Instruction Sheet
for the PASCO
Model CI-6504A
and CI-6604
LIGHT SENSOR AND
HIGH SENSITIVITY LIGHT SENSOR
012-06306D
© 1997 PASCO scientific
Introduction
The PASCO CI-6504A Light Sensor and CI-6604 High
Sensitivity Light Sensor are designed to be used with a
PASCO computer interface to make measurements of
relative light intensity.
Through the use of the gain options on the sensor box
and within Science Workshop
®
, the Light Sensor has a
working range of up to seven orders of magnitude,
allowing application across a wide range of lighting
levels.
The CI-6504A is best suited for experiments performed
at ambient light levels. At the lower end of the range,
interference patterns of monochromatic light after it
passes through single or multiple slits can be measured;
at the higher end, measurements can be made of relative
light intensities of daylight. The range switch settings
(1X, 10X, and 100X) on the top of the sensor roughly
corresponds to maximum input light levels of 500, 50,
and 5 lux.
The CI-6604 can be used where experiments are
performed at low light levels. Interference patterns of
monochromatic light, after it passes through single or
multiple slits, can be measured and spectral lines from a
spectrometer may be detected. The range switch settings
(1X, 10X, and 100X) on the top of the sensor roughly
corresponds to maximum input levels of 5, 0.5, and 0.05
lux. At the highest gain setting (100X on the sensor and
10X in Science Workshop) the High Sensitivity Light
Sensor has a resolution of about 10 micro lux.
The Light Sensor may be used with or without the fiber
optics probe (available separately as PASCO part no.
003-01383). Greater sensitivity is achieved by measuring
light directly, without the probe attached.
The sensing element of the CI-6504A and CI-6604 Light
Sensors is a stable and electrically quiet Si PIN
photodiode. The photodiode is responsive across a wide
spectrum ranging from 320 nm through 1100 nm. The
response curve for the photodiode is shown in Figure 1.
HIGH SENSITIVITY
LIGHT SENSOR
CI-6604
10
1
100
GAIN
LIGHT
SENSOR
CI-6504A
10
1
100
GAIN
CI-6604
High Sensitivity
Light Sensor
aperture for photodiode
gain adjustment
DIN connector
CI-6504A
Light Sensor
interface cable
with 8-pin DIN
connectors
to computer
interface
