High School / HS-06
Available Grades 9–12 Optics & EO Energy
Use a low-resolution thermal sensor array to image heat flow, then measure conduction and cooling curves and compare them with simple models.
Point a 32 × 24-pixel thermal camera at real hardware and measure heat moving. Students learn why a thermal camera "lies" about shiny metal (emissivity), measure Newton's-law cooling of aluminium coupons, image the steady temperature profile along heated aluminium and copper bars, fit the fin equation to get the ratio of their thermal conductivities, and compare a heat-up movie with a finite-difference model they can run themselves.
Students will:
Every high school pack includes worked math and physics, prediction-versus-measurement labs, at least two design-and-test iterations, data logging, a rubric, and documentation templates, plus printable Builder's Corner build journal pages.
Parts, specs, quantities, and estimated unit costs, with places to buy. Prices change; anything marked as an estimate is an estimate. Links were checked when the BOM was written.
Totals are computed from the line items below. Prices were read from vendor pages on the dates shown and will change. Rows tagged estimate have no verified link and are planning numbers only.
| ID | Part & spec | Qty | Unit (typical) | Line (typical) | Where to buy | Cheaper substitute | Adult handling / safety gear |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| E1 | MLX90640BAB 32 × 24 thermal camera, 55° × 35° FOV (STEMMA QT/Qwiic) Adafruit PID 4407 (55°); datasheet: ±1 °C frame accuracy + ±1 °C non-uniformity (centre zone), NETD 0.25 K at 1 Hz | 1 | $74.95 | $74.95 | adafruit.com Adafruit $74.95 · checked 2026-10-09 · Out of stock (re-checked 2026-10-09 17:02 CT); re-check before ordering | Pimoroni PIM365 MLX90640 55°, £40.00 (pimoroni.com, in stock 2026-10-09; UK, import; 0.1 in header, needs jumper wires or a Qwiic adapter cable, check the M2.5 hole pattern). SparkFun SEN-14844 is retired (product page, 2026-10-09). Adafruit AMG8833 8 × 8 PID 3538 $44.95 (low total; too coarse for the bar profile — use probes for Lab 3) | — |
| E2 | ESP32 Feather V2 Adafruit PID 5400 | 1 | $19.95 | $19.95 | adafruit.com Adafruit $19.95 · checked 2026-10-09 · In stock | Any ESP32 board with I²C (pin numbers change) | Header soldering (supervised) |
| E3 | INA219 current/voltage sensor (heater power) Adafruit PID 904 · in the heater's + lead; 32 V / 1 A calibration | 1 | $9.95 | $9.95 | adafruit.com Adafruit $9.95 · checked 2026-10-09 · In stock | USB-style inline power meter (manual readings) | — |
| E4 | DS18B20 waterproof temperature probe Adafruit PID 381 · ±0.5 °C (Maxim datasheet, −10…85 °C); 4.7 kΩ pull-up included per listing | 3 | $9.95 | $29.85 | adafruit.com Adafruit $9.95 · checked 2026-10-09 · In stock | 2 probes (heater + one coupon) — the heater probe is required for the safety trip | — |
| E5 | MOSFET driver, STEMMA JST PH Adafruit PID 5648 · 3–30 V load, 1.5 A continuous (vendor); switches the heating pad | 1 | $3.95 | $3.95 | adafruit.com Adafruit $3.95 · checked 2026-10-09 · In stock | Logic-level N-MOSFET (Adafruit PID 355, $2.25, out of stock 2026-10-09) + 10 kΩ gate pull-down | — |
| E6 | JST PH 3-pin to male header cable (MOSFET driver signal) Adafruit PID 3893, 200 mm | 1 | $1.25 | $1.25 | adafruit.com Adafruit $1.25 · checked 2026-10-09 · Out of stock on 2026-10-09 | Jumper wires pushed into the JST housing, or solder to the driver's header pads (low total) | — |
| E7 | STEMMA QT / Qwiic cable 300 mm (INA219 → camera) Adafruit PID 5384 | 1 | $1.25 | $1.25 | adafruit.com Adafruit $1.25 · checked 2026-10-09 · Not recorded (page showed mixed stock labels) | 200 mm PID 4401 $1.25 with the INA219 mounted higher | — |
