What Is This Sensor, and How Can I Replace It?

Thread Starter

ssalvat

Joined Dec 14, 2020
3
Hi All,

I have this goofy talking mistletoe thing that my kids love. It's motion activated so when you walk underneath it it says something with a French accent. Silly, and not really a great project, but again, my kids love it :)

Anyway, it has stopped talking when we walk underneath it. I took it apart and believe I have isolated the issue in the green sensor attached to the yellow and white wires. I can get it to talk when I jump the two contacts, so I have to think whatever the sensor is completes a circuit when you walk near it but otherwise keeps it open.

So, (assuming all of the above is correct, of course) can anyone tell me what the sensor is and what I would need to buy to replace it? Photocell? IR beam? Something else?

Thanks in advance!

frenchy.jpg
 
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Thread Starter

ssalvat

Joined Dec 14, 2020
3
Yeah, it talks when you first turn it on, so batteries are not the issue. I can put a little piece of metal between the two terminals where it's soldered onto the circuit board and it talks so no other connections should be the issue. Pretty sure it's that sensor.

Ignoring what it is for the moment, how could I replicate its function? What would complete a circuit (by dropping resistance?) when it sensed motion, or light, or the lack of light? Would a CdS photocell reduce resistance if detected light? Or the absence of light? I'm obviously not well versed in this technology, so any advice is much appreciated.
 
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