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An instrument which I bought off-the-shelf, but have modified in several ways is an Optomechanics Model 10C Spectrograph. This spectrograph is used for Mira Star research.
The spectrograph uses a 600 g/mm grating, with a resolution of about 2.8 Angstroms (1.08 A/pixel, on a 768 x 512 CCD with 9 micron square pixels), blazed at 8500 Angstroms. I take spectrum
in the range from 6200 to 8800 Angstroms of Mira stars. I also have a similar grating blazed at 5500 Angstroms. Several modifications have been made to the spectrograph. First, the eyepiece tube has been cut
shorter, and an AstroVid 2000 camera has been installed in the eyepiece for guiding.
Second, a timer turns the neon calibration lamp off after a few preset seconds. This helps us avoid overexposure of the calibration lamps. Third, the rotation of the grating can now be turned using a stepper motor, so that we can precisely position the grating. Fourth, we have experimented with new optics to re-mage a slit, so that the spectrograph can be used as a spectrophotometer. However, we have not implemented the design.
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