Photoresistors | Technology Tutorials

In this lesson we create an audible signal where the tone of the signal is proportional to the brightness of the light in the room. We use a photoresistor to measure the light in the room, and then use a passive buzzer to create the audible signal. The video shows you how to hook everything up, and the code we use is below. Your code might be a little different, as the math will depend on the light values where you are.

If you want to follow along at home, you can order the Arduino Kit we are using HERE. The nice digital voltmeter used in the lesson is available HERE.

int lightPin=A0;
int buzzPin=8;
int lightVal;
int delayT;
void setup() {
  // put your setup code here, to run once:
pinMode(A0, INPUT);
pinMode(buzzPin,OUTPUT);
Serial.begin(9600);
}

void loop() {
lightVal=analogRead(lightPin);
delayT=(9./550.)*lightVal-(9.*200./550.)+1.;
Serial.println(delayT);
digitalWrite(buzzPin, HIGH);
delay(delayT);
digitalWrite(buzzPin, LOW);
delay(delayT);

}

int lightPin=A0;

int buzzPin=8;

int lightVal;

int delayT;

void setup() {

// put your setup code here, to run once:

pinMode(A0, INPUT);

pinMode(buzzPin,OUTPUT);

Serial.begin(9600);

}

void loop() {

lightVal=analogRead(lightPin);

delayT=(9./550.)*lightVal-(9.*200./550.)+1.;

Serial.println(delayT);

digitalWrite(buzzPin, HIGH);

delay(delayT);

digitalWrite(buzzPin, LOW);

delay(delayT);

}

In this lesson we learn how to use photoresistors. A photoresistor is a semiconductor material. In the darkness, it has almost no free electrons, so its resistance is very high. When light shines on the device, electron hole pairs are created, and these electron hole pairs are free to conduct electricity. This lowers the resistance of the material. The brighter the light, the more electron hole pairs that are generated, and hence the lower the resistance. Hence, the resistance of these devices is inversely proportional to the brightness of the light. By hooking a photoresistor in series with a fixed resistor, the current will change as the resistance of the sensor changes. This leads to a measurable change in the voltage across the series resistor. Hence, by measuring this voltage, you get a signal that is proportional to the light. This can be read via an analog pin on the Arduino, and then the arduino can be programmed to do different things based on the brightness of the light. In this simple project we have a red LED and a green LED. If the light is on, the green LED is turned on. If the light is off, the red LED is on.

If you want to follow along at home, you can order the Arduino Kit we are using HERE.

The nice digital voltmeter used in the lesson is available HERE.

Below is the code we developed in this video lesson above.

int lightPen=A0;
int lightVal;
int dv=250;
int redPin=9;
int greenPin=8;
void setup() {
  // put your setup code here, to run once:
  pinMode(lightPen,INPUT);
  pinMode(redPin,OUTPUT);
  pinMode(greenPin,OUTPUT);
  Serial.begin(9600);
}

void loop() {
lightVal=analogRead(lightPen);
Serial.println(lightVal);
delay(dv);
if (lightVal>350){
  digitalWrite(greenPin,HIGH);
  digitalWrite(redPin,LOW);
}
if (lightVal<350){
    digitalWrite(greenPin,LOW);
  digitalWrite(redPin,HIGH);
}

}

int lightPen=A0;

int lightVal;

int dv=250;

int redPin=9;

int greenPin=8;

void setup() {

// put your setup code here, to run once:

pinMode(lightPen,INPUT);

pinMode(redPin,OUTPUT);

pinMode(greenPin,OUTPUT);

Serial.begin(9600);

}

void loop() {

lightVal=analogRead(lightPen);

Serial.println(lightVal);

delay(dv);

if (lightVal>350){

digitalWrite(greenPin,HIGH);

digitalWrite(redPin,LOW);

}

if (lightVal<350){

digitalWrite(greenPin,LOW);

digitalWrite(redPin,HIGH);

}

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Technology Tutorials

Tag Archives: Photoresistors

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Making The World a Better Place One High Tech Project at a Time. Enjoy!