What is a photocell sensor?

Photocells are basically a resistor that changes its resistive value (in ohms Ω) depending on how much light is shining onto the squiggly face. They are very low cost, easy to get in many sizes and specifications, but are very innacurate. Each photocell sensor will act a little differently than the other, even if they are from the same batch.

What are photocells & how do they work?

Photocells are sensors that allow you to detect light. They are small, inexpensive, low-power, easy to use and don't wear out. For that reason they often appear in toys, gadgets and appliances. They are often referred to as CdS cells (they are made of Cadmium-Sulfide), light-dependent resistors (LDR), and photoresistors.

What are the characteristics of a photo-cell?

The primary characteristics of a photo-cell are its small size, low power consumption, affordability, and ease of usage. These are commonly utilized in appliances, toys, and gadgets for the reasons listed above. The term Cadmium-Sulfide (CdS) cells are widely used to describe these sensors. LDRs and photo resistors make up these.

How a photocell module is soldered?

The soldering of cells to the stringing ribbon is carried out by a tabbing machine (using infrared) or by a soldering iron. In the second stage, the photocell clusters are soldered to a “bus ribbon” that carries electric current to the output of the module.

Are photocells sensitive to light?

Photocells, particularly the common CdS cells that you're likely to find, are not sensitive to all light. In particular they tend to be sensitive to light between 700nm (red) and 500nm (green) light. Basically, blue light wont be nearly as effective at triggering the sensor as green/ yellow light! What the Heck is Lux?

How efficient is a photocell?

Our efficiency calculations, based on Eq. 14.28, use a very simple model that totally ignores the photocell itself which is assumed to be 100% efficient. Its results are identical to the ultimate efficiency of Shockley and Queiser (SQ).