Cert ur Temperature Cty Sy D.Bollen Get the colours right with this Photographic Colour Temperature Meter. It tells you ‘simply and quickly what correction filters to fit to your camera. HOTOGRAPHERS Who use reversal film to make colour transparencies often find that a Particular shot turns out to have an unnatural Fed, yellow, or blue tinge. Unlike the human eye, ‘4. colour film cannot compensate for small “changes in the “quality” of daylight and other Tight sources. "A film correctly balanced for standard daylight ‘will record subjects under household tungsten, Aamp illumination with a deep red hue, but the L ‘most perceptive photographer sees the same “a subject in shade under a clear bine sky 1s icted as de blue by the film, but is seen as A simple colour temperature meter of the type described here will help to reduce the number of failures on a roll of film by showing when colour casts are present, and will also assist in the selection af camera filters to eliminate suck, casts, COLOUR TEMPERATURE If a black body such as a piece of carbon, is heated, it will exhibit a range of colours as its temperature increases, from a dull red, through orange and yellow, to a bluish white. Obviously, the colour of the carbon is closely, related to iis“Approximate cost of components 2:75 plus case Resistors Rr kee Ro 290 ‘All 10%, # watt carbon except where stated. Potentiometers Vt 1000 horizontal skeleton pre-set VR2 —2k0 stider type pre-set V3 50002 wire wound (1 watt type) Light Dependent Resistors CCI, PCC2 ORPI2 Gof) Meter ME} 100-0100 «A moving coil centre zero, stereo balancetype Switeh St Single pole push-to-make Miscellaneous BI SVPP3typo Cellophane (sve text), knob with pointer. Plain perforated s.r.bip. board 2in x tin x 0-48in matrix and pir Formica for caso or sui Connecting wire Battery connectors. LD.R. Holders (sce text). plastic box. & black body to allow a similar correlation between colour and temperature to be used. "Table 1 lists the equivalent colour temperatures ‘tof several kinds of light source. One way of measuring colour temperature is by means of two photosensors, one behind a red filter and the other behind a blue filter, with the filters adjusted so that the sensors give equal outputs under standard daylight conditions. If the photosensors are then illuminated by a light source which is either more red or more biue than standard daylight, the sensor outputs will ‘diflet by an amount roughly proportional to the wv VA 0 Fig. 1. Basic circult diay CIRCUIT OPERATION It would be possible to wire the two photo- sensors in such a way that colour temperature could be read straight from a voltmeter scale, but this would involve taking the meter to bi for calibration, and an unwanted load would be placed on the photosensors by the internal resistance of the meter. Such an arrangement would also be sensitive to changes in battery voltage, so a mulling technique was chosen for the colour temperature meter, using an easily calibrated potentiometer. In the basic circuit of Fig. 1, the photosensors are light dependent resistors (1d.rs) PCCI and PCC2. The resistance of these Lists decreases when they are exposed to light. As long as both Sensors are equally illuminated they should have similar resistance values irrespective of light intensity, and the voltage at the junction of the ¢ sensors ‘will remain constant. The slider of potentiometer VRI in Fig. 1 is adjusted to give |! the same voltage as the sensors so no current flows through contre-zero MEI, hence, no Toad is placed on the sensors. : Assume now that sensors PCC1 and PCC2 are provided with blue and red filters respectively, Under even illumination of both sensors, light Table 1: COLOUR TEMPERATURE OF LIGHT SOURCES. Temperature In ‘dourees Source Kelvin Candle 100 watt household lamp Phototiond lamp Direct sunlight, sunrise or sunset Direct sunlight, noon Sunlight plus white clouds or haze Electronic flash or blue flash- bulbs ‘Sunlight plus clear blue sky Light overcast Heavy overcast In shade, sunlight, plus white ‘clouds or hazeees Sie Fig. 2, Complete circuit diagram of the Photo- graphic Colour Temperature Meter. from a predominantly blue source will pass virtually unhindered through the blue filter to PCCI, but will be blocked by the PCC2 filter ‘Thus, with more light reaching PCC1, it will have a lower resistance than PCC? and the voltage at the junction of PCC1 and PCC2 will rise, causing the meter pointer to deflect away from zero. ‘Much the same applies with red light, but here the meter pointer will deflect in the other direc. tion as the voltage at the junction of PCCI and PCC? falls. Potentiometer VEI is adjusted to bring the meter reading back to zero, and the change of colour temperature is given by the angular rotation of VRI spindle. CIRCUIT REFINEMENTS ‘The circuit of Fig. 1 would not work well in ractice, for the following reasons, Sensors PCC] and PCC2 would have to be perfectly matched if the instrament was not to respond to changes in light intensity as well as colour temperature, blue and red filters would have to be of known density and colour, and only a small centre por- tion of VR1 total track resistance would be usable, In the complete circuit of the colour tempera: ture meter Fig. 2, a low value potentiometer VI is inserted between PCC] and PCC? to eliminate Ld. resistance mismatch under high light intensities; this component also protects the sensors against an excessive current flow. In | Conditions of dim illumination, the resistance of the sensors can be equalised by masking one of them with a spot of ink or paint, as described later. “To simplify construction and reduce cost, the ur temperature meter uses simple blue and ca cellophane (obtainable from most stationers), and ‘VR2 is included in the circuit of Fig. 2 to correct - individual filter variations and allow for circuit tolerances. Calibrated potentiometer VRS in Fig. 2 has.a low track resistance in relation to the total resis. tance of the chain formed by VR2, R1, VR3 and 2, so that full use can be made of VRS rotation to provide widely spaced calibration points. CONSTRUCTION The case for the prototype was constructed from Formica, but almost any non-metallic case of suitable dimensions could be used, The case should be drilled to the dimensions given in Fig. 5 before any further construction is under- taken. Once the drilling is complete meter MEL ‘an be fixed as can the two LiL.t’s, The sensors PCC] and PCC2 are housed in small, opaque cylinders made from plastic cigar holder stoppers or bottle tops, see Fig, 4, Each dr. holder must be cut-down with a sharp knife to make the internal height equal to the height of the Ldir., to ensure a wide-angle of light accep: tance. Blue and red filters are fitted at-a later stage. The ldr’s are glued into the holders which are then glued to the case. ‘The preset potentiometers VAI and VR2 are mounted on a piece of plain perforated s1.b.p. board using mounting pins as indicated in Fig. 5 Potentiometer VRS can then be mounted through a hole cut in the board and resistors RI and R2 connected—one pin is used for R2. ‘The board is then fixed inside the case using VRS mounting. Switch $1 can now be inserted through its Photograph showing the inside of the Photo- graphic Colour Temperature Met