Wah gwarn my coding G's! In a spot of bother concerning the feasibility of a lil project I wish to construct. The general idea is to hook up a form of light sensor facing a variable speed strobe light. The information i would like to map is the rate of flashes seen by the light sensor.
The question is... which sensor component will be the best choice.
Trawled the endless lists of robotics equipment online an found this reasonably priced baby:
http://www.ebay.co.uk/itm/like/201662889660?lpid=122&chn=ps&adgroupid=27378760866&rlsatarget=pla-181484316546&adtype=pla&poi=&googleloc=9045712&device=c&campaignid=620865095&crdt=0
IR TCRT5000 Infrared light barrier reflex photocell.
Could this be the answer to my problems? or perchance, there be a better way?
Any input would be greatly appriciated on this topic as i am a TOTAL novice. Thanks a bunch.
Look for a phototransistor. Then look for some examples of how to use it. You may need to tweak the example circuit (maybe experiment with different resistor values) so it works with your light source and the particular phototransistor you choose.
Trawled the endless lists of robotics equipment online an found this reasonably priced baby:
http://www.ebay.co.uk/itm/like/201662889660?lpid=122&chn=ps&adgroupid=27378760866&rlsatarget=pla-181484316546&adtype=pla&poi=&googleloc=9045712&device=c&campaignid=620865095&crdt=0
IR TCRT5000 Infrared light barrier reflex photocell.
I don't know what that is (maybe a reflective sensor) and I don't see a datasheet.
I recommend that you buy from reputable suppliers that can give you complete specifications.
well it mentioned "TCRT5000" that certainly leads to a Vishay datasheet
Can't tell if it's phototransistor side is usable since it mentions:
• Daylight blocking filter
• Emitter wavelength: 950 nm
and can't say if the anonymous strobe light source has a relevant 950nm output level.
A stroboscope indicates visible light, so that ordinary (not IR) photo transistors should be used.
For filtering ambient light the steep strobo pulses are helpful, when only the constant part of the signal is blocked by capacitors (RC high pass filter). Some pulse shaping may be required after that stage, to prevent negative spikes or positive overshoots on the input pins. When a 5V rail-to-rail opamp is used for signal conditioning, its output pulses will be within the Arduino specs.