Ocean Optics - a Halma PR news blog

CYMG color changers’ dichroic filter technology withstands temperatures where traditional gels melt

Dunedin, Florida (November 20, 2007) – Already a popular choice for theater and stage lighting, the SeaChanger xG Color Engine from Ocean Optics is now making waves in the architectural design community in an installation at the SAIC campus in McLean Virginia.  The CYMG color changer for ETC Source Four Ellipsoidal Spotlights uses robust dichroic filter technology, which requires no cooling, to create a virtually endless palette of stable, reproducible colors that do not shift or fade with time or temperature.

The main building of SAIC’s Virginia campus features a dramatic multi-story steel entrance.  The soaring grid of metal work is highlighted at night by shifting colored lights.  For the first year of the display, the architectural feature was lit by ETC Source Four Spotlights paired with traditional gel scrollers.  However, this configuration required constant maintenance as the lights overheated and melted the gels. 

With the help of lighting equipment experts Barbizon Capitol, SAIC went looking for a new architectural lighting solution.  “The challenges this space presented were its size and use requirements,” explained Tom Morris, SeaChanger Sales Specialist. “They needed a powerful light source to illuminate the large, multi-story space, which could also operate for eight hours per night without overheating.  The Source 4 and SeaChanger combination was the ideal solution.”

SAIC runs the eight SeaChangers and white Source Four 750 watt fixtures on an ETC Unison rack.  A timed event runs from 5 p.m. to 1 a.m., seven days a week, bathing the building in a continually shifting assortment of colors.

The SeaChanger’s dichroic filters provide higher transmission efficiency than gels and other filter materials, and their resistance to temperature and humidity means they stay cool, without noisy cooling fans.  The SeaChanger employs four patterned filters: cyan, yellow, magenta and a neutral density (dimmer) filter.  Users can configure filters in up to 4 billion combinations to create a nearly infinite variety of colors, from delicate pastels to deep, saturated primaries.  The xG model’s novel “Extreme Green” filter combines with the CYM color wheels to produce hexachromic colors, expanding the available gamut to include deeper reds, blues and greens.

The SeaChanger installs quickly and easily without tools.  The lightweight unit incorporates an internal power supply and 6-channel DMX controller and integrates easily in multiple architectural settings including corporate, school, museum and recreation venues.  It supports the Remote Device Management protocol and can be programmed for stand-alone operation. 

For more information on SeaChanger, contact Tom Morris at 727.545.0741 or SeaChanger@OceanOptics.com, or visit the product website at www.SeaChangerOnline.com. SeaChanger is also available through a network of theatrical lighting distributors.

Company expands R&D department to include specialist in Photonics, Optics and Laser Technology

Dunedin, Florida (November 12, 2007) – Ocean Optics, the industry leader in miniature photonics, has appointed Hwan Kim, Ph.D. as the company’s new Optical Research Scientist.

Dr. Kim comes to Ocean Optics with an extensive background in photonics, optics and lasers with both theoretical and practical experience.  In his new role at Ocean Optics he will focus on characterizing and supporting the company’s existing products while helping to develop the next generation of optical measurement technologies.

A Ph.D. graduate of Optical Physics from the School of Optics/CREOL at the University of Central Florida, Dr. Kim earned his Masters of Science and Bachelors of Science from Pusan National University in South Korea.

New distributor headed up by former company president

Dunedin, Florida (October 12, 2007) – Ocean Optics, Inc. has appointed SpectrEcology, LLC as a distributor of its line of miniature spectrometers, fiber optics, chemical sensors and Laser Induced Breakdown Spectroscopy (LIBS) systems.  SpectrEcology was formed by Mike Morris, former president and founder of Ocean Optics, and will provide engineering and support services to introduce Ocean Optics’ technologies into new market areas.

SpectrEcology will focus on clients who need assistance with field science applications, in-situ or environmental applications such as heavy metals detection, oxygen and pH measurements, natural coloration and color vision, ultra fast laser characterization and radiometric measurements.  Spectrometer use is increasing in a wide variety of applications from agriculture to consumer product manufacturing lines.  SpectrEcology will provide customers with hands on expertise in incorporating this technology into their operations.

SpectrEcology founder Mike Morris has more than 20 years of experience developing oceanographic instrumentation.  Morris founded pHish Doctor, Inc. in 1988 to manufacture and distribute pH sensors for aquariums.  In 1989, he founded Ocean Optics and was awarded two Small Business Innovation Research grants that led to the development of the world’s first miniature spectrometer.  Since its inception, Ocean Optics has sold nearly 100,000 spectrometers and has developed over 1,500 new products.  In 2004, Ocean Optics was sold to Halma, plc a U.K.-based public company.

