Polychromix 1624 Phazir NIR Handheld Analyzer Portable Spectrometer
Key specifications
| Specification | Phazir 1624 |
|---|---|
| Technology | MEMS-based Digital Transform Spectrometer (DTS) |
| Spectral range | Approximately 1600–2400 nm |
| Measurement | NIR diffuse reflectance |
| Detector | InGaAs |
| Optical resolution | About 12 nm |
| Spectral sampling | Approximately 8 nm/non-uniform intervals |
| Sampling window | About 5 mm diameter |
| Weight | Approximately 1.7–1.8 kg |
| Display | Integrated LCD |
| Power | Rechargeable battery |
| Communications | USB |
| Moving optical parts | None |
| Typical analysis | Seconds per measurement, depending on application/model |
The 1600–2400 nm range and approximately 1.7–1.8 kg weight are independently reported in technical literature. One detailed study describes a 0.4 cm sampling window, roughly 8 nm pixel resolution and 12 nm optical resolution.
How it works
The Phazir illuminates the sample and measures its near-infrared reflectance spectrum. Chemical constituents such as moisture, protein, starch, fats and polymers have characteristic NIR absorption features.
The instrument can operate in two broad ways:
- Spectral acquisition mode — collects spectra for subsequent chemometric/model development.
- Application mode — uses an installed calibration/model to provide an application-specific result such as material identification, concentration, pass/fail or quality classification.
Importantly, the Phazir is not simply a universal chemical analyzer. Quantitative results depend on an appropriate calibration model developed for the particular material and measurement conditions.
Typical applications
Agriculture & food
- Grain and flour analysis
- Feed composition
- Protein, fiber and starch
- Moisture/dry matter
- Raw-material screening
Research using the Phazir 1624 demonstrated useful prediction of crude protein, crude fiber and starch in compound feed.
Pharmaceuticals & chemicals
- Raw-material identification
- Incoming-material verification
- Quality control
- Composition/purity screening
Polymers & recycling
- Polymer/material identification
- Sorting and incoming inspection
- Non-destructive material characterization
Industrial QC
- Rapid field measurements
- Production-floor screening
- Verification against established calibration libraries
Important consideration when buying a used unit
The Phazir 1624 is an older instrument, so the condition of the individual unit and, particularly, its software/calibration availability can be more important than the hardware specifications.
Before purchasing a used unit, I would verify:
- It completes its self-test and boots normally.
- The LCD and keypad work correctly.
- The NIR lamp/light source is functional.
- The detector produces usable spectra.
- Both batteries and charger are available and healthy.
- USB communication works.
- Phazir software/method-builder software is available.
- The required calibration/model files are included.
- The reference cap/standard is present and usable.
- The intended application has a suitable calibration.
This is particularly important because current secondary-market listings can contain units that power on and pass self-tests but cannot be fully tested because the seller does not have the instrument password or application software.
Bottom line
The Phazir 1624 is a genuine field NIR analyzer rather than merely a miniature spectrometer: it integrates the optical system, illumination, rechargeable battery, computer, display and software into a handheld package. Its 1600–2400 nm reflectance range makes it particularly useful for organic materials and applications where established chemometric calibrations are available.
One interesting capability demonstrated in published work is calibration transfer from laboratory NIR instruments to the Phazir, including models for feed properties such as fat, fiber, protein and starch.
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