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Can LEDs generate electricity from light?

Submitted by Jon on November 30, 2005 - 4:17am. Hardware Hacks

A story on HackADay today is http://abrij.org/~bri/hw/sunflop.html where he uses LEDs as photo sensors. The questions on HackADay wonder if LEDs can sense light. I'm guessing that if you shine photons on the doped silicon you might cause it to emit an electron, opposite of how LEDs work, right? Basically they might work as a really weak solar cell?

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herrhanz's picture

It's possible...

Submitted by herrhanz on November 30, 2005 - 6:38pm.

It's possible... only it would be a very very very weak solar cell.

Hans

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I dunno, I find this cause fo

Submitted by drbob on December 1, 2005 - 5:59am.

I dunno, I find this cause for extreme skepticism. I have some pretty sensitive instruments. I'll try it out and get back to you.

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Eudimorphodon's picture

Not enough of an engineer to know, but...

Submitted by Eudimorphodon on December 1, 2005 - 3:46pm.

From my vague understanding of the subject I have this feeling a diode would behave more like a single-element CCD then a solar cell. In which case you would get a "charge" you could read off it, but no useful current flow. But then, that's a wild guess based entirely off of the descriptions in the manuals of the "Science Fair 200 in 1" electronic kits I had as a kid.

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martakz's picture

It will generate a small curr

Submitted by martakz on December 1, 2005 - 11:37pm.

It will generate a small current as one very simple transmitter and reciever you can build consits of 2 IR leds, one as a transmitter and the other as a reciever.

Also, if you saw the top off a metal cylinder type transistor, that will act in a simular way...

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DrBunsen's picture

well...

Submitted by DrBunsen on December 4, 2005 - 4:00pm.

Funny you should mention that... links in this forum thread lead to much info and hackage on this subject

A solar cell is a diode - the light excites electrons to wander about and a p-n layer makes them wander one direction and not the other. Viola, useable current.

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simon_C's picture

does this answer your questio

Submitted by simon_C on December 18, 2005 - 1:18am.

does this answer your question?

thats a green laser

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coius's picture

Welp,

Submitted by coius on December 18, 2005 - 4:46am.

Guess that solves that....

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Jon's picture

Sweet! Did you hook up a DVM

Submitted by Jon on December 18, 2005 - 11:32pm.

Sweet! Did you hook up a DVM to get a reading of the output?

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simon_C's picture

not my pic.... http://safeco

Submitted by simon_C on December 19, 2005 - 10:50pm.

not my pic....
http://safeco2.home.att.net/laser.htm got it there

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charge it, point it, zoom it, press it, snap it, work it, quick - erase it,
write it, cut it, paste it, save it, load it, check it, quit - rewrite it,
plug it, play it, burn it,

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