Spectrometer: 1 nm<\/li>\n<li>Optical Resolution: 3.0 nm<br \/>(as determined by the full width of half maximum of designated hydrogen emission peak)<\/li>\n<li>Wavelength Accuracy (as determined with holmium oxide NIST standard)<br \/>\u26ac Vernier Spectrometer: \u00b12 nm<br \/>\u26ac Red Tide VIS Spectrometer: \u00b12 nm<br \/>\u26ac Red Tide UV-VIS Spectrometer: \u00b11.5 nm<br \/>\u26ac Red Tide Emissions Spectrometer: \u00b12 nm<\/li>\n<li>Photometric Accuracy: (as determined with nickel sulfate standards between 0.1\u20131.0 AU)<br \/>\u26ac Vernier Spectrometer: \u00b15.0 %<br \/>\u26ac Red Tide VIS Spectrometer: \u00b15.0 %<br \/>\u26ac Red Tide UV-VIS Spectrometer: \u00b14.0 %<\/li>\n<li>Typical Scan Time: ~2 s<\/li>\n<li>Operating Temperature: 15 to 35\u00baC<\/li>\n<li>Dimensions<br \/>\u26ac Vernier Spectrometer: 10 cm \u00d7 8.7 cm \u00d7 3 cm<br \/>\u26ac Red Tide VIS Spectrometer: 10 cm \u00d7 8.7 cm \u00d7 3 cm<br \/>\u26ac Red Tide UV-VIS Spectrometer: 14.2 cm \u00d7 8.7 cm \u00d7 3.0 cm<br \/>\u26ac Red Tide Emissions Spectrometer: 6.3 cm \u00d7 8.7 cm \u00d7 3 cm<\/li>\n<li>Power<br \/>\u26ac Vernier Spectrometer: from computer via USB cable<br \/>\u26ac Red Tide VIS Spectrometer: from computer via USB cable<br \/>\u26ac Red Tide UV-VIS Spectrometer: AC adapter<br \/>\u26ac Red Tide Emissions Spectrometer: from computer via USB cable<\/li>\n<\/ul>\n<div style=\"height:20px\" aria-hidden=\"true\" class=\"wp-block-spacer\"><\/div>\n<h3 class=\"wp-block-heading\">Calibration<\/h3>\n<p>Calibrate this sensor? Yes, in absorbance mode. Calibration when using Emission mode unnecessary. See calibration instructions below:<\/p>\n<ol class=\"wp-block-list\">\n<li>Start the calibration. <br \/>\u26ac <strong>Logger <i>Pro<\/i>:<\/strong> Choose Calibrate \u25b6 Spectrophotometer from the Experiment menu. <br \/>\u26ac <strong>LabQuest App:<\/strong> Choose Calibrate \u25b6 USB: Spectrophotometer from the Sensors menu.<br \/><strong>Note:<\/strong> For best results, allow the Spectrophotometer to warm up for a minimum of five minutes.<\/li>\n<li>Fill a cuvette about 3\/4 full with distilled water (or the solvent being used in the experiment) to serve as the blank. After the spectrophotometer has warmed up, place the blank cuvette in the spectrophotometer. Align the cuvette so a clear side of the cuvette is facing the light source.<\/li>\n<li>Follow the instructions in the dialog box to complete the calibration, and then tap OK.<\/li>\n<\/ol>\n<div style=\"height:20px\" aria-hidden=\"true\" class=\"wp-block-spacer\"><\/div>\n<h3 class=\"wp-block-heading\">Related Products<\/h3>\n<ul class=\"wp-block-list\">\n<li><a href=\"\/product\/vernier-uv-vis-spectrophotometer\/\">Vernier UV-VIS Spectrophotometer<\/a> (<nobr>VSP-UV<\/nobr>)<\/li>\n<li><a href=\"\/product\/plastic-cuvettes-visible-range\/\">Plastic Cuvettes (Visible Range)<\/a> (<nobr>CUV<\/nobr>)<\/li>\n<li><a href=\"\/product\/plastic-cuvettes-uv-vis\/\">Plastic Cuvettes (UV-VIS)<\/a> (<nobr>CUV-UV<\/nobr>)<\/li>\n<li><a href=\"\/product\/go-direct-spectrovis-plus-spectrophotometer\/\">Go Direct<sup>&reg;<\/sup> SpectroVis<sup>&reg;<\/sup> Plus Spectrophotometer<\/a> (<nobr>GDX-SVISPL<\/nobr>)<\/li>\n<\/ul>\n<div style=\"height:50px\" aria-hidden=\"true\" class=\"wp-block-spacer\"><\/div>\n<h3 class=\"wp-block-heading\">Other Ocean Optics Spectrometers that work with Logger <em>Pro<\/em> and LabQuest App<\/h3>\n<div class=\"wp-block-columns is-layout-flex wp-container-core-columns-is-layout-9d6595d7 wp-block-columns-is-layout-flex\">\n<div class=\"wp-block-column is-layout-flow wp-block-column-is-layout-flow\">\n<div class=\"wp-block-image\">\n<figure class=\"aligncenter size-full is-resized\"><img