For more information, visit www.SpectrEcology.com, or contact SpectrEcology, LLC at 727.230.1697 or info@SpectrEcology.com.

Rob Randelman takes helm at Dunedin-based photonics manufacturer

Dunedin, Florida (October 5, 2007) – Ocean Optics, leading spectroscopy and photonic instruments manufacturer, has promoted Rob Randelman, Ph.D. to the position of company President.  Randelman’s appointment follows the move of former President and company founder, Mike Morris, to the position of Vice Chairman for the company.

Randelman joined Ocean Optics in 2006 as Vice President, Sales & Marketing and has been instrumental in driving the company’s continued sales and profit growth.  He has directed the expansion of the company’s geographic presence, which included the establishment of a full sales and service facility based in Shanghai, China. 

Prior to Ocean Optics, Randelman served as Director of secure electronic payment technology company, VeriFone, where he directed a $40M services division.  His career also included management stints with Hewlett Packard and Exxon.  Before progressing to industrial management positions, Randelman worked in miniature fiber optic sensor and spectrometer research.  He earned Doctorate and Master of Science in Engineering degrees in Chemical Engineering from Lehigh University (Bethlehem, Pa.) and dual undergraduate degrees in Physics and Chemistry from Ursinus College (Collegeville, Pa.).

“Having been on both the academic side and the technology management side during my career, I feel like I bring a unique perspective to Ocean Optics,” said Randelman.  “I’m looking forward to using that experience to help the company continue on its successful track and look for ways to better serve our end users.”

Photonics Leader Expands Purchasing Options in North America

Dunedin, Florida (September 14, 2007) – Ocean Optics, developers of the world’s first miniature spectrometer, have opened a new online shop at www.oceanoptics.com/shop.html.  Developed to provide added convenience and value to customers and prospective customers, Ocean Optics’ Online Shop features a broad inventory of spectroscopy equipment and gear.

With a full range of equipment including light sources, fibers, patch cords, quantum dots, cuvettes and more, Ocean Optics’ Online Shop provides customers with in-stock and ready-to-ship accessories and gear for endless spectroscopy applications and workflows. 

“We wanted to bring a higher level of convenience to our customers,” states company President, Rob Randelman. “For those already familiar with our products, online shopping made sense.  We’re confident that our customers will find it to be an excellent complement to our services and customer care efforts.”

The Online Shop can be accessed directly at www.oceanoptics.com/shop.html and is featured on the company’s home page.

Photonics manufacturer helps others screen consumer products for suspected lead and heavy metals
Dunedin, Florida (August 29, 2007) – Ocean Optics, Inc., a leading manufacturer of spectroscopy and photonic instruments, has announced a new program intended to provide manufacturers, importers and distributors of consumer products with a simple, low-cost, screening tool for testing of lead and heavy metals using Ocean Optics’ state-of-the-art laser-induced breakdown spectroscopy (LIBS) system. With recent news reports of lead and heavy metal presence in consumer products, Ocean Optics is offering the low-cost-per-item test as a public service. 

Rob Randelman, President of Ocean Optics, said: “Ocean Optics takes product safety very seriously. We want to not only assist our customers in determining the safety of their products, but we also want to encourage companies to be proactive towards these issues, without the concern of significant up-front investment. We have technology that can give a fast, clear result; this could be one step to help keep dangerous products from being used by consumers, like our families and friends.”

Unlike traditional ‘rub tests’, Ocean Optics unique LIBS system is not susceptible to being fooled by an overcoat of non-lead paint.  A laser is used to ‘burn’ away a small area of the object under test, causing a plasma to form which is then analyzed for the key elements of interest, primarily lead or other metals, but virtually any element can be detected.  The entire test takes less than 30 seconds. 

Ocean Optics LIBS systems are used in a wide variety of other applications, such as RoHS screening, gem origin determination, and elemental determinations in mixed powders.  The results of this test are intended to be used as a screening tool, guide or advisory of the safety of the paint or construction of an individual product.  Ocean Optics is offering the screening for $100 USD per test to help those companies or agencies who are unable to invest upwards of $50,000 USD for their own dedicated system.

More information can be obtained at the company’s website at http://www.oceanoptics.com/products/libstest.asp or by contacting an application scientist at the company’s worldwide headquarters in Dunedin, Florida on 727-733-2447.

