Home CodeCircuitpython Raspberry Pi Pico and TSL2591 light-to-digital converter circuitpython example

Raspberry Pi Pico and TSL2591 light-to-digital converter circuitpython example

by rp2040guy71

In this article we connect a TSL2591 light-to-digital converter to a Raspberry Pi Pico running Circuitpython

Sensor Information

The TSL2591 is a very high sensitivity light-to-digital converter that transforms light intensity into a digital signal output capable of direct I2C interface. The device combines one broadband photodiode (visible plus infrared) and one infrared-responding photodiode on a single CMOS integrated circuit.

Two integrating ADCs convert the photodiode currents into a digital output that represents the irradiance measured on each channel.

This digital output can be input to a microprocessor where illuminance (ambient light level) in lux is derived using an empirical formula to approximate the human eye response.

The TSL2591 supports a traditional level style interrupt that remains asserted until the firmware clears it.

Features

  • Highest sensitivity to 188µLux
  • Patented dual-diode architecture
  • 600M:1 dynamic range
  • Programmable interrupt function
  • UV-rejection package

Product parameters

Supply Voltage [V] 2.7 – 3.6
Interface I2C – VDD
Programmable Gain, integration time, interrupt
Max. Lux 88000
Temperature Range [°C] -30 to 70

 

This is the sensor I purchased, link below

 

Parts Required

 

Name Link
Pico Raspberry Pi Pico Development Board
TSL2591 TSL2591 High Dynamic Range Digital Light Sensor Module
Connecting cables Aliexpress product link

Amazon.com link

Ebay link

 

Schematic/Connection

I used the Adafruit TSL2591 sensor

Black for GND
Red for V+
Blue for SDA
Yellow for SCL

So color coded for ease of use, this layout shows a connection to the module

rp2040 and TSL2591

rp2040 and TSL2591

Code Example

I used Thonny for development

The following is based on a library , I copied the adafruit_tsl2591.mpy library for this device to the lib folder on my Feather M0 Express – https://circuitpython.org/libraries

This is the basic example which comes with the library

[codesyntax lang=”python”]

import time
import board
import adafruit_tsl2591
import busio

# Create sensor object, communicating over the board's default I2C bus
i2c = busio.I2C(scl=board.GP1, sda=board.GP0) # uses board.SCL and board.SDA
# Initialize the sensor.
sensor = adafruit_tsl2591.TSL2591(i2c)

# You can optionally change the gain and integration time:
# sensor.gain = adafruit_tsl2591.GAIN_LOW (1x gain)
# sensor.gain = adafruit_tsl2591.GAIN_MED (25x gain, the default)
# sensor.gain = adafruit_tsl2591.GAIN_HIGH (428x gain)
# sensor.gain = adafruit_tsl2591.GAIN_MAX (9876x gain)
# sensor.integration_time = adafruit_tsl2591.INTEGRATIONTIME_100MS (100ms, default)
# sensor.integration_time = adafruit_tsl2591.INTEGRATIONTIME_200MS (200ms)
# sensor.integration_time = adafruit_tsl2591.INTEGRATIONTIME_300MS (300ms)
# sensor.integration_time = adafruit_tsl2591.INTEGRATIONTIME_400MS (400ms)
# sensor.integration_time = adafruit_tsl2591.INTEGRATIONTIME_500MS (500ms)
# sensor.integration_time = adafruit_tsl2591.INTEGRATIONTIME_600MS (600ms)

# Read the total lux, IR, and visible light levels and print it every second.
while True:
    # Read and calculate the light level in lux.
    lux = sensor.lux
    print("Total light: {0}lux".format(lux))
    # You can also read the raw infrared and visible light levels.
    # These are unsigned, the higher the number the more light of that type.
    # There are no units like lux.
    # Infrared levels range from 0-65535 (16-bit)
    infrared = sensor.infrared
    print("Infrared light: {0}".format(infrared))
    # Visible-only levels range from 0-2147483647 (32-bit)
    visible = sensor.visible
    print("Visible light: {0}".format(visible))
    # Full spectrum (visible + IR) also range from 0-2147483647 (32-bit)
    full_spectrum = sensor.full_spectrum
    print("Full spectrum (IR + visible) light: {0}".format(full_spectrum))
    time.sleep(1.0)

[/codesyntax]

Output

Here is what I saw in Thonny REPL window

Total light: 18.9704lux
Infrared light: 109
Visible light: 7143610
Full spectrum (IR + visible) light: 7143719
Total light: 19.1923lux
Infrared light: 110
Visible light: 7209148
Full spectrum (IR + visible) light: 7209258
Total light: 24.4931lux
Infrared light: 128
Visible light: 8388840
Full spectrum (IR + visible) light: 8388968
Total light: 35.3491lux
Infrared light: 160
Visible light: 10486079
Full spectrum (IR + visible) light: 10486239

Links

Datasheet

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