 Designers can now measure extremely low levels of light in low-profile applications that require surface mount packages with the new light-to-frequency converter from Texas Advanced Optoelectronic Solutions(R), Inc. (TAOS).
Packaged in an 8-pin SOIC surface mount package, the TSL238 High-Sensitivity Light-to-Frequency Converter can accurately measure a broad dynamic range of light levels from bright sunlight to dim moonlight. The TSL238 does not require an external analog-to-digital converter because its output is a waveform whose frequency is directly proportional to the light intensity, thereby enabling the device to interface directly to a microprocessor. This latest TAOS light-to-frequency converter also has an output enable pin that provides the designer with the option of feeding the output of multiple devices into a single microprocessor input port by enabling one TSL238 device at a time.
The TSL238 High-Sensitivity Light-to-Frequency Converter is especially well-suited for medical applications measuring low-levels of fluorescent, reflective and transmissive light such as that found in pulse oximetry systems, printer applications such as media detection, appliance applications such as turbidity sensing in dishwashers and automotive applications such as rain sensors and sunload sensors.
 “The TSL238 High-Sensitivity Light-to-Frequency Converter is the most sensitive light sensor TAOS has ever put into a surface mount package,” said Ray King, TAOS, Inc. market specialist. “At TAOS, we have discovered that there are many different types of low-profile applications in key markets — medical electronics. automotive electronics, printers and appliance electronics — that need light sensors which can measure a very broad range of light levels while providing the benefits of surface mount packaging at the same time. This latest member of our Light-to-Frequency Converter product portfolio is designed to do just that.”
The lead-free and RoHS compliant TSL238 has a wide dynamic range of over 90 dB at room temperature and features an extended temperature range of -25°C to 70°C. It has been temperature compensated for the ultraviolet-to-visible light range of 320 nm to 700 nm and responds over the light range of 320 nm to 1050 nm.
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