Control System Development for Goniophotometer

This paper discusses a design of a goniophotometer control system. A goniophotometer is used to measure the characteristics of any light source such as luminosity. A goniophotometer is used in the design, development and production testing of light emitting diodes (LED), lamps and illuminated signs and in the certification of the final products according to relevant national and international standards. To test the effectiveness of the developed control system, a lab scale model of a goniophotometer was built. The components are two stepper motors, a photoconductive cell light sensor, optical interrupter, power MOSFETS and a Microchip 18F2455 microcontroller. The control system design stage is divided into two major sections, hardware and firmware. The firmware developments involve the PIC 18F2455 programming using the C language. The development of a goniophotometer is important to test any lighting equipment to ensure that they function in fine and safe condition. Corrective measures taken based on the accurate readings made by a goniophotometer can avoid the unwanted problems such as eye damages. This research paper consists of five major parts: introduction, hardware development, firmware development, results and conclusion.