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Questions about TSL230R Light to Frequency Converter — Parallax Forums

Questions about TSL230R Light to Frequency Converter

Buck RogersBuck Rogers Posts: 2,175
edited 2010-10-03 21:37 in Accessories

Hello!
I have both the original device, as made by that division of TI, two I think. And several from TAOS in bubble pack for RS. This the same as
http://www.parallax.com/Store/Sensors/ColorLight/tabid/175/CategoryID/50/List/0/SortField/0/Level/a/ProductID/88/Default.aspx

Does anyone know when that division spun itself off of TI? I freely admit that notice should have provided, but it would be nice.

Anyway technically they are not a replacement for the original TSL230 device from TI, they are the same. The only big difference is that TI isn't making the newer ones.:smilewinkgrin:

Comments

  • Phil Pilgrim (PhiPi)Phil Pilgrim (PhiPi) Posts: 23,514
    edited 2010-10-02 18:37
    TAOS was spun off from TI in 1998 by employees of TI's optoelectronics division. They continue to offer sensors from the former TI catalog under license from TI, as well as new sensors of their own design.

    -Phil
  • Buck RogersBuck Rogers Posts: 2,175
    edited 2010-10-03 19:26
    Phil Pilgrim (PhiPi) wrote: »
    TAOS was spun off from TI in 1998 by employees of TI's optoelectronics division. They continue to offer sensors from the former TI catalog under license from TI, as well as new sensors of their own design.

    -Phil


    Hello!
    Make sense. I might not like the fact that TI allowed it, but they don't consult with me.....

    However, the count instruction states things this way:
    "COUNT Pin, Duration, Variable Function
    Count the number of cycles (0-1-0 or 1-0-1) on the specified pin during the
    Duration time frame and store that number in Variable.
    • Pin is a variable/constant/expression (0 – 15) that specifies the I/O pin to use. This pin will be set to input mode.
    • Duration is a variable/constant/expression (1 – 65535) specifying the
    time during which to count. The unit of time for Duration is described in Table 5.6.
    • Variable is a variable (usually a word) in which the count will be stored."

    My original idea was to have the device watch the amount of light falling on it, and dump the count into the stamp. Then the stamp would stream the data out onto a selected pin. From there my hardware would collect it and, ah, do something specific with it.

    The count description comes from not the compiled html help file, but from the PDF that's also shipped with the IDE program.:idea:

    Ideally it should be possible to do exactly that. But the count command is an input only instruction. (Obvious right?) What would work for an output one besides the serial I/O ones? That's the serout one.

  • ElectricAyeElectricAye Posts: 4,561
    edited 2010-10-03 20:36
    Maybe you would like to have this post moved to the Stamp forum? This seems less like a sensor problem per se and more like an issue with using the Stamp. True?

    :)
  • Buck RogersBuck Rogers Posts: 2,175
    edited 2010-10-03 20:44
    ElectricAye wrote: »
    Maybe you would like to have this post moved to the Stamp forum? This seems less like a sensor problem per se and more like an issue with using the Stamp. True?

    :)

    Hello!
    Not unless the moderators complain. This is an issue that's more of a sensor one. I just saw one that surfaced in the stamp one, and got progressively better only after it took time to have its occupants sort it out.

    In this case I've already sort out most of the stamp details, except what happens on the way out.

  • ElectricAyeElectricAye Posts: 4,561
    edited 2010-10-03 20:51
    Buck Rogers wrote: »
    ...I've already sort out most of the stamp details, except what happens on the way out....

    Sorry, Buck, but I'm still a little confused. Are you having issues with how a Stamp is supposed to control a TSL230R? or are you having issues with data that comes out of a TSL230R and goes into a Stamp?

    Or are you talking about data going out of a Stamp and moving on to some other gadget that is not a TSL230R?
  • Buck RogersBuck Rogers Posts: 2,175
    edited 2010-10-03 21:06
    ElectricAye wrote: »
    Sorry, Buck, but I'm still a little confused. Are you having issues with how a Stamp is supposed to control a TSL230R? or are you having issues with data that comes out of a TSL230R and goes into a Stamp?

    Or are you talking about data going out of a Stamp and moving on to some other gadget that is not a TSL230R?

    Hello!
    Exactly. I am attempting to automate a series of tests aimed at a family of digital logic that is based on TTL. And so far I've gotten as far as using a TI calculator as the responder. (Press the enter key and the program executes and sends out the serialized data that the stamp program responds to.)

    I would much prefer that the TSL230R do all of that, hence the quote of the text behind the count statement.:smilewinkgrin:

    Now where are you confused?
  • Mike GreenMike Green Posts: 23,101
    edited 2010-10-03 21:37
    The TSL230R does one thing ... it outputs a pulse stream whose frequency is proportional to the incident light level. That's all.

    The COUNT statement simply counts the number of pulses seen on a specified I/O pin during a specified amount of time. That's all.

    The TSL230R has a digital sensitivity control and a digitally selectable prescaler, both 2 bits. Both can be hardwired or controlled via logic levels from a Stamp.

    Like ElectricAye, I ask "What's your question?"
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