<figure class="wp-block-video"><video controls src="https://eduengteam.com/wp-content/uploads/2022/05/educational-engineering-team-3.mp4"></video></figure>



<h2>What is LDR Sensor?</h2>



<p>An LDR,or light-dependent resistor,is a type of resistor that varies its resistance in response to the intensity of light shining on it. This makes them ideal for use in applications such as automatic lighting controls and photoelectric sensors. LDRs consist of a thin strip of semiconductor material,typically silicon,that is exposed to light. When light shines on the semiconductor,it creates free electrons and holes.</p>



<figure class="wp-block-image is-style-default"><img src="https://arduinogetstarted.com/images/sponsor/utsource1.jpg" alt="LDR Sensor"/><figcaption>Ldr sensor light dark </figcaption></figure>



<blockquote class="wp-block-quote has-text-align-center is-style-large"><p>This project helps convert analog signals to digital input by connecting an MCP3008 to a <a href="https://eduengteam.com/2021/07/50-raspberry-pi-hacks-tips.html" data-type="post" data-id="3722">Raspberry Pi.</a></p></blockquote>



<h2>Article</h2>



<p>Reading an LDR sensor with a Raspberry Pi can be done using the MCP3008 chip. This chip is an 8-bit A/D converter and can be used to read the light levels of an LDR sensor. The following steps will show you how to install and use the MCP3008 on your Raspberry Pi.</p>



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<p>Based on the model,the Arduino has a number of digital inputs,analog inputs,and pulse width modulation (PWM) digital inputs. However,the Raspberry Pi only accepts digital inputs. One way to read the analog input is by using analog to digital converters the MCP3008 most often being commonly used of them. The MCP3008 is a micro-controller that communicates with a Raspberry Pi and provides eight pins for analog input.</p>



<p>In this tutorial,I will show you how you can connect the MCP3008 to a Raspberry Pi. Before you start,make sure you have all of the components you will need.</p>



<h2><em>Required Hardware needed:</em></h2>



<ol><li><strong><em>Raspberry Pi</em></strong></li><li><strong><em>Breadboard</em></strong></li><li><strong><em>Raspberry Pi Cobbler</em></strong></li><li><strong><em>MCP3008 8-channel,10-Bit analog-to-digital converter (ADC)</em></strong></li><li><strong><em>Light Dependent Resistor (LDR)</em></strong></li><li><strong><em>10 KΩ resistor</em></strong></li></ol>



<div class="wp-block-image is-style-default"><figure class="aligncenter"><img src="https://maker.pro/storage/sKyyp3P/sKyyp3PVg8FlbUDSEbBuqr2XOtFq60coNQIlNoZ5.jpeg" alt="LDR_Sensor The hardware placed on a breadboard."/><figcaption><em>The hardware was placed on a breadboard.</em></figcaption></figure></div>



<p>Because of its larger RAM,built-in Wi-Fi and Bluetooth capabilities,and powerful processor,the Raspberry Pi is more powerful than most Arduino variants. It also features 40 GPIO pins,as well as a few more I2C,SPI,and UART connections. GPIO pins have multiple functions and can be turned on or off. Dual micro HDMI connectors are available on recent Raspberry Pi models.</p>



<div class="wp-block-image is-style-default"><figure class="aligncenter"><img src="https://maker.pro/storage/Ud4jX9E/Ud4jX9EupC7ZOFr5RtBa8OeJ1jw0Dx1eK3DfA6iS.jpeg" alt="LDR_Sensor_JM_MP_image4.jpg"/></figure></div>



<p>Using Raspberry Pi Cobbler for the prototyping process of a Pi may expedite the process by preventing short circuits and cutting down on time. All you need to do is connect one end to the Raspberry Pi,and you can access all of the GPIO pins of the Pi,including the I2C and SPI pins.</p>



<p>An LDR resistor,also known as a photoresistor photocell photoconductor,is a type of resistor whose resistance changes with light that falls upon it. When the light falls on the resistor,its resistance changes.</p>



<div class="wp-block-image is-style-default"><figure class="aligncenter"><img src="https://maker.pro/storage/Q5Iotvx/Q5IotvxNhqKhkZdbveQDllofBhOrZU0H1UByknHD.jpeg" alt="LDR_Sensor_JM_MP_image7.jpg"/><figcaption><em>The light-dependent resistor.</em></figcaption></figure></div>



<p>The color code for the 10 KΩ/10000 Ω resistor is brown,black,orange,and gold. This type of resistor has a four-band color code,but it also has the tolerance of a gold band ± 5%.</p>



<div class="wp-block-image is-style-default"><figure class="aligncenter"><img src="https://maker.pro/storage/4wspXJA/4wspXJALhlyTDFeR6SbjEwMJhzUIG633zBh8JlfD.jpeg" alt="LDR_Sensor_JM_MP_image3.jpg"/><figcaption><em>The 10 KΩ resistors.</em></figcaption></figure></div>



<h2><em>What is an MCP3008?</em></h2>



<p>The MCP3008 is a 10-bit analog to digital converter with high performance and low power that can be used in embedded control applications such as data acquisition,instrumentation and measurement,industrial PCs,multi-channel data loggers,robotics,motor control,industrial automation,smart sensors,portable instrumentation,and home medical appliances.</p>



