Development and Test of Low-Cost Multi-Channel Multi-Frequency Lock-In Amplifier for Health and Environment Sensing
Fabio Pollastrone,
Luca Fiorani,
Ramanand Bisauriya,
Ivano Menicucci,
Claudio Ciceroni,
Roberto Pizzoferrato
Affiliations
Fabio Pollastrone
Diagnostics and Metrology Laboratory, Physical Technologies and Security Division, Nuclear Department, ENEA (Italian National Agency for New Technologies, Energy and Sustainable Economic Development), Via Enrico Fermi 45, 00044 Frascati, Italy
Luca Fiorani
Diagnostics and Metrology Laboratory, Physical Technologies and Security Division, Nuclear Department, ENEA (Italian National Agency for New Technologies, Energy and Sustainable Economic Development), Via Enrico Fermi 45, 00044 Frascati, Italy
Ramanand Bisauriya
Department of Industrial Engineering, University of Rome Tor Vergata, 00133 Rome, Italy
Ivano Menicucci
Diagnostics and Metrology Laboratory, Physical Technologies and Security Division, Nuclear Department, ENEA (Italian National Agency for New Technologies, Energy and Sustainable Economic Development), Via Enrico Fermi 45, 00044 Frascati, Italy
Claudio Ciceroni
Diagnostics and Metrology Laboratory, Physical Technologies and Security Division, Nuclear Department, ENEA (Italian National Agency for New Technologies, Energy and Sustainable Economic Development), Via Enrico Fermi 45, 00044 Frascati, Italy
Roberto Pizzoferrato
Department of Industrial Engineering, University of Rome Tor Vergata, 00133 Rome, Italy
Optical-based sensing techniques and instruments, such as fluorometric systems, absorbance-based sensors, and photoacoustic spectrometers, are important tools for detecting food fraud, adulteration, and contamination for health and environmental purposes. All the aforementioned optical equipments generally require one or more low-frequency Lock-In Amplifiers (LIAs) to extract the signal of interest from background noise. In the cited applications, the required LIA frequency is quite low (up to 1 kHz), and this leads to a simplification of the hardware with consequent good results in portability, reduced size, weight, and low-cost characteristics. The present system, called ENEA DSP Box Due, is based on a very inexpensive microcontroller proto-board and can replace four commercial LIAs, resulting in significant savings in both cost and space. Furthermore, it incorporates a dual-channel oscilloscope and a sinusoidal function generator. This article outlines the architecture of the ENEA DSP Box Due, its electrical characterization, and its applications within a project concerning laser techniques for food and water safety.