| E8 | STEMMA QT / Qwiic cable 100 mm (Feather → INA219) Adafruit PID 4210 | 1 | $0.95 | $0.95 | adafruit.com Adafruit $0.95 · checked 2026-10-09 · Not recorded (page showed mixed stock labels) | — | — |
| E9 | Hook-up wire 22 AWG solid (6 × 25 ft) Adafruit PID 1311 | 1 | $15.95 | $15.95 | adafruit.com Adafruit $15.95 · checked 2026-10-09 · In stock | Any 22–26 AWG wire (low total assumes owned) | — |
| E10 | USB-A to USB-C data cable Adafruit PID 4474 | 1 | $4.95 | $4.95 | adafruit.com Adafruit $4.95 · checked 2026-10-09 · In stock | Any USB-C data cable | — |
| Subtotal | $163.00 | Low-cost path: $110.85 | |||||
| ID | Part & spec | Qty | Unit (typical) | Line (typical) | Where to buy | Cheaper substitute | Adult handling / safety gear |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| H1 | Electric heating pad 10 × 5 cm Adafruit PID 1481 · polyimide-insulated; vendor: 5 V DC up to 1 A; spec sheet: 0.74 A at 5 V for the 10.4 cm pad (≈ 6.8 Ω, ≈ 3.7 W, ≈ 40 °C in free air); firmware caps 3 W | 1 | $7.95 | $7.95 | adafruit.com Adafruit $7.95 · checked 2026-10-09 · In stock | 10 Ω 10 W aluminium-clad resistor bolted to the bar (unverified, not priced) | Adult checks the wiring before first power-up |
| H2 | 5 V 2 A switching power supply (UL listed) Adafruit PID 276 · 2.1 mm barrel | 1 | $7.95 | $7.95 | adafruit.com Adafruit $7.95 · checked 2026-10-09 · In stock | — | Use only the listed supply; no bench supplies above 5 V |
| H3 | 2.1 mm DC jack to screw terminal Adafruit PID 368 | 1 | $2.00 | $2.00 | adafruit.com Adafruit $2.00 · checked 2026-10-09 · In stock | — | — |
| H4 | Polyimide (Kapton) tape 10 mm × 33 m Adafruit PID 3057 · holds the pad and probes on the metal | 1 | $4.95 | $4.95 | adafruit.com Adafruit $4.95 · checked 2026-10-09 · In stock | Aluminium foil tape (unverified) | — |
| Subtotal | $22.85 | Low-cost path: $22.85 | |||||
| ID | Part & spec | Qty | Unit (typical) | Line (typical) | Where to buy | Cheaper substitute | Adult handling / safety gear |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| S1 | Aluminium 6061-T6511 bar 1/4 × 1 in, 12 in OnlineMetals part 1143 · one for the fin lab, one cut into six 50 mm cooling coupons | 2 | $4.72 | $9.44 | onlinemetals.com OnlineMetals $4.72 ea. (default length shown; choose 12 in) · checked 2026-10-09 · Not shown on page | Hardware-store 1/8 × 1 in aluminium flat bar (unverified; change TH in heat_model.py) | Adult cuts coupons (hacksaw + vise, deburr, eye protection) or order custom cuts |
| S2 | Copper 110-H02 bar 1/4 × 1 in, 12 in (tinned, round edge) OnlineMetals part 23802 | 1 | $36.13 | $36.13 | onlinemetals.com OnlineMetals $36.13 ea. (12 in) · checked 2026-10-09 · Not shown on page | Thinner copper flat bar (unverified; use the same thickness as the Al bar or adjust the model) | Copper bar is heavy (0.92 lb per vendor); edges deburred |
| S3 | Black vinyl electrical tape (emissivity strips) Any brand, 19 mm; ε ≈ 0.95 is a typical quoted value (estimate) | 1 | $3.00 estimate | $3.00 | Hardware store (no link) — | Matte black paint (high-temperature, adult applies outdoors) | — |
| S4 | Foam pipe insulation scrap / felt (heater outer wrap) Wraps the heated 55 mm zone so most heat enters the bar | 1 | $4.00 estimate | $4.00 | Hardware store (no link) — | Folded felt or cardboard | Keep foam off anything above 60 °C |
| Subtotal | $52.57 | Low-cost path: $45.57 | |||||
| ID | Part & spec | Qty | Unit (typical) | Line (typical) | Where to buy | Cheaper substitute | Adult handling / safety gear |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| M1 | Baltic birch plywood 3 mm, 12 × 20 in Wood Vault, 1/8" Laser/CNC grade variant; 3 sheets | 3 | $3.50 | $10.50 | woodvault.com The Wood Vault $3.50 per sheet (1/8" Laser/CNC grade variant) · checked 2026-10-09 · Not confirmed (variant availability not shown) | Any 3 mm laser plywood | — |