<div class="wp-block-image is-style-default"><figure class="aligncenter"><img src="https://maker.pro/storage/pJpn4Qx/pJpn4Qx2lAVQ8AgGmMIZbryUPOhAqwqIqqVAD6CQ.jpeg" alt="LDR_Sensor_JM_MP_image1.jpg"/><figcaption><em>The MCP3008 ADC.</em></figcaption></figure></div>



<h3><em>MCP3008 Features</em></h3>



<ol><li><strong>10-bit resolution</strong></li><li><strong>SPI interface</strong></li><li><strong>-40 to +85°C temperature range</strong></li><li><strong>Eight single-ended channels</strong></li></ol>



<h2><em>Assembling the Hardware</em></h2>



<p>My cobbler is compatible with an ancient Raspberry Pi 2B that I'm using. If you're using multiple versions of the Raspberry Pi,the cobbler you'll require may have different pins as well. Look for Raspberry Pi versions that are compatible with your chosen cobbler.</p>



<p>We'll use the VDD,VREF,AGND,CLK,DOUT,DIN,CS/SHDN,DGND,and CH0 pins to identify the underlying pins of our MCP3008 ADC. There are eight channels on the MCP3008. You can use all of these channels depending on your experiment or the amount of sensors you need for different tasks. One will be used in this lesson.</p>



<div class="wp-block-image is-style-default"><figure class="aligncenter"><img src="https://maker.pro/storage/aK2DFIT/aK2DFITeY6ZUeKTLlHRgSXcDuLFmhxnFU1yiXDp7.jpeg" alt="LDR_Sensor_JM_MP_image6.jpg"/><figcaption><em>Pins on the MCP3008</em></figcaption></figure></div>



<p>Place all of the necessary materials in the breadboard next. The 3v3 pin on our GPIO will be used,as well as ground,SPI (MOSI,MISO,SCLK),and Pin 5 for CS.</p>



<p>The following are the links:</p>



<figure class="wp-block-table is-style-regular has-medium-font-size"><table class="has-black-color has-pale-cyan-blue-background-color has-text-color has-background"><thead><tr><th>MCP3008</th><th>Connection</th></tr></thead><tbody><tr><td>VDD</td><td>3.3 V (Red)</td></tr><tr><td>VREF</td><td>3.3 V (Red)</td></tr><tr><td>AGND</td><td>GND (black)</td></tr><tr><td>CLK</td><td>SCLK (yellow)</td></tr><tr><td>DOUT</td><td>MISO (blue)</td></tr><tr><td>DIN</td><td>MOSI (gray)</td></tr><tr><td>CS</td><td>Pin 5 (green)</td></tr><tr><td>DGND</td><td>GND (black)</td></tr></tbody></table></figure>



<p>Connect the LDR sensor next. The 3.3V power line is linked to one pin of the LDR,while the other pin is connected to the MCP3008 CH0 pin,which is then connected to GND through the 10 KΩ resistors</p>



<p>.</p>



<p><strong>The complete circuit diagram with all of our connections is shown here</strong>:</p>



<div class="wp-block-image is-style-default"><figure class="aligncenter"><img src="https://maker.pro/storage/m7zWq6M/m7zWq6Mlzt93LWfRrOQWajq3V73PF9Y10ZRJyDmF.jpeg" alt="LDR_Sensor_JM_MP_image5.jpg"/></figure></div>



<h2><em>Required Software</em></h2>



<p>The Raspberry Pi must be running the most recent Raspbian version. To ensure that your installation packages are up to date,run the following commands:</p>



<ul><li><em>sudo apt-get update -y</em></li><li><em>sudo apt-get upgrade -y</em></li></ul>



<p><strong>Now,install the following dependencies for your project.</strong></p>



<p>The Python Package Installer,or PIP,is a tool for installing packages from the Python package index and other indexes. Use the following command to install it:</p>



<ul><li><em>sudo apt-get install python3-pip</em></li><li>Next,install adafruit-blinka:</li><li><em>sudo pip3 install adafruit-blinka</em></li></ul>



<p>Install the CircuitPython library for the MCP3xxx series of analog-to-digital converters to use the MCP3008:</p>



<ul><li>sudo pip3 install adafruit-circuit python-mcp3xxx</li></ul>



<p>We can read the values of the LDR sensor via MCP3008 using the sample Python code from Adafruit's GitHub repository now that we have all the requirements for the libraries needed in this project download. Note that this code is written in <a href="https://circuitpython.org/" target="_blank" rel="noreferrer noopener">CircuitPython,developed by Adafruit</a>. CircuitPython is based on the Python programming language but with extensive support for hardware devices.</p>



<p><strong>Here are the lines that print the values in the source code</strong>:</p>



<ul><li><em>print('Raw ADC Value: ',chan0.value)</em></li><li><em>print('ADC Voltage: ' + str(chan0.voltage) + 'V')</em></li></ul>



<p>Save the downloaded code in a text file with an extension .py (example.py) and run it from the terminal: python example.py. To make sure the program successfully runs,be certain you're in the same working directory in the terminal.</p>



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How to read an LDR sensor with a Raspberry Pi using MCP3008

How to read an LDR sensor with a Raspberry Pi using MCP3008.

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How to read an LDR sensor with a Raspberry Pi using MCP3008.

How to read an LDR sensor with a Raspberry Pi using MCP3008.

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