>>While a silicon-based camera is as cheap as dirt these days, an one-dimensional InGaAs pixel array already costs upper few thousand dollars. Any full-blown IR spectrometer system goes way over $10k, with their fancy thermoelectric cooling and precision gratings (we actually have one in our lab). The reason why they are so expensive is that the target user group are scientific researchers, not consumers. <<
the expense is a product of intended use.
performance guarantee, is responsibility for design failure.
scientific instrumentation must be very consistent for the purpose.
Certain things just need an answer quickly. Like, some science that you do in order to do other science. And you can’t get there without a $10,000 device, you can’t even get started with some other experiment.
There isn’t anyone making hobbiest optical sensors. I looked for a project I needed a laser for. My options were, don’t do it, or pay $4000 for a late 80s sensor I needed off eBay then try and figure out how the thing worked with no software and a proprietary cable. Sound like fun? Not to me. And I didn’t have $10k for the USB version from the early 2000s, again with no software. And obviously far from thr $50k for a UBS3 new model.
Optical equipment is stupid expensive and sometimes you just need “basic tools” for advanced things.
Well sure, but with time prices drop, and with lower prices, you get even unscientific uses.
Flir units were for army use, now you can buy cheap chinese ones (without US export restrictions) for a few $100 in a form of a dongle that you plug into your phone and see what part on your PCB is overheating, or where your house insulation is bad.
Keeping liquids at precise temperature was a thing used in labs, and now you can buy a sous-vide machine for $50.
Even medical stuff, such as blood oxygen meters are at single dollar/euro prices now.
So yeah... it's a circle... if prices go down, more people will find more uses for it. If more people find more uses, more companies will produce them and prices will go down more.
One aspect in the price of scientific tools is alignment with know physical units and breadth+flatness of measurement. If your goal is to control a dynamic system within a narrow band, you may cut on price to fit for your specific needs.
the expense is a product of intended use. performance guarantee, is responsibility for design failure. scientific instrumentation must be very consistent for the purpose.