Description
- This is Color Sensor Module is made using IC TCS320, programmable color light to frequency converter.
- It has configurable silicon photodiodes and a current to frequency converter in a single monlithic CMOS Integrated Circuit.
- Its output is square wave having 50% duty cycle with frequency directly proportional to irradiance (light intensity).
- This module can be directly interfaced with Microcontrollers, Arduino Boards, Raspberry Pi etc.
- Input voltage: DC 3 – 5V
- Use bright white LED lights
Getting started with the Colour Recognition Sensor
In this example you’re going to detect colors with the Arduino and the TCSP3200 color sensor. This sensor is not very accurate, but works fine for detecting colors in simple projects.How does the TCS3200 sensor work?
The TCS3200 has an array of photodiodes with 4 different filters. A photodiode is simply a semiconductor device that converts light into current. The sensor has:- 16 photodiodes with red filter – sensitive to red wavelength
- 16 photodiodes with green filter – sensitive to green wavelength
- 16 photodiodes with blue filter – sensitive to blue wavelength
- 16 photodiodes without filter
Pinout
Here’s the sensor pinout:Pin Name | I/O | Description |
GND (4) | Power supply ground | |
OE (3) | I | Enable for output frequency (active low) |
OUT (6) | O | Output frequency |
S0, S1(1,2) | I | Output frequency scaling selection inputs |
S2, S3(7,8) | I | Photodiode type selection inputs |
VDD(5) | Voltage supply |
Filter selection
To select the color read by the photodiode, you use the control pins S2 and S3. As the photodiodes are connected in parallel, setting the S2 and S3 LOW and HIGH in different combinations allows you to select different photodidodes. Take a look at the table below:Photodiode type | S2 | S3 |
Red | LOW | LOW |
Blue | LOW | HIGH |
No filter (clear) | HIGH | LOW |
Green | HIGH | HIGH |
Frequency scaling
Pins S0 and S1 are used for scaling the output frequency. It can be scaled to the following preset values: 100%, 20% or 2%. Scaling the output frequency is useful to optimize the sensor readings for various frequency counters or microcontrollers. Take a look at the table below:Output frequency scaling | S0 | S1 |
Power down | L | L |
2% | L | H |
20% | H | L |
100% | H | H |
Hardware required
Connecting the Hardware
Wiring the TCSP3200 sensor to your Arduino is pretty straightforward. Simply follow the next schematic diagram. Here’s the connections between the TCSP3200 and the Arduino:- S0: digital pin 4
- S1: digital pin 5
- VCC: 5V
- S3: digital pin 6
- S4: digital pin 7
- OUT: digital pin 8