Colour Sensor Shoot-Out - Part 3 - TCS34725
IC COLOR CONV LIGHT-DGTL 6-DFN
The TCS34725 is a digital Light-To-Digital converter, which means it converts the visible light into a digital signal that an external microcontroller can read.
The TCS34725 is a color light-to-digital converter that outputs RGB digitally and provides clear light sensing values. The IR spectral component of the incoming light is minimized by an IR blocking filter, which is incorporated on-chip and confined to the color sensor photodiodes, allowing precise color measurements. The TCS34725 is an ideal color sensor for usage in a variety of lighting circumstances due to its high sensitivity, wide dynamic range, and IR blocking filter,
The TCS34725 color sensor is perfect for controlling RGB LED backlights, solid-state lighting, health/fitness gadgets, industrial process controllers, and medical diagnostic equipment. Furthermore, the IR blocking filter allows the color sensors to detect ambient light (ALS). To monitor the lighting environment and enable automatic display brightness for optimal viewing and power savings, ALS is commonly used in display-based products such as smartphones, notebooks, and TVs.

TCS34725 Pinout
| Pin Number | Pin Name | Description |
| 1 | V DD | Supply voltage |
| 2 | SCL | I2C clock input |
| 3 | GND | IC ground reference |
| 4 | NC | Do not connect |
| 5 | INT | Interrupt output, open-drain |
| 6 | I/O | I2C serial data output |

TCS34725 Symbol

TCS34725 Footprint

TCS34725 3D Model
ams TCS34725FN technical specifications, attributes, parameters and parts with similar specifications to ams TCS34725FN.
| Attribute | Value |
|---|---|
| Factory Lead Time | 24 Weeks |
| Package / Case | 6-SMD Module |
| Surface Mount | YES |
| Number of Pins | 6 |
| Operating Temperature | -30°C~70°C |
| Packaging | Tape & Reel (TR) |
| JESD-609 Code | e4 |
| Part Status | Active |
| Moisture Sensitivity Level (MSL) | 3 (168 Hours) |
| Number of Terminations | 6 |
| Terminal Finish | NICKEL PALLADIUM GOLD |
| HTS Code | 8542.39.00.01 |
| Voltage - Supply | 2.7V~3.6V |
| Terminal Position | DUAL |
| Terminal Form | NO LEAD |
| Peak Reflow Temperature (Cel) | 260 |
| Number of Functions | 1 |
| Supply Voltage | 3V |
| Attribute | Value |
|---|---|
| Time@Peak Reflow Temperature-Max (s) | 10 |
| Output | I2C |
| Current - Supply (Max) | 330μA @ 3V |
| Operating Supply Voltage | 3.3V |
| Supply Voltage-Min (Vsup) | 2.7V |
| Analog IC - Other Type | ANALOG CIRCUIT |
| Max Supply Current | 330μA |
| Max Frequency | 400kHz |
| Wavelength | 525 nm |
| Sensing Method | Optical |
| Resolution (Bits) | 16 b |
| Features | Gain Control, Interrupt, Sleep Mode |
| Height | 650μm |
| Length | 2mm |
| Width | 2.4mm |
| RoHS Status | RoHS Compliant |
| Lead Free | Lead Free |
IR light blocking filter
I2C interface
3,800,000:1 dynamic range
3.3 or 5V operation
Output: I2C
Resolution (Bits): 16
Features: gain control, interrupt, and sleep mode
Voltage supply: 2.7 V to 3.6 V
Current supply: 330 µA @ 3 V
Temperature operating range: -30°C to +70°C
Package/case: 6-SMD
Separate Red/Green/Blue light intensity sensor s
Ambient (clear) light intensity sensor
Integrated logic controlled white LED light source
Adjustable gain and integration time
Interrupt output available based on predefined lighting thresholds
TCS3x71 series, TCS3200
Fluid and gas analysis
Ambient light sensing
RGB LED backlight control
Light color temperature measurement
Consumer and commercial printing
RGB LED Backlight Control
Light Color Temperature Measurement
Ambient Light Sensing for Display
Backlight Control
Fluid and Gas Analysis
Product Color Verification and Sorting
End Products and Market Segments
TVs, Mobile Handsets, Tablets, Computers, and Monitors
Consumer and Commercial Printing
Medical and Health Fitness
Solid-State Lighting (SSL) and Digital
Signage
Industrial Automation
The TCS34725 is a 16-bit I2C color-to-digital converter that transforms red, green, blue, and clear (ambient light) to a digital value. Internal 16-bit integrating ADCs transform raw input into a digital code in the IC. The ADC's integration time is configurable. Internally, the chip is managed by a state machine, and it has an I2C interface with the address 0x29 for communicating with external microcontrollers. It also features a maskable interrupt feature for informing the microcontroller when color conversion is complete.

TCS34275 Block Diagram

TCS34275 Circuit Diagram
The Adafruit TCS34725 color sensor is utilized in the circuit in this tutorial. It has a 3 × 4 photodiode array and four ADC converters for converting light to photodiode current and converting that to a 16-bit digital result.
The Raspberry Pi Zero W has been configured to function as a headless Pi. Because the project is largely using the Raspberry Pi Zero W to analyze the data gathered without the need for a graphical interface, it operates on the Raspbian Lite version of the OS without the graphical user interface. Instead of a GUI, the result is displayed on an LCD 16x2 digital display.

