i1profiler device becoming sticky to the touch

[PhilipCummins]

Thanks Philip, Good information on the 3 that I had not looked into. ... I'll call X-Rite again on Monday and see what I can work out with them on just updating the unit only to the 3.

Worth giving them a call as their docs are outdated ATM so you can discuss with them directly. The i1Profiler software is able to transfer your i1Photo or i1Publish license online automatically between the i1Pro 2 and 3, so it would downgrade the i1Pro 2 to the equivalent of the Basic license and upgrade the i1Pro 3 to whatever license you had on the i1Pro 2. If you buy any new X-Rite branded i1 Basic Pro 3 (or Pro 3 Plus) this should work fine (though best to just buy from an authorised dealer, of course). You can still of course use your i1Pro 2 for display calibration/profiling or with 3rd party software such as ArgyllCMS if you wanted.

Best to check whether you want the i1 Basic Pro 3 or Pro 3 Plus, the Plus has the Polarised light option, longer scan length (for textiles/non-flat surfaces) and transparency support however it has a larger minimum patch size (16 mm vs 7 mm on the i1Pro 3) so not as efficient if you're just doing prints. Overall the hardware is faster vs the i1Pro 2, handles 0.2-5000 cd/m2, no soft touch rubber to degrade, a more reliable full-spectrum LED light source and handles M0/M1/M2 (UV-inc, D50 and UV-cut) in a single pass as light source options. Keith Cooper did a good write up/review here which describes it more in-depth. For myself the Full Spectrum LED was a good upgrade, there was always a risk of the Tungsten bulb blowing out over time depending on how much you used it. Once the bulb has failed you pretty much have to replace the i1 Pro 1/2 or pay X-Rite to repair it for you since it will fail to be able to calibrate off the White tile (since it needs the bulb to work), so the LED light source is much more reliable IMHO.

[Lust4Life]

Philip, thank you for the info - impacts my direction in a very helpful way!

Jack

[GWGill]

For myself the Full Spectrum LED was a good upgrade, there was always a risk of the Tungsten bulb blowing out over time depending on how much you used it.

A more subtle advantage is that the LED doesn't suffer from the tungsten accumulation problem that sometimes occurs with the QH incandescent source.

[ Technically the LED is a more difficult source - it's spectrum is quite bumpy, and this is exacerbated by the bumpiness of the diffraction grating response. The LED output shifts in wavelength and amplitude with temperature, and this needs compensating for. The white LED component suffers from phosphor aging effects, although this is likely to be minor given the short time an instrument has them on, and the white tile calibration compensates for it. ]

[PhilipCummins]

A more subtle advantage is that the LED doesn't suffer from the tungsten accumulation problem that sometimes occurs with the QH incandescent source.

[ Technically the LED is a more difficult source - it's spectrum is quite bumpy, and this is exacerbated by the bumpiness of the diffraction grating response. The LED output shifts in wavelength and amplitude with temperature, and this needs compensating for. The white LED component suffers from phosphor aging effects, although this is likely to be minor given the short time an instrument has them on, and the white tile calibration compensates for it. ]

Good point - hopefully X-Rite's figured it all out by now, they did claim they had enhanced temperature drift compensation (it reads more like "we added a heatsink") but not sure if that extended to the LED light source however?

[GWGill]

Good point - hopefully X-Rite's figured it all out by now, they did claim they had enhanced temperature drift compensation (it reads more like "we added a heatsink") but not sure if that extended to the LED light source however?

Yes it's a complex LED temperature compensation scheme. As best I understand it, there's polynomial models driven by real time measured LED parameters such as voltage drop, temperature and a broad spectral sensor.

[I'm not actually 100% convinced that it's massively better than the ColorMunki's simpler scheme of measuring the light change over temperature, but  then I'm not privy to the experimental data that X-Rite may have used to decide on the scheme. I've used a more straightforward table + curve fit driven voltage/current monitor scheme for a LED spectral output profiling project of my own that appears to work at least as well. ]

[PhilipCummins]

Yes it's a complex LED temperature compensation scheme. As best I understand it, there's polynomial models driven by real time measured LED parameters such as voltage drop, temperature and a broad spectral sensor.

[I'm not actually 100% convinced that it's massively better than the ColorMunki's simpler scheme of measuring the light change over temperature, but  then I'm not privy to the experimental data that X-Rite may have used to decide on the scheme. I've used a more straightforward table + curve fit driven voltage/current monitor scheme for a LED spectral output profiling project of my own that appears to work at least as well. ]

Good to know they're compensating for the sensor and LED; makes buying the i1Pro 3 a good choice overall vs the older i1Pro 1/2.

[randyr5]

I used 91% alcohol on my i1Pro. It took several passes and some elbow grease, but i got the top and sides (including the button) down to bare plastic. I left the bottom alone as it wasn't sticky - just a quick wipe with the alcohol to clean it up.