| M2 | Nylon M2.5 screw + standoff set Adafruit PID 3299 · camera to crossbar | 1 | $16.95 | $16.95 | adafruit.com Adafruit $16.95 · checked 2026-10-09 · In stock | Zip ties through the crossbar slots (low total) | — |
| M3 | Wood glue, zip ties Portal glue-up; Feather on the upright | 1 | $5.00 estimate | $5.00 | Hardware store (no link) — | Shared classroom supplies | — |
| M4 | Laser cutter access or cutting service 3 sheets | 1 | $15.00 estimate | $15.00 | Makerspace / cut service (no link) — | — | Trained adult operator |
| Subtotal | $47.45 | Low-cost path: $25.50 | |||||
| ID | Part & spec | Qty | Unit (typical) | Line (typical) | Where to buy | Cheaper substitute | Adult handling / safety gear |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| T1 | Digital multimeter Heater resistance, supply check | 1 | $21.50 | $21.50 | sparkfun.com SparkFun $21.50 · checked 2026-10-09 · Not recorded | Assumed owned in the low total | — |
| T2 | Temperature-controlled soldering iron Pinecil | 1 | $68.50 | $68.50 | sparkfun.com SparkFun $68.50 · checked 2026-10-09 · Not recorded | Any temperature-controlled iron the school owns | Adult supervision, eye protection, ventilation |
| T3 | Lead-free solder 15 g SparkFun | 1 | $4.95 | $4.95 | sparkfun.com SparkFun $4.95 (single-unit price) · checked 2026-10-09 · Not recorded | — | Wash hands after soldering |
| T4 | Safety glasses, ANSI Z87.1 Z87+ (high-impact) (soldering, metal cutting) 3M SecureFit SF201AF · clear anti-fog polycarbonate lens marked Z87+ (ANSI Z87.1 impact-rated; 3M spec table on strobelssupply.com and safetycompany.com, read 2026-10-09) | 3 | $5.32 | $15.96 | platt.com Platt Electric Supply $5.32 EA · checked 2026-10-09 · 40 in stock (company-wide) | Any glasses marked Z87+ (ANSI Z87.1 high-impact). Not SparkFun SWG-11046: it lists only CE/EN 1836, a sunglass standard, not impact-rated | — |
| T5 | Digital calipers 150 mm (bar and coupon dimensions) SparkFun | 1 | $19.95 | $19.95 | sparkfun.com SparkFun $19.95 (single-unit price) · checked 2026-10-09 · Not recorded | Steel rule (assumed owned in the low total) | — |
| T6 | Hacksaw, file, small vise (coupon cutting) Shop tools | 1 | $0.00 estimate | $0.00 | School shop (no link) — | Order custom-cut coupons from the metal vendor | Adult only; eye protection; deburr every edge |
| Subtotal | $130.86 | Low-cost path: $20.91 | |||||
The pack is digital files only. Hardware is bought separately.
These are standards the pack's activities are mapped to by Laue Labs. They are not a certification or endorsement by any standards body or state.
| Activity | NGSS | Common Core / CS |
|---|---|---|
| Lab 1 radiation, emissivity, spot size | HS-PS4-5 (devices that use waves to capture information), HS-PS3-2 (energy in fields and radiation) | HSG-SRT.C.8 (trigonometry in right triangles) |
| Lab 2 Newton's law of cooling | HS-PS3-1 (energy change models), HS-PS3-4 (thermal equilibrium, second law) | HSF-LE.A.4 (logarithms/exponentials), HSS-ID.B.6 |
| Lab 3 fin equation and k ratio | HS-PS3-1, HS-PS3-2 | HSA-CED.A.4, HSF-BF |
| Lab 4 finite-difference model | HS-PS3-1 (computational model) | CSTA 3A-AP-13, 3B-AP-08 (model/simulation) |
| Lab 5 cooler design | HS-ETS1-2, HS-ETS1-3 | HSN-Q.A.1–3 |
One student or one household.
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One homeschool family, or one co-op group of up to 10 learners with its facilitator(s).
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One teacher with up to 30 students in a single class or cohort.
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All licenses: digital files only (hardware not included). Keep Laue Labs attribution on printed handouts. After checkout you get an instant download on the thanks page. License questions, more learners, or site licenses: lance.haney@gmail.com.
