brizzy: software to easily capture ocean optics spectra

about

brizzy captures data from Ocean Optics spectrometers using their SeaBreeze API, as well as the python seabreeze wrapper. We are not in any way affiliated with Ocean Optics, and offer no warranty with the use of this software. On that note, it has worked great for us so far!

When you're monitoring your spectrum capture, you will get a live-updating preview like this:

When you're done, exit the monitoring window. brizzy now plots all of the csv data saved from the spectra. In the output directory, you will have a csv file of every spectrum you observed, and a plot that looks like this for your spectrum with the lambda max labeled:

etmology

Brizzy is Australian for breezy. Using this software is a breeze compared to other spectrum capture software.

Installation

Brizzy has a few software dependencies. Right now it is easiest if you install Anaconda, install some dependencies with conda, then install brizzy using pip.

1. Install Anaconda on your computer. Scroll down the page and click Python 3.6 version's Download button. Anaconda is just a fancy distribution of python that has useful packages already installed, and makes it easier to install new ones.
2. Open the terminal application on your computer. Try out iTerm2 for Mac OSX if you have never worked with the command line.
3. Install the python seabreeze package using the command line. Copy and paste this exactly into your terminal: conda install -c poehlmann python-seabreeze. You need to install this to let python communicate with your Ocean Optics Spectrometer.
4. Now, make sure that you are using the Anaconda version of python by typing this into your terminal: python. You should see something starting like this: Python 3.x.x |Anaconda custom (x86_64)| (default, <date here>). If you don't see this, then anaconda didn't install properly somehow and you are probably using the default system python. Type: exit() to get out of the python prompt.
5. Now, install brizzy by copy/pasting this into your terminal: pip install brizzy.
6. You're done! Cheers mate! 🍻

usage

• To capture a spectrum from something, start the program in the command line using brizzy capture. brizzy capture -i 1000 -d
• To capture a spectrum with an integration time of 233 milliseconds:
  • brizzy capture -i 233
• To save all the files to a directory called mystery_snail:
  • brizzy capture -i 233 -d mystery_snail
• To save all the files with a prefix mystery_snail_species1 to a directory called mystery_snail:
  • brizzy capture -i 233 -d mystery_snail -p mystery_snail_species1