> **Source:** Core Electronics is an Australian maker-electronics retailer and manufacturer based in Newcastle, NSW, run by a team of makers and educators. We design and manufacture our own product lines (PiicoDev, CE originals) and are official retailers for iconic maker and industrial brands including Raspberry Pi, Arduino, Adafruit, SparkFun and DFRobot. Orders ship Australia-wide from our Newcastle warehouse. Prices are in AUD and include GST. Pricing, stock and dispatch on this page are generated from the store's live catalog. Full machine-readable index: https://core-electronics.com.au/llms.txt # Qwiic Visible Spectrum Emitter **Type:** Product page · **SKU:** SPX-21316 · **Brand:** [Sparkfun](https://core-electronics.com.au/brands/sparkfun-australia) **Page:** https://core-electronics.com.au/qwiic-visible-spectrum-emitter.html ([markdown](https://core-electronics.com.au/qwiic-visible-spectrum-emitter.html.md)) It's easy to get used to the idea that RGB LEDs can emit millions of colors, and practically speaking, this is true enough. On the other hand, spectroscopi... ## Pricing - **Price:** $87.50 (inc GST) — $79.55 AUD, exc GST - **Quantity discounts:** 5+ $77.16 (exc GST) · 25+ $75.56 (exc GST) · 100+ $72.38 (exc GST) ## Availability & dispatch - Out of stock — the product page offers email notification when it returns. ## How to buy - **Build a cart:** compose `https://core-electronics.com.au/cart/link?items=SPX-21316:1` (comma-separated SKU:qty pairs) and share the link. Opening it shows a confirmation page with live pricing and stock before anything is added to the cart. - **Verify the cart first:** fetch `https://core-electronics.com.au/cart/link/SPX-21316:1.md` for live line prices (inc & exc GST, quantity discounts applied), stock and dispatch estimates, and totals. Append `/to/{AU-postcode}` (or `/to/{country-code}:{postcode}`) before `.md` for delivery options and prices to that destination. Unknown, retired, or out-of-stock SKUs are flagged. (Query form `cart/link.md?items=...` also works but some robots parsers refuse query strings here.) - **Checkout** is completed on-site and includes a captcha at the payment step. Share the cart link; checkout takes it from there. - **Search the catalogue:** `https://core-electronics.com.au/search/{query}.md` (URL-encode the query; pages 2-3 at `search/{query}/{page}.md`; `search.md?q=` also works) - **Payment methods, purchase orders, policies and contact details:** https://core-electronics.com.au/llms.txt ## Description It's easy to get used to the idea that RGB LEDs can emit millions of colors, and practically speaking, this is true enough. On the other hand, spectroscopically, they only emit three: Red, Green-ish, and Blue. Do you really care if the cyan and pink mood lighting in your gaming room is an illusion? Probably not. But sometimes there's no substitute for the real thing. The Qwiic Visible Spectrum Emitter combines 9 discrete LEDs spanning the visible spectrum from 455 to 720nm. Each LED emits light with a narrow peak wavelength, with one exception made for the phosphor-based green LED in the middle of the spectrum. Sparkfun compromised on green so that all of the LEDs would be in the same luminous intensity ballpark without breaking the bank. There are complicated physics reasons that pure green LEDs are not very efficient, if you're interested in learning more you can research the [green gap](https://compoundsemiconductor.net/article/101325/Getting_To_Grips_With_The_Green_Gap). This board is based loosely on the [MultiSpecLED](https://github.com/benkrasnow/MultiSpectLED) design by Ben Krasnow. Our design uses slightly less powerful LEDs and places them closer together. We've also made it Qwiic-compatible by designing around the LP55231 I²C LED controller. The idea was to create a broad-spectrum LED emitter for spectroscopy applications, but Sparkfun suspect there are plenty of uses for this hardware from photography to photochemistry! A USB-C port on the board allows you to connect a high-current 5V power supply for the LEDs and the exposed copper on the back is sized to accommodate our [self-adhesive copper heatsink](https://core-electronics.com.au/search/?q=18704) for applications where you might need active cooling. The LEDs can be run to about 80% PWM cycle without the need for an auxiliary heatsink or active cooling, but any higher than that and the board will warm up FAST. Example Arduino code for controlling the Qwiic Visible Spectrum Emitter can be found in the [SparkFun LP55231 Arduino Library](https://github.com/sparkfun/SparkFun_LP55231_Arduino_Library)! **Experimental Product:** [SparkX](https://www.sparkfun.com/sparkx) products are rapidly produced to bring you the most cutting edge technology as it becomes available. These products are tested but come with no guarantees. Live technical support is not available for SparkX products. Head on over to our [forum](https://forum.sparkfun.com/viewforum.php?f=123) for support or to ask a question. ### Features - USB-C Connector for LED Power - 2x Qwiic Connection Ports - I²C Address: Default 0x35 (2-bit selectable) - 9 Discrete Single-color LEDs at the following wavelengths: - 455nm - 475nm - 500nm - 525nm - 540nm - 590nm - 615nm - 660nm - 730nm ### Documents - [Schematic](https://core-electronics.com.au/attachments/localcontent/Qwiic_Spectrum_Vis_10760453050.pdf) - [Eagle Files](https://core-electronics.com.au/attachments/localcontent/Qwiic_Spectrum_Vis_1209245202a.zip) - Datasheets - [LP55231 Programmable LED Driver](https://core-electronics.com.au/attachments/localcontent/lp55231_14171823f8f.pdf) - [AL8860 Buck LED Driver](https://core-electronics.com.au/attachments/localcontent/AL8860_10246f81f83.pdf) - [Cree J-Series LEDs](https://core-electronics.com.au/attachments/localcontent/JSeries-2835-Color_5090478f856.pdf) - [LP55231 Arduino Library](https://github.com/sparkfun/SparkFun_LP55231_Arduino_Library) - [GitHub Hardware Repo](https://github.com/sparkfunX/Qwiic_Spectrum_Visible) ## Images - [Product image 1](https://core-electronics.com.au/media/catalog/product/S/P/SPX-21316-1.jpg)