Reflectance NIR Spectrometer User Manual

Overview

This manual applies to the Pynect reflectance NIR spectroscopy module and spectrometer series, and mainly introduces the complete workflow for reflectance and absorbance measurements. The companion software ISC-NIRScan-GUI can be downloaded from the Pynect website; this article is based on software version V1.2.

1. Measurement Steps

1.1 Connect and Power On

  1. Connect the spectrometer to the computer with the supplied Type-C cable.
  2. Move the switch to the ON position (skip this if there is no toggle switch).
  3. Double-click ISC-NIRScan-GUI.exe to launch the software.
  4. After the connection progress bar completes, the spectrometer model and serial number appear in the lower-left corner of the software, indicating a successful connection.

1.2 Reference Measurement

  1. Place the standard white reference at the measurement port.
  2. Click the Reference Scan button; the software automatically acquires and stores the reference spectrum.
  3. The button text changes to Scan, the Reflectance Select in the upper-right corner automatically switches to Previous, and the time of the last reference setting is shown.

1.3 Sample Measurement

  1. Set the storage folder: in the pop-up dialog, select or create a target folder; all measurement data will be saved to this directory.
  2. Place the sample to be measured at the measurement port.
  3. Click the Scan button; the software displays the sample spectrum curve.
  4. Use the radio buttons below the spectrum interface to switch between Reflectance and Absorbance.

1.4 Viewing Historical Data

  1. Click the Browse button in the upper-right corner and select the folder where data is saved.
  2. In the file list, check historical data entries; multiple spectrum curves can be loaded at once for comparison.

2. LED Indicator Description

The LED indicator states of the handheld reflectance spectrometer are as follows:

LED State Description
Green Solid on The device is powered on and ready.
Green Blinks twice per second An error occurred (ADC / EEPROM / spectrum calculation / hardware / temperature and humidity / memory / system).
Blue Solid on Bluetooth broadcasting (off when connected via USB or without BLE).
Blue Blinks once per second BLE connection established.
Blue Blinks twice per second Bluetooth communication error.
Yellow Solid on A scan is in progress.
Yellow Blinks twice per second Scan error.
Red Solid on Battery is charging.
Red Blinks once every 0.25 s Battery low.

3. Software Features in Detail

3.1 Spectrum Display Area

The left side of the software is the spectrum curve display area, which provides the following controls:

Option Function
Reflectance / Absorbance / Intensity / Reference Switch the displayed spectrum type: reflectance, absorbance, relative intensity, or reference intensity.
Zoom and Pan When checked, scroll to zoom and left-drag to pan. Right-click to switch the zoom type (X-axis only / Y-axis only / both X and Y axes).
Overlay When checked, subsequent measurement curves are overlaid; uncheck to clear the overlay.
Tooltip When checked, hovering shows coordinate values. Choose Single (one curve) or Multiple (multiple curves).

3.2 Scan Setting Tab

The parameter area on the right provides the following settings:

Reference Select (reference source):
- New: acquire a new reference spectrum, stored in the system user folder.
- Previous: select previously saved reference data.
- Built-in: use the reference data stored inside the device (interpolated to match the current configuration).

Lamp Control:
- Supports controlling the lamp on/off/warm-up state.
- The "lamp stabilization time" can be adjusted; keeping the default is recommended.

Gain Control:
- Auto (recommended): performs a quick pre-scan before scanning and automatically selects the highest gain that does not cause saturation.
- Fixed PGA Gain: a fixed gain value, suitable for special materials whose signal strength lies between two critical gain values. Saturation must be avoided (when saturated, the curve appears flat).

Scan Average:
- Defaults to 6. Increasing the count improves the signal-to-noise ratio but also increases scan time.

Continuous Scan Select:
- Sets the number of continuous scans and the interval (in seconds) that are automatically performed after clicking scan.

3.3 Data Saving and Formats

The Save Scan As area lets you configure the data format and storage path:

  • *.dat: binary format; supports switching among reflectance, absorbance, relative intensity and reference intensity in the Saved Scans tab.
  • *.csv: text format, easy to read directly with tools such as Excel/MATLAB. You can additionally check saving separate files for relative intensity, absorbance and reflectance.

Suggestion: for scenarios that only need absorbance data, checking only *.csv is enough, to avoid generating too many data files per scan. If you need to review complete historical data within the software, also check *.dat.

File Name Prefix: you can add a custom prefix for easier data management, for example:

  • Without prefix: Column 1_20210712_160057
  • With prefix: 001_SampleA_Column 1_20210712_160057

3.4 Saved Scans Historical Data

  • Folder / Browse: switch the data folder to load historical records.
  • Refresh: refresh the data list.
  • Filter: enter keywords to filter the displayed entries.
  • Below the list you can switch the displayed data type (reflectance, absorbance, relative intensity, reference intensity).

4. Software Download and Installation

  • Download link: the software download page on the Pynect website.
  • Extract to a folder with the same name under an all-English path.
  • Double-click ISC-NIRScan-GUI.exe to run.
  • Note: antivirus software may quarantine the executable; if quarantined, restore it in the antivirus settings.

This article was compiled by Pynect.