Ocean Optics Spectrometer selected for NASA LCROSS Mission to search out lunar water.

Dunedin, Florida (August 16, 2007) – Ocean Optics has custom-engineered a spectrometer for an upcoming NASA mission to the moon’s south pole.  The Lunar CRater Observation and Sensing Satellite (LCROSS) will carry the Ocean Optics equipment, affectionately dubbed “ALICE,” to help analyze the makeup of the lunar craters, with the goal of locating water below the moon’s surface. 

Working closely with Aurora Design & Technology (Clearwater, FL), the company developing the reflectance viewing optics for the mission, a highly-sensitive Ocean Optics QE65000 Spectrometer was used as a platform to custom-build a spectrometer to meet NASA’s exacting specifications.  Ocean Optics’ technology is able to achieve up to 90% quantum efficiency (defined as how efficiently a photon is converted to a photoelectron) with high signal-to-noise and rapid signal processing speed.

The LCROSS mission will send a rocket crashing into the moon at more than twice the speed of a bullet, in order to study the resulting ejecta cloud.  The impact is expected to generate a 2.2 million-pound plume of matter, which another spacecraft carrying ALICE will fly through, looking for signs of water and other compounds.  ALICE will measure the reflectivity of the plume as it rises into the sunlight, enabling scientists to distinguish between water vapor, water ice, and hydrated minerals (such as salts or clays) with molecularly bound water.  With a wavelength range of 270-650 nm and an optical resolution of less than 1.0 nm, ALICE will be able to identify ionized water (visible at 619 nm), OH radicals (visible at 308 nm) and other organic molecules containing carbon, with a high degree of accuracy.  The unit’s back-thinned detector makes the most of the available light, a critical feature as the measurements will be taken from the dark region of the moon where light is scarce.

Water hidden deep in the moon’s craters could mean drinking water or even the ability to break down the hydrogen and oxygen molecules into rocket fuel, laying the foundation for the moon as a staging point for further space exploration.

To survive the harsh conditions of the lunar mission, ALICE was designed to withstand extreme temperature ranges as well as significant shock and vibration.  All of the materials, optics and mounting hardware were selected with these hazards in mind.  Additionally, several electronics modifications were made to accommodate conversion of the communication ports from USB to RS-422 and of the power supply from 5V to 24V.

With only 12 weeks to first prototype, ALICE has successfully passed pre-flight testing.  It has cycled from -50° to +70° C with very little change in spectral performance and passed flight qualification testing at 15g RMS vibration and over 200g shock. 

LCROSS is slated to launch in October, 2008 from the Kennedy Space Center, Florida.  The spacecraft will orbit the Earth twice prior to striking the lunar south pole in January 2009.  This is the second NASA collaboration for Ocean Optics.  A unit designed around the company’s HR-Series spectrometers will be part of the 2009 ChemCam Mars mission to study rock and soil composition on the red planet.

About Ocean Optics
Headquartered in Dunedin, Fla., Ocean Optics (www.oceanoptics.com) is a leading supplier of solutions for optical sensing - fundamental methods of measuring and interpreting the interaction of light with matter.  With branch offices in Asia and Europe, the company has sold more than 90,000 spectrometers worldwide since 1989.  Ocean Optics’ extensive line of complementary technologies including chemical sensors, analytical instrumentation, optical fibers, thin films and optics is also used for diverse applications in medical and biological research, environmental monitoring, science education, and entertainment lighting and display. The company is part of the Halma group of safety and detection companies.

About Aurora Design Technology
Aurora Design & Technology (www.AuroraDesignTech.com) provides the technology industry with high-quality domestic outsourcing for optical, mechanical, software and system designs.  Aurora Design & Technology specializes in working with customers to solve the most demanding application problems.

CYMG color changer part of Whitney Museum’s exhibition commemorating 40th anniversary

Dunedin, Florida (July 26 2007) – To help set the tone for its “Summer of Love: Art of the Psychedelic Era” exhibit, the Whitney Museum of American Art has turned to lighting technology from Ocean Optics’ SeaChanger. The SeaChanger Wash provides an unprecedented level of color intensity and saturation that references the immersive psychedelic environments of the time.

New York-based lighting designer Ku’uipo Curry created the lighting installation, working with Whitney Assistant Curator Henriette Huldisch. Entering the third floor of the museum, visitors are bathed in a shifting swirl of rich light. This first impression sets the mood as they plunge into the American popular culture of the time in the form of psychedelic rock posters, multimedia rooms, archived filmed light shows, and a psychedelic chapel.

