What is photocell

Meaning, pronunciation, translations and examples. Inlike infrared sensors that are good for line followers or detecting the presense of an object, photocells are good when you just want to detect light. All these things are examples of photoelectric cells (sometimes called photocells ) —electronic devices that generate electricity when light falls on them.

Photocells act as light sensors. What are they and how do they work?

These sensors improve the security and safety of your home, automatically turning on lights when it gets dark or they detect motion.

English dictionary definition of photocell.

They produce DC - direct current - electricity. This is electricity in which the current moves in the same . For that reason they often appear in toys, gadgets and appliances. Views expressed in the examples do not represent the opinion of Merriam-Webster or its editors. CdS cells, photoresistors, LDR (light dependent resistor).

They are are often referred to a . Used for photographic light meters, automatic on-at-dusk street lights and other light-sensitive applications, a photocell varies its resistance between its two terminals based on the amount of photons (light) it receives. Also called a photodetector, photoresistor and light dependent . A photoresistor can be applied in light-sensitive detector circuits, and light-activated and dark-activated switching circuits. Because of this effect, they are also known as photoresistorsors or light dependent resistors (LDRs). Our photocells come in various designs and different attachments for any application.

One of the most common types of photocell is a. Find out information about photocell. Many embedded devices need to detect light levels. The photocell seen below can cost under $and is available from Adafruit or Sparkfun. Find quality photocells online or in store.

When its dark, the sensor looks like an large resistor up to 10MΩ, as the light level increases, the resistance goes down. This graph indicates approximately the resistance of the sensor at different light levels. 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.

To use, connect one side of the photo cell . Our association complex has exterior lights outside each townhouse unit. For example, the timer could be set to come on at 4:pm. Since it is still light outside, the photocell would not let the lights turn on. A quick guide in how to change the photo cell to ensure your exterior lights at your home come on at dusk and go off at dawn.

A major application of photocells is in automatic lighting devices such as dusk-to-dawn lights. Our high-quality photocell range includes one and two-part photocells , miniature and sub-miniature photocells. Careful selection of the photo-sensor ensures high switching accuracy.

The range includes full-night and part-night versions.