loading=\"lazy\" decoding=\"async\" width=\"408\" height=\"360\" src=\"https:\/\/www.vernier.com\/til\/wp-content\/uploads\/sites\/2\/2017\/11\/1470206794647-1.jpg\" alt=\"\" class=\"wp-image-26238\" style=\"width:335px;height:auto\"\/><figcaption class=\"wp-element-caption\"><small><strong>All USB2000 models<\/strong><\/small><\/figcaption><\/figure>\n<\/div>\n<\/div>\n<div class=\"wp-block-column is-layout-flow wp-block-column-is-layout-flow\">\n<div class=\"wp-block-image\">\n<figure class=\"aligncenter size-full is-resized\"><img loading=\"lazy\" decoding=\"async\" width=\"300\" height=\"300\" src=\"https:\/\/www.vernier.com\/til\/wp-content\/uploads\/sites\/2\/2017\/11\/22da5116-f-44_543_usb4000_uv_vis_big.jpg\" alt=\"\" class=\"wp-image-26237\" style=\"object-fit:cover;width:296px;height:auto\" srcset=\"https:\/\/www.vernier.com\/til\/wp-content\/uploads\/sites\/2\/2017\/11\/22da5116-f-44_543_usb4000_uv_vis_big.jpg 300w, https:\/\/www.vernier.com\/til\/wp-content\/uploads\/sites\/2\/2017\/11\/22da5116-f-44_543_usb4000_uv_vis_big-90x90.jpg 90w\" sizes=\"auto, (max-width: 300px) 100vw, 300px\" \/><figcaption class=\"wp-element-caption\"><small><strong>All USB4000 models<\/strong><\/small><\/figcaption><\/figure>\n<\/div>\n<\/div>\n<\/div>\n<ul class=\"wp-block-list\">\n<li><a href=\"\/til\/1898\/\">Do Ocean Optics USB4000 (UV-VIS and VIS-NIR) Spectrometers Work with LabQuest App?<\/a><\/li>\n<li><a href=\"\/til\/2463\/\">Will my Ocean Optics USB 2000 spectrometers work with Logger <i>Pro<\/i> or LabQuest App?<\/a><\/li>\n<\/ul>","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"<p>Ocean Optics Absorbance and Emission Spectrometers (discontinued) Ocean Optics spectrometers are not compatible with Spectral Analysis. VERNIER SPECTROMETER (V-SPEC) Specifications and User Guide RED TIDE&#8230;<\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":2166,"featured_media":0,"comment_status":"closed","ping_status":"closed","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"_acf_changed":false,"footnotes":""},"categories":[],"tags":[2175,2143,2178,2176,2174,2163,2177],"class_list":["post-1557","post","type-post","status-publish","format-standard","hentry","tag-maintil-v-spec","tag-ocean-optics","tag-oomain","tag-sp-vis-sp-uv-vis-v-spec","tag-specmain","tag-spectrometer","tag-sprt-uv-vis-sprt-vis"],"acf":[],"_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.vernier.com\/til\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/1557","targetHints":{"allow":["GET"]}}],"collection":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.vernier.com\/til\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts"}],"about":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.vernier.com\/til\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/types\/post"}],"author":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.vernier.com\/til\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/users\/2166"}],"replies":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.vernier.com\/til\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/comments?post=1557"}],"version-history":[{"count":0,"href":"https:\/\/www.vernier.com\/til\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/1557\/revisions"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.vernier.com\/til\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media?parent=1557"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"category","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.vernier.com\/til\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/categories?post=1557"},{"taxonomy":"post_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.vernier.com\/til\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/tags?post=1557"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}