The challenge Curry faced in crafting the display was to create an ambience without overpowering the art and other exhibits. “I did not want to create a light show or turn the Museum into a disco or rock concert,” she explained. “I wanted rich high-chroma light that shifted slowly between colors in a very fluid and elegant way–somewhere between a concert and a lava lamp.”

In order to replicate the morphing, supersaturated effects created by ‘60’s lightshow designers mixing colored pigments live, Curry sought out a modern equivalent that would bring the same soft texture of light and found the SeaChanger Wash. Ocean Optics donated eight units to the Whitney Museum to be used throughout the run of the show.

Using patented dichroic filter technology, the units can create a virtually endless palette of stable, reproducible colors that do not shift or fade with time or temperature. SeaChanger’s dichroic filters provide higher transmission efficiency than gels and other filter materials, and their resistance to temperature and humidity eliminates the need for noisy fans. Its novel xG “Extreme Green” filter combines with the CYM color wheels to produce hexachromic colors, expanding the available gamut to include deeper reds, blues and greens.

“The combination of the super soft light of a Fresnel lens, and gentle shift between high-chroma, rich, saturated colors were just right for this design. The texture of the light is correct, and the chromas and saturation are perfect,” according to Curry.

The SeaChanger Wash’s four-filter color engine and Fresnel lens barrel attach easily to the reflector housing of any ETC Source Four® ellipsoidal spotlight. A manual zoom allows users to adjust the field of view from 20? to 70?. Color transitions from 0-100% saturation in less than one second are possible. Each self-contained unit is controlled via 4-channel DMX, RDM device, or its front-panel membrane keypad with three-digital LED display. The SeaChanger Wash is compatible with 575W or 750W HPL and HID lamps, and will accommodate a variety of stage lighting accessories.

In addition to the exceptional light and color quality, the units have functioned well from a practical standpoint. “The units have been on eight to ten hours a day, five days a week, since May and have performed beautifully,” noted Curry.

The show was programmed with an ETC Express™ 48/96 lighting console, and controlled for the run of the show with an ETC Express LPC (Lighting Playback Controller), both donated by ETC. Curry programmed a stack of cues which use contrasting combinations of washes of light and rainbow effects that shift and fade. The Express LPC kept cue stacks in order so that museum staff were able to easily turn the exhibit lighting on and off daily.

ETC also donated three 90° Source Four spotlights, used in the exhibit’s second floor entry. Working with glass gobos from InLight GoBos, Curry used the units to create a pool of textured light that resembles the effect of gasoline on water. The 90° Source Fours worked with the short lighting grid at the Whitney to deliver full coverage. The project was managed by the Lighting Syndicate LLC.

The Whitney Museum of American Art ‘s “Summer of Love: Art of the Psychedelic Era” exhibition traces the explosion of contemporary art and popular culture that was brought about by the civil unrest and pervasive social change of The 1960s and early 70s. It celebrates a new psychedelic aesthetic that emerged in art, music, film, architecture, graphic design, and fashion with works by Joshua Light Show, Isaac Abrams, Lynda Benglis, Jimi Hendrix, Robert Indiana, Yayoi Kusama, and Andy Warhol, among others. Curated by Christoph Grunenberg at Tate Liverpool and originally presented there, the show toured to the Kunsthalle Schirn Frankfurt and the Kunsthalle Wien prior to the Whitney. The exhibition runs through September 16, 2007.

About SeaChanger
The SeaChanger Color Engine (www.SeaChangerOnline.com) is a product of Ocean Optics, a leading supplier of solutions for optical sensing. The company’s Thin Films Division designs and manufactures patented dichroic filters for entertainment, architectural and display products, and produces precision optics and coatings for lighting envelopes, fixtures and scientific applications. The SeaChanger’s patterned dichroic filters are precise enough to project even large-format still images with remarkable resolution and clarity while the “colored light” products use the most robust, highest-transmission dichroic filters available.

About Whitney Museum
The Whitney Museum of American Art is the leading advocate of 20th - and 21st -century American art. Founded in 1930, the Museum is regarded as the preeminent collection of American art and includes major works and materials from the estate of Edward Hopper, the largest public collection of-works by Alexander Calder, Louise Nevelson, and Lucas Samaras, as well as significant works by Jasper Johns, Donald Judd, Agnes Martin, Bruce Nauman, Georgia O’Keeffe, Claes Oldenburg, Kiki Smith, and Andy Warhol, among other artists. With its history of exhibiting the most promising and influential American artists and provoking intense critical and public debate, the Whitney’s signature show, the Biennial, has become the most important survey of the state of contemporary art in America today.

