Calibrated, made in the USA, software included. This page is the plain written guide to the Aura Hacker USB spectrometer: what it measures, how accurately, what it costs, and where to buy. For the interactive tour, open the front page.
The Aura Hacker is a compact USB spectrometer for visible light, built around a diffraction grating, a laser-cut entrance slit, and a high-sensitivity image sensor characterized per unit. Plug it into a Windows, Mac, or Linux computer, run the software from the instrument's integrated drive, and you are reading live spectra. Nothing to install.
Two models share the same optics and software. The USB 2.0 model is the proven, lower-cost instrument. The USB 3.0 model transfers faster and is the flagship. Every unit is factory calibrated against real elemental gas emission lines before it ships, and units shipping on or after August 1, 2026 carry a relative intensity calibration as well.
| WAVELENGTH RANGE | 350–880 nm typical; can be narrower or wider, UV- or near-IR-leaning configurable by request |
| OPTICAL RESOLUTION | typically better than 1 nm across the range; about 2 nm with the 200 µm slit |
| ENTRANCE SLIT | 50, 100, or 200 µm laser-precision slits |
| WAVELENGTH CALIBRATION | factory multi-gas elemental calibration; the per-unit calibration file ships on the drive |
| INTENSITY CALIBRATION | relative spectral-response calibration on units shipping from Aug 1, 2026 (in-house laboratory reference method, not NIST-traceable) |
| INTERFACE | USB 2.0 or USB 3.0 with an integrated cable (1 m standard, 2 m optional) |
| SOFTWARE | Aura Hacker suite on the integrated drive: Windows 7–11, Mac OS, Linux; one license per device |
| DISPLAY UNITS | nm, eV, THz, Ångström, and cm⁻¹ |
| ORIGIN | designed, built, calibrated, and shipped from the USA by Aimed Research, LLC |
Prices match the live eBay listing. USB 2.0 spectrometer $165. USB 3.0 spectrometer $235. Options on either model: SMA 905 fiber port +$20; 1 m PMMA SMA-to-SMA fiber patch cable $50; 2 meter USB cable +$25; 64 GB integrated drive +$25. Mercury calibration lamp $45.
LEAD TIME 4 TO 7 DAYS — GUEST CHECKOUT AVAILABLE ON BOTH MARKETPLACES
The Aura Hacker software ships on the instrument and runs fully offline: live spectral capture with an adjustable region of interest, peak and trough detection with labels, multi-point wavelength calibration, absorption and transmission modes, spectrum compare, waterfall and heat-map time series, baseline correction and smoothing, color matching, filter characterization, report generation, snap and video capture, and CSV or XLSX export. Eleven task workspaces (gemology, chemistry, LED and lighting, education, field, camera analysis, reef aquarium, cannabis, astronomy, and more) arrange the tools for the job. See the software and the full feature list.
Most low-cost spectrometers ship uncalibrated and leave the wavelength scale to you. Every Aura Hacker unit is calibrated at the factory against the emission lines of elemental gases in spectrum tubes, and the calibration file travels with the instrument on its drive. Read how it is done on the calibration page, and what else sets the instrument apart on the differentiators page.
Educators and students measuring emission and absorption spectra; lighting engineers checking LED and lamp output; photographers and filmmakers characterizing filters and sources; aquarium and horticulture keepers verifying light spectra; gemologists, chemists, and makers who need a real instrument at a plug-and-play price. Software updates ship free through THE UPLINK.