I need help identifying a sensor

I bought a lot of “high science” spare parts by which I mean parts for super high end scientific equipment like pcr machines hplc systems and assorted other biolab consumables. Lik single use frited/sintered PTFE filtered flash chromatography funnel things, giant hastlealloy bolts and nuts, motion hardware like linear rails, USB fiber optic spectrophotometer, hplc column and more.
with these parts i got 4 unlabeled unmarked parts that i cant identify and im hoping someone will recognize. im quite certain they r optical fluid sensors of some type. my best guess is general turbidity sensor but it might be an optical ph probe which would be super useful if true. they consist of 2 device in a typical led package one blue and 1 clear cast in a mostly clear epoxy arranged with a fluid channel between them pointing at each otherand off to one side is photodiode?or 4wire photosensitive decice of some type and each led have just 2wires. i know light “emitting” diodes can also be used as photosensors and have seen this arrangement in other optical schematics and usually involves calibrating for background aka taking a differential measurement. im guessing one led is driven at a time and a trans impedance amplifier is used to measure the tiny current thru the reversed biased diode. but even if i was correct about how it worked without knowing whats intended to measure its just scrape.

it seems designed to be mounted inside a fluid filled vessel due to all the o-ring groves and waterproofing

unknown 4wire


optical sensor


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markings on them

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@cyclopath @Photon_noir @TheGratefulPhil @thesk8nmidget You’ve all bought some big lots of random bits. Have you ever seen something like this?

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My money is on some sort of turbidity or other particle identification type sensor. I’ve definitely seen pictures and drawings of similar ones in my travels, I can’t place exactly where though.

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I’ve got nothing besides cool old techy bit.

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Try calling someone like mettler toledo and saying you got it at an auction and the auction company stated it was their brand… you might get lucky with one of their tech support guys and get put in contact with someone who can point you in the right direction. At worst you can rule out some manufacturers. I’ve done this before with other mystery gear.

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Like @Lincoln20XX said it looks like some kind of turbidity meter, although I’ve never seen one exactly like that.

I would bet that it is almost certainly an optical sensor of some sort, what type I cannot say.

Edit: the lil gap between the body and the light source looks like a flow path. If I had to guess it should sit in a housing that looks like this:

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That looks like an Omega Engineering device to me.

And I agree with @TheGratefulPhil that it probably house an associated housing. Looks like it might fit into a standard Omega water housing (they have inline and tees).

They might know what it is, if some of the other recommendations don’t get you where you are going.

Let us know what you find out! <3

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Thanks for the heads-up, @Sidco_Cat ! Yes, I have seen things like this… So far, I agree with everyone else who has chimed in.

I would just add that, due to the multiple and distinctly placed sensor-like devices, I would think this is a particle counter, mass flow sensor, or other similar device.

does anybody have any experience with optical ph in general. the reason i think/hope its ph is because of the mostly but not quite clear resin for no other obvious reason. the use of a very unusual dark blue led. plus the 4 wire optical …thing. for a general turbidity sensor y use colored light and same absorbance measurement


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not very old. 5 or at the most 8 years old

i agree about it being a flow path and you might not be able to make it out in the pictures but it as multiple oring groves and that indicates how it would be installed but i think the clear plastic shell and the mass of epoxy being inside the fluid vessels indicates that it has a purpose. i think there might be a dye in the resin and that it might interact with the fluid in some way

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i might be completely off base but something that might not come across in the pictures is that its built with a hard acrilic like shell filled with a semi soft resin that looks like it’s just yellowed from age but i think its deliberately colored and the orings make it cleared that the whole cylinder goes inside the vessel. plus while i know leds can be used at sensors the four wire photo diode chip thing is seemingly facing both directions. i think the resin is involved with its function. if it was just about the leds and flow path u wouldn’t build it like this