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investigate how output from photocell depends on distance from infrared point source |
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Apr28-06, 05:42 PM
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#1
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bigbadcityboy is
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investigate how output from photocell depends on distance from infrared point source
I am required to design a labratory experiment to investigate how the output from a photocell depends on its distance from a point source of infra-red radiation.
wat procedure could i follow?
how would i measure the output of the photocell?
what other measuring instruments should i use?
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Apr28-06, 06:26 PM
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#2
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berkeman is
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Welcome to the PF. Here's a recent thread with lots of info to get you started. The OP (original poster) didn't get all that he wanted out of the thread, but there's lots of good info in it. Post more questions here if the thread doesn't get you going.
http://www.physicsforums.com/showthread.php?t=116631
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May1-06, 12:15 PM
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#3
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bigbadcityboy is
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to measure the current of the photocell can i just make a circuit with a photocell and an ammeter? this seems to be a pretty simple circuit to me and i think maybe it should be more complicated.
also, just out of curiosity how does an op-amp convert current to voltage? i cant find it anywhere
thanks
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May1-06, 12:25 PM
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#4
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berkeman is
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Originally Posted by bigbadcityboy
to measure the current of the photocell can i just make a circuit with a photocell and an ammeter? this seems to be a pretty simple circuit to me and i think maybe it should be more complicated.
also, just out of curiosity how does an op-amp convert current to voltage? i cant find it anywhere
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Yes, as stated in that other thread, with a reasonably sensitive current setting on your DVM, you will be able to measure about a decade of photocurrent variation, starting very close to the source. But to get much of a plot of photocurrent over several decades, you will want to make a simple current to voltage converter circuit using a CMOS opamp. The linearity of the photodiode is also improved by placing a reverse bias across it of several volts, which you can do if you take the anode of the photodiode to V- instead of ground.
On your last question, I just googled current to voltage converter photodiode, and got lots of good hits. Here's one of the first ones:
http://www.ecircuitcenter.com/Circui...tov/opitov.htm
and as I just mentioned, consider taking the anode of the photodiode to V- instead of Ground (the first figure in that link shows it connected to Ground).
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May1-06, 12:29 PM
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#5
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bigbadcityboy is
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whats a decade?
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May1-06, 12:30 PM
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#6
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bigbadcityboy is
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im using a photocell, is that the same as a photodiode?
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May1-06, 12:35 PM
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#7
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berkeman is
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Um, a decade is a change by a decimal order of magnitude. Like if you measure a photocurrent of 1uA, then a decade larger would be 10uA, and a decade smaller would be 100pA. Just like a decade change in frequency (from 1kHz to 10kHz) or in any other quantity. Another standard ratio change is an octave, which is a doubling or halving of something.
A photocell is a photodiode. Typicaly photocells have large surface areas to generate a larger photocurrent than a typical photodiode. The larger the surface area, the higher the photocurrent, but the slower the response time to changes in light intensity. Photodiodes that are optimized for fiber optic communication have *very* small photoreceptor areas.
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May1-06, 12:53 PM
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#8
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bigbadcityboy is
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so did you mean a decade of distance or of current?
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May1-06, 12:55 PM
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#9
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bigbadcityboy is
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oh current oops cant read
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May1-06, 12:55 PM
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#10
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berkeman is
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Originally Posted by bigbadcityboy
so did you mean a decade of distance or of current?
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Whichever. BTW, how would you expect the received photocurrent to vary with distance? What is your initial guess as to what you will observe in the experiment? You should always have an initial guess based on the equations and the setup.....
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May1-06, 01:00 PM
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#11
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bigbadcityboy is
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to decrease a lot as it gets further away, if u see what i mean
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May1-06, 01:01 PM
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#12
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bigbadcityboy is
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and increase as the source gets closer
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May1-06, 01:06 PM
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#13
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bigbadcityboy is
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how big a resistor will i need for the opamp thing? 5 ohm??
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May1-06, 01:10 PM
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#14
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Hootenanny is
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I would recommend something along the lines of a 5M ohm resistor, you want the biggest resistance possible, to prevent a a large current flowing, thus obtaining a more accurate measure of the potential difference.
~H
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May1-06, 01:12 PM
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#15
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berkeman is
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Originally Posted by bigbadcityboy
how big a resistor will i need for the opamp thing? 5 ohm??
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Nope. What value of Rf did they start with in the SPICE simulation in the link I posted above? How would you tune the value of your Rs resistor based on the expected photocurrent?
BTW, what grade are you in? What is your background so far in electronics? How much help is your teacher giving you on this?
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May1-06, 01:18 PM
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#16
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bigbadcityboy is
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im from england, doing physics A level im 17. i only know basic electronics, as i havent finished learning my electronics module.
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