What does a photocell resistor do?

What does a photocell resistor do?

A photocell is a resistor that changes resistance depending on the amount of light incident on it. A photocell operates on semiconductor photoconductivity: the energy of photons hitting the semiconductor frees electrons to flow, decreasing the resistance.

Why CdS is used in photocell?

A CdS cell is a large area photo resistor, made by depositing doped cadmium sulfide on a ceramic substrate. The CdS cell resistance changes in proportion to the amount of visible light; this allows more or less voltage/current to appear at the input of an electronic switching circuit.

Is a photocell resistor analog or digital?

Reading Photocells Without Analog Pins. Because photocells are basically resistors, its possible to use them even if you don’t have any analog pins on your microcontroller (or if say you want to connect more than you have analog input pins).

What are photocells used for?

Photocells and motion sensors are electronic devices you can use to manage indoor or outdoor lighting. These sensors improve the security and safety of your home, automatically turning on lights when it gets dark or they detect motion. They also save energy by turning themselves off when extra light is unnecessary.

Why CDS is used in LDR?

Cadmium sulphide is used in the manufacture of photoconductive cells because its spectral response curve closely matches that of the human eye and can even be controlled using a simple torch as a light source.

Why CDS is used as Photoresistor?

A cadmium-sulfide (CdS) photo resistor (or photo cell) is a device that changes resistance depending on light intensity. It’s sensitive, fast, and has been around for decades.

How do I connect photocell?

Connect one black wire on the photocell to the black wire that comes from the building. Be sure to twist the exposed copper wire so that it forms a tight connection. Connect the second black wire on the photocell to the black wire on your light fixture, making sure that the copper wire is twisted together completely.

What is the resistance of a CdS cell?

Description Description- CdS cells are little light sensors. As the squiggly face is exposed to more light, the resistance goes down. When its light, the resistance is about 5-10KΩ, when dark it goes up to 200KΩ.

Are the CdS photocells RoHS compliant?

CdS photocells are not RoHS compliant, so if you need something equivalent but RoHS compiant, check out the photo transistor. For a full tutorial with wiring diagrams, code examples and project ideas, please read the photocell tutorial page! See our Distributors page for a complete list of distributors.

How do I use a CdS cell?

CdS cells are little light sensors. As the squiggly face is exposed to more light, the resistance goes down. When its light, the resistance is about ~1KΩ, when dark it goes up to ~10KΩ. To use, connect one side of the photo cell (either one, its symmetric) to power (for example 5V) and the other side to your microcontroller’s analog input pin.

What is the resistance of a photo cell?

When its light, the resistance is about 5-10KΩ, when dark it goes up to 200KΩ. To use, connect one side of the photo cell (either one, its symmetric) to power (for example 5V) and the other side to your microcontroller’s analog input pin.

author

Back to Top