Photoresistor is not working, is there something wrong in the code?

Question

I am trying to make the photoresistor work in a simple project.

The project is as follows: The LED light should light up brighter and brighter as the photoresistor reads less light in the room.

The problem: The reading is fixed on 1023. Therefore the LED never lights up. I cannot understand why.. Sometimes if I cover the sensor the readings go down to 900- 950 but never less even though it is completely dark around the sensor. Is there something wrong in the code? What could have gone wrong? Please note that the resistor connected to the sensor is 10k Ohm as is the one connected to the LED.

Here is the code

int photoPin = 0;
int pReading; // analog readings

int LED = 11; // red LED connected to pin 11
int LEDbrightness; //

void setup() 
{
  //set up the serial connection
  Serial.begin(9600);
}

void loop() 
{
  pReading = analogRead(photoPin);
  Serial.print("Photocell reading = ");
  Serial.println(pReading); // Analog reading

  pReading = 1023 - pReading;
  //map 0-1023 to 0-255
  LEDbrightness = map(pReading, 0, 1023, 0, 255);

  analogWrite(LED, LEDbrightness);
  delay(50);
}

Here are the connections enter image description here

thank you!

score 8 · Accepted Answer · answered Dec 26 '14 at 11:45

The code looks OK. It looks like it's your circuit which is the problem.

The main role of a photoresistor is to restrict the amount of current flowing through it when the light level is reduced. It won't directly affect voltage the way you're expecting (the analog pins respond to voltage).

However, it's pretty easy to make it affect voltage with a slightly different circuit. Try creating a voltage divider circuit, such that the supply voltage (5V) goes through the photoresistor, then through another resistor, and then to ground. The Arduino's analog pin should be connected between the photoresistor and resistor. (See the image below, although the resistor on the output probably isn't necessary in this case.)

This should cause the voltage on the analog pin to decrease when the light level decreases. You may need to experiment a little to find a suitable resistor value on the ground connection, although 2K Ohms is probably a good starting point. It basically affects the sensitivity of the circuit.

Photoresistor circuit diagram _{Image credit: Morteza Lahijanian (source)}

score 0 · Answer 2 · answered Dec 26 '14 at 11:44

Your wiring is wrong.

Analog inputs are high impedance and probably the impedance isn't really linear. So what voltage do you expect on your analog input, if its inner impedance is one or more orders of magnitude greater than that of your sensor and series resistor?

The inner impedance builds up the lower part of a voltage divider and your sensor and series resistor the upper part. The voltage measured will almost anytime almost 5V.

How to fix this? You will have to make a suitable voltage divider outside your arduino. Simly connect your input via another resistor to ground. So, how to determine the right value of the additional resistor? It strongly depends on your sensor and the brightness range you want to perceive. I recommend starting with 1kΩ. Let us know, what your readings are for full light and darkness. Then we can give some more hints.

Photoresistor is not working, is there something wrong in the code?

2 Answers2