Color sensor TCS34725

[נועם פישר‎]

Hi,

My son and I working on project with arduino uno and color sensor TCS34725. 

My son wrote the code with scratch except from the sensor issue. 

How can we decode the information from the sensor using the two analog legs?

Did someone try to use TCS34725 as well?

Noam

[Victor Casado]

Hi Noam,

As far as we know this sensor works through I2C protocol and pitifully this is not supported in S4A. If you want to use it with a blocks programming environment, maybe you should try other options like microBlocks (although you would need a different board, like an ESP8266 or a M5Stick, due Arduinos are not compatible).

Regards,

‪El dom, 11 abr 2021 a las 23:33, ‫נועם פישר‬‎ (<noa...@gmail.com>) escribió:‬

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Víctor Casado
Formador i tècnic en tecnologies creatives

93 551 06 75 (ext. 120)
vict...@citilab.eu

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[Dimitri Pochet]

Hi,

...but there are color sensors that deliver color values using analog voltage outputs, like https://media.digikey.com/pdf/Data%20Sheets/Austriamicrosystems%20PDFs/TCS3103_04_Rev_Aug_2013.pdf

It should be possible to catch the readings from 3 of the 6 S4A analog inputs, no?

Greetz,

Dimitri

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[Victor Casado]

Hi Dimitri,

Sorry, when I check that datasheet I see this:

Can you tell me which pin works as a voltage output?

Thanks,

[Dimitri Pochet]

Hi,

I don't think it's the correct datasheet you look at Victor.

When I open the link I sent, I see this:

So, pins 6, 5 and 4 give back a "voltage that is linearly proportional to irradiance on the corresponding photodiode element".

Should do the job, no?

Greetz,

Dimitri

[Victor Casado]

Hi Dimitri,

Sorry you're right, I was looking at the datasheet of the TCS34725 (since it's the one Noam was asking about) instead of yours! And yes, I guess that sensor would work with S4A attaching it to three analog pins.

Anyway, I can't find it available in any store, maybe it's out of stock globally? In that case, it would be interesting to find a similar sensor.

Best regards,

[Dimitri Pochet]

You're right Victor it seems obsolete and I can't find directly a replacement chip.

But another way round, might be to build the sensor by their own.

After all, what is a color sensor that delivers analog outputs per color?

It's simply a wide-spectrum white light projected on a surface that mirrors back a part of that large spectrum, depending on the reflected color of the object in front.

So one approach could be to just combine a wide spectrun whilte LED and

- 3 (or more) light captors, either each sensible to a specific color wavelength,

- or even and more simply 3 wide-spectrum light captors but in front of which one would place a different color filter (piece of transparent, colored plastic sheet)

There you'd just need 3 of the analog inputs of Arduino (+ 1 digital output if you want to be able shutting down the light source)

Yet another approach can also be looked at.
Instead of using a single, wide-spectrum light source, use a single, wide-spectrum light sensor.

Aside to it, you'd have a 3 colors LED, of which the 3 basic colors would be displayed one after each other (driven for instance from the analog out of Arduino and via S4A). So in sequence (this sequencing being driven from S4A), you illuminate consecutively with Red, then measure global light reception, the illuminate with Green and measure global light reception, and same for blue.

Then you recycle (just in case you need a continuous color measurement.

So at the end for this solution it's a single 3-colors LED, and a single wide-spectrum light sensor.

Maybe it's the easiest way. There you'd need 3 digital ouput pins to drive the 3-color LED, and a single analog input.

What do you think?

Greetz,

Dimitri

[Victor Casado]

Hi Dimitri,

I think that would be really cool in order to demonstrate how a color sensors works (for a school project, e.g.), but I am not sure if it's an affordable solution for Noam's son due the complexity it involves. Maybe he could say something about that.

Anyway in my opinion, if they need to buy another sensor or any of the components you were talking about, with that money I would get an ESP8266 (~4$) and use microBlocks, which already has a library for the TCS34725.

Best,