The Texas Advanced Optical Systems (TAOS) TSL230R sensor precisely measures light using an array of photodiodes, with an output of digital square waves. The TSL230R has an input dynamic range of 160dB; that is, it can measure light over a range of 100,000,000-to-1.

The TSL230R programmable light-to-frequency converter combines a configurable silicon photodiode and a current-to-frequency converter on single monolithic CMOS integrated circuits. The output can be either a pulse train or a square wave (50% duty cycle) with frequency directly proportional to light intensity.

The sensitivity of the device is selectable and the output frequency can be scaled by one of four preset values. An output enable (OE) is provided that places the output in the high-impedance state for multiple-unit sharing of a microcontroller input line.

Features:

• High-resolution conversion of light intensity to frequency
• No external components required
• Programmable sensitivity and full-scale output frequency
• Absolute output frequency tolerance of +/- 20%
• Nonlinearity error (typically 0.2% at 100 kHz)
• Stable over wide variety of temperatures