tcs3200 question

woodhead

i found that tcs3200db is complete construct with lens, and ultra bright sensor.

1. what i brought is tcs3200d, not tcs3200db, can tcs3200d scan color of object?
2. its i need construct it with ultra-bright white led to reflect the color of object to scan it? lens needed?
3. how close can it scan the object color? can scan through acrylic (3mm thickness) 1-2mm air gap between object to acrylic/ acrylic to tcs3200
4. output of tcs3200 is in different voltage due to different color? can i connect to pic16f877a to check the output and get result?
5. how many pixel can tcs3200 scan?
6. can it connect directly to pic16f877a to get result? (without connect to other micro-controller,pic,converter)

thanks for helping me and sorry for my broken English.

Phil Pilgrim (PhiPi)

woodhead,

Welcome to the forum!

1. The TCS3200D is the chip used in the TCS3200-DB; so, yes, it can scan color objects. But you will need to add some stuff (see below) to make that happen.

2. Yes, you need both a controlled white light source (for reflective subjects) to provide consistent hue readings and some sort of collimation optics (e.g. lens or aperture) to limit your field of view.

3. That could work. The tricky part will be getting the illumination onto the subject. 1-2mm is not much room to insert any kind of illumination. Putting the light source in front of the acrylic may lead to a specular reflection response from the plastic's top surface. To counteract this, make sure the LEDs are at an angle that won't be reflected back to the sensor. You can also do a black balance on a black subject, in addition to the usual white balance, to cancel the effects of any direct reflections.

4. No. The TCS3200D outputs a square wave, whose frequency is proportional to the color response of the selected color component (R, G, B, or clear). Be sure to read the TCS3200D datasheet for the particulars.

5. One.

6. Yes.

Good luck with your project! The TCS3200-DB is always available from Parallax to help shorten your development time.

-Phil

woodhead

Thanks for help