Will this photocell from a night light work for my project

Thread Starter

Isaac22

Joined Jun 27, 2016
5
I have this old night light and it has a photo cell in in. I was wonderering will I be able to put 12 volts thru it or not. I have put in some pictures of it belowimage.jpegimage.jpegimage.jpegimage.jpeg
 

Alec_t

Joined Sep 17, 2013
14,280
The photocell will be ok on a 12V supply providing you limit the current that flows through it, using a suitable series resistor.
 

Alec_t

Joined Sep 17, 2013
14,280
I said limit the current, not the voltage.
The photocell shown looks like a conventional cadmium sulphide (CdS) light-dependent resistor. Whenever you use a resistor in a circuit, current passing through it will cause a voltage drop across it. That is the whole point of the photocell: the voltage drop is the signal that the light level has changed.
 

AnalogKid

Joined Aug 1, 2013
10,986
Your question is missing some details, like what it is you are trying to do. If you want to run the light directly from 12 Vdc rather than plugging it into the wall, that is doable with a lot more information. If you want to remove the photocell and use it in a different circuit, we kinda sorta need to know about the circuit.

ak
 
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