San Diego , Calif. , February 17, 2005 - Gamma Scientific, a leading manufacturer of precision light-measurement instruments, today introduced the RS-5B Digital Light Source System. This third-generation instrument is spectrally tunable and programmable, making it ideal for photometric and radiometric calibrations and as a standard for verifying the performance of solid-state light sources, photodiodes, imaging systems and CCD/CMOS sensors and cameras.

"The RS-5B is significant step forward in our digital light source program," said Richard Austin, president of Gamma Scientific. "It eliminates the need for light-systems engineers to apply traditional methods of color calibration using tungsten lamps and filters. Now, a single operator with a single instrument can perform a series of highly accurate measurements in just a matter of minutes."

Users can quickly invoke exactly the color, intensity or spectral profile required for almost any measurement. The system’s 16-bit color-tunable output can be set to cover all or any portion of the UV/visible/near-IR region. The unit can be used standalone or with a computer using simple commands that easily integrate into existing testers or new test systems. Moreover, the instrument’s exceptional linearity eliminates the need for an external radiometer or colorimeter – both are built into the system.

The RS-5B features adjustable light-level setting to one part in 65,535 in absolute, NIST-traceable, radiometric and photometric units. Its near-perfect linearity and uniformity are less than 0.1% RMS over the 0 to 65,535 intensity range. Light-illuminance settling time is less than 0.1 second. The system also includes ambient-light correction.

Moreover, the RS-5B’s digital light source outlasts tungsten light sources by more than one hundred times. This virtually eliminates downtime (no lamp change is required) and minimizes the lifetime cost of the system. The instrument can run continuously for thousands of hours.