Open-source products for a lighting experiment device

• Published in: Behavior research methods Vol. 46; no. 4; pp. 960 - 983
• Main Authors: Gildea, Kevin M., Milburn, Nelda
• Format: Journal Article
• Language: English
• Published: Boston Springer US 01.12.2014; Springer Nature B.V
• Subjects: Behavioral Science and Psychology; Cognitive Psychology; Color Perception - physiology; Color vision; Color Vision Defects - diagnosis; Color Vision Defects - physiopathology; Controllers; Emissions; Humans; Light; Light emitting diodes; Lighting - instrumentation; Lighting - methods; Luminosity; Open source software; Optical Devices; Psychology; Signal Processing, Computer-Assisted - instrumentation; Software; Visual perception; Visual thresholds; Color vision; Lighting controller; Open source; Signal lighting
• ISSN: 1554-3528; 1554-3528
• DOI: 10.3758/s13428-013-0423-1

The capabilities of open-source software and microcontrollers were used to construct a device for controlled lighting experiments. The device was designed to ascertain whether individuals with certain color vision deficiencies were able to discriminate between the red and white lights in fielded systems on the basis of luminous intensity. The device provided the ability to control the timing and duration of light-emitting diode (LED) and incandescent light stimulus presentations, to present the experimental sequence and verbal instructions automatically, to adjust LED and incandescent luminous intensity, and to display LED and incandescent lights with various spectral emissions. The lighting device could easily be adapted for experiments involving flashing or timed presentations of colored lights, or the components could be expanded to study areas such as threshold light perception and visual alerting systems.