White Hot: Measuring Color Temperature

Using an Arduino Mega Centuries before the science of color temperature was understood, blacksmiths already knew how to read the temperature of a heated piece of metal by its color emissions. In this article, Jeff discusses the math and science behind color temperature. He then details his project that uses a color-light-to-digital sensor to measure the color temperature of a light source. Topics Discussed How to use a color-light-to-digital sensor to measure the color temperature of a light sourceWhat is the theoretical “black-body radiator“?How to understand additive and subtractive colorHow does the TCS3472 sensor work?How to use the TCS3472 sensor and its I2C interfaceHow to connect the sensor to a display for outputHow to use the Heltec Wi-Fi Kit 8 to make our device portable Tech Used ams TCS3472 sensorams TSC34725 sensorArduino MEGAHeltec Arduino with an integrated 4×20 graphic display Espressif Systems ESP8266 PacTec enclosureHeltec Wi-Fi Kit 8 “White as snow,“ “white chocolate,“ “white wedding dress,“ “white lightning“ and “white diamonds“ are common descriptions of items in our world that include the descriptor “white.“ You can probably think of many others. Some of these describe a whitish hue, while others don't connote a color at all. The most truthful might be “white hot.“ While today we might use this to describe someone that is “drop-dead gorgeous,“ according to Merriam Webster, this was first used as meaning “being at or radiating white heat.“ If you've ever sat by a campfire or gazed at a candle, you have experienced heat through radiation and colors associated with the flame. Before we can discuss temperature and color, we need to begin with the “black-body radiator“ [1]. This is a theoretical object that can absorb all radiation that falls upon it. Radiation is the emission or transmission of energy in the form of waves (or particles) through some medium. This includes: ele