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).
How does a Light Dependent Resistor work?
The working principle of an LDR is photoconductivity, which is nothing but an optical phenomenon. When the light is absorbed by the material then the conductivity of the material enhances. When the light falls on the LDR, then the electrons in the valence band of the material are eager to the conduction band.
Where are light dependent resistors used?
LDRs (light-dependent resistors) are used to detect light levels, for example, in automatic security lights. Their resistance decreases as the light intensity increases: in the dark and at low light levels, the resistance of an LDR is high and little current can flow through it.
What devices use a photocell resistor?
Photoresistors come in many types. Inexpensive cadmium sulfide (CdS) cells can be found in many consumer items such as camera light meters, clock radios, alarm devices (as the detector for a light beam), nightlights, outdoor clocks, solar street lamps, and solar road studs, etc.
Who invented LDR?
Hence these Photoresistors are also known as photoconductive cells or just photocell. The idea of Photoresistor developed when photoconductivity in Selenium was discovered by Willoughby Smith in 1873.
How does a potentiometer work?
Potentiometers work by varying the position of a sliding contact across a uniform resistance. In a potentiometer, the entire input voltage is applied across the whole length of the resistor, and the output voltage is the voltage drop between the fixed and sliding contact as shown below.
Why are LDRs used in street lights?
Streetlights have potential divider circuits that cause the light to come on automatically at nightfall. When it is dark, the resistance of the light-dependent resistor (LDR) (R 2) is high, which means that the output voltage is high and can be used to switch on the light.
Are photocells dimmable?
Re: Using Photocell with a Dimmer or Potentiometer. They are dimmable LEDs.