About Ku’uipo Curry
Ku’uipo Curry is a New York-based lighting designer who designs for the performing arts, performance art and art installations. She has a BA in Art History from Wellesley College, and studied Theatrical Lighting Design at MIT.

Dr. Jason Eichenholz to lead internal and collaborative applications research
Dunedin, Florida (June 18, 2007) – Optical sensing and spectroscopy manufacturer Ocean Optics has appointed Jason M. Eichenholz, Ph.D., to the position of Vice President of Research and Technology. 

In his new role, Eichenholz will continue to strengthen Ocean Optics’ established leadership position in the optical sensing and spectroscopy markets.  He will direct all internal and external research activities, with an emphasis on collaborative projects in industry and academia.  His research work will carry over into new product and applications development for the company’s line of miniature fiber optic spectrometers, optical sensors, sampling accessories, light sources, fibers, probes, thin films and optics. 

“This position requires a unique blend of knowledge and experience in research and development, science, engineering, applications, and business” said Ocean Optics President Mike Morris. “Dr. Eichenholz’s background will be a strong asset in driving our enhanced R&D and product development focus.”

Eichenholz’s background spans over 15 years of active laser and photonics research and product development.  Most recently, he served as Director of Strategic Marketing for Newport Corporation, designing the marketing and technology strategy for the company’s largest market segment, scientific research and development.  In addition to analyzing market trends for all of Newport’s product lines including lasers, photonics components, and spectroscopy instruments; Eichenholz established several external partnerships to enhance and support corporate, government and academic research programs.

Over the course of his career, Eichenholz has authored more than 30 papers and been granted six US patents relating to solid-state lasers, displays, and photonics devices.  He holds memberships in SPIE, IEEE-LEOS, and OSA, currently chairing the OSA Laser Science and Engineering Technical Group and serving on the OSA Science and Engineering Council.  Eichenholz earned Doctorate and Master of Science degrees in Optical Sciences and Engineering from the University of Central Florida’s College of Optics and Photonics/CREOL (Orlando, Fla.) and a Bachelor of Science degree in Physics (Optics concentration) at Rensselaer Polytechnic Institute (Troy, N.Y.).

The “Masked Engineer” taps CYMG color changer for innovative product honor.

Dunedin, Florida (May 8, 2007) - Ocean Optics’ SeaChanger Color Engine has been awarded one of TV Technology Magazine’s 15th Annual Mario Awards.  The awards, presented annually at the National Association of Broadcasters (NAB) convention, recognize products that represent significant technical breakthroughs in production technology. 

The SeaChanger CYMG color changer was chosen for a Mario from nearly 1,500 products at the NAB show.  This new lighting technology provides an unprecedented level of color, intensity and saturation control for ETC Source Four® Ellipsoidals.  Using Ocean Optics’ patented dichroic filter technology, it creates millions of rich, reproducible colors with white-to-full saturation color transitions in less than one second.  The filters provide higher transmission efficiency than gels and other materials, and their resistance to temperature and humidity eliminates the need for noisy fans.  Spot and wash versions are available to suit any application in theatrical, architectural and landscape lighting. 

Organized in 1993, the Mario Awards were established to recognize manufacturers whose innovative products have the potential to significantly impact video technology.  The award is named after Mario Orazio, a pseudonym for a nameless engineer and technology columnist for TV Technology magazine, “The Masked Engineer.”  The awards are presented annually at the NAB convention to companies that demonstrate forward thinking and technical excellence in their products. 

“Mario scours the NAB show floor for the 10 most innovative products that represent the pinnacle of technical achievement. We are proud to present these awards on behalf of the ‘Masked Engineer,’” said TV Technology Editor Tom Butts.

The SeaChanger Color Engine is a product of Ocean Optics, a leading supplier of solutions for optical sensing — fundamental methods of measuring and interpreting the interaction of light with matter. The company’s Thin Films Division designs and manufactures patented dichroic filters for entertainment, architectural and display products, and produces precision optics and coatings for lighting envelopes, fixtures and scientific applications. The SeaChanger’s patterned dichroic filters are precise enough to project even large-format still images with remarkable resolution and clarity while the “colored light” products use the most robust, highest-transmission dichroic filters available.

###