Would this type of sensor be more forgiving as to collection? It seems a little larger (about 1/8"x1/8") with the focusing lens already attached.
Yes, a vehicle detector. Are they sensitive to visible laser light? How do you know what band they detect? Did you have any other ideas about a different sensor? Maybe a larger CDS? The cone thing didn't work very well (but my cone was pretty crude, maybe with some refinement?)
Yes we were, you could use a PV, but like I had mentioned, we would have to use some kind of amplifier for it to be to get any usable signal out of it to switch the transistor.... We could try to utilize the 741 op amp amplifier I posted earlier in this thread, but then the power supply becomes an issue since a 741 works best with 12 to 14 volts as a power source........ Let me dig around my "lab" this weekend and see what I can find to use with your battery supply now....We weere discussing a photvoltaic sensor earlier, did you have any further revelations pertaining to that?
As I was searching for sensors, I cam across a laser tag set. Did they actually use laser energy or were they just an IR detector (for safety reasons) Back in days of old (but not too long ago) we had the MILES laser systems for our M-16/M-4s for training. That was not a visible beam laser, but the sensors could pick up laser energy very easily from 300-400 meters. What do they use for sensors/detectors?
I will give it a try, my housing is a plastic IR sensor shell from a garage door opener. It does have a lens on it, I think it is a colimating lens, when you shine light at it it makes the laser spot larger. (conversly, when you shine light from the inside out it makes a more focused beam. Back on subject, how thick should the diffuser be? I have some 1/8" polycarbonate sheeting laying around, and I think I may have some 1/16" lexan somewhere? And the outside diameter should be about 1/2" or so?
by Duane Benson
by Aaron Carman