TCRT5000 Reflective Optical Sensor

The TCRT5000 is a reflective sensor that detects a reflective surface by bouncing IR light off it.

MAIN FEATURES OF THE TCRT5000 SENSOR:
IR transmitter/receiver pair
Approximately 1″/2.54mm detection range
3.3 and 5V compatible

These sensors are used in many of the Arduino modules sold for detecting and avoiding obstacles or for line-following robots. They can be used for applications where it is desirable to detect an object up close in front of the sensor.

The sensor contains both an IR emitter LED, which is blue in color, and an IR phototransistor receiver, which appears black, in the same package. The transmitter operates in the infrared range of 950 nm and the receiver has a daylight blocking filter to minimize interference from visible light.

To use the sensor in a minimal configuration, two current-limiting resistors are needed, one for the IR transmitter and one for the IR receiver.

The maximum continuous current through the IR emitter LED is 60 mA and it has a forward voltage drop of 1.2 V to 1.4 V across it.

The maximum current through the receiver's phototransistor is 100mA.

Easy to place in a breadboard or printed circuit board