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Description: This is a simple to use light sensor that outputs an analog value from 0 to 5V. With exposure to daylight, this sensor will output 5V. Covering the sensor with your hand, the sensor will output 0V. In a normal indoor lighting situation, the sensor will output from 1 to 2V.
LilyPad is a wearable e-textile technology developed by Leah Buechley and cooperatively designed by Leah and SparkFun. Each LilyPad was creatively designed to have large connecting pads to allow them to be sewn into clothing. Various input, output, power, and sensor boards are available. They’re even washable!
Note: A portion of this sale is given back to Dr. Leah Buechley for continued development and education of e-textiles.
Dimensions:
- 20mm outer diameter
- Thin 0.8mm PCB
Documents:
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Related Tutorials
LilyPad Light Sensor Hookup Guide
November 19, 2015
How to hook up the LilyPad Light Sensor as well as some project ideas and example code.
This may be a kinda dumb question (I’m new to this!)… is there a sensor that does the opposite? I mean, a sensor that increases power to (say, an LED or 4) when available light decreases?
I’m looking to create a motion detection system using lilypad in a quilt. I want the whole thing to fire up when someone walks by it (as it hangs on the wall) so they are surprised by the effect.
Yes, connect one lead of a 10k ohm resistor to +V, connect other lead of resistor to one lead of a photocell, then connect last lead of the photocell to GND. The output will be where the lead of the resistor touches the lead of the photocell. As photocell detects less light, the output increases.
Does this need to be driven at 5V or can it be driven by 3.3V?
I guess if you were doing a stationary project you could stick this thing onto a cheap night light with its own sensor, and black out everything around your mcguyvered rig so when the night light came on in the dark, the light triggered this thing on.
Does this need a battery to work, or is this like a solar panel, creating the power?
It is very much like a solar panel (one could argue it is a solar panel, albeit a very very very very very tiny one with slightly different characteristics). You wouldn’t really use it to power anything, but it’s great as a sensor.
OK, so I would use this with a battery, and more of a switch to turn something on when it is exposed to light… Like the mini photocell, it just works different?
Yep. I figured the sensor used was the TEMT6000, and it is, so if you google for e.g. ‘arduino temt6000’, you’ll find tons of examples. If you’re not going to use an arduino (or any other microcontroller platform, since they’re mostly the same in approach), look for circuits that use a “phototransistor”, which is what this technically is :)
OK. If it measures intensity, then does a formula exist for converting from voltage to lux?
You probably want to check out the datasheet for the sensor. Figure1 gives you the relationship between collector current and lux.
Do you have a conversion formula from voltage to nanometers?
This sensor measures intensity, not wavelength.
I added support of this part to the Fritzing custom libary. You can download it at the Fritzing code site:<br />
http://code.google.com/p/fritzing/issues/detail?id=875<br />
Enjoy!
I added support of this part to the Fritzing custom libary. You can download it at the Fritzing code site:<br />
http://code.google.com/p/fritzing/issues/detail?id=875
The link to the sensor sheet appears to be incorrect. It is the same as the product sticker sheet. Thanks.