Our team has the photo sensors mounted underneath the robot and there was some concern that it would be too dark for the sensors to see any light reflecting off the line tape. So we added a little 6V incandescent light bulb to shed some light. Now I am remembering that I read somewhere that the photo sensors have their own infrared light source that they use to detect the line. So the question is will the incandescent light bulb help, hurt or have no effect? As a corollary would the photo sensors work in complete darkness? Would they actually operate best in complete darkness?
the sensors do have their own IR source. If the light you added produces light in the frequency range the sensor is looking for, it will reduce the sensitivity of the photo sensor. If your light does not, then there is no affect.
From your response Joe it sounds like the lights can only hurt. How do you feel about the statement that the ideal environment for the sensors is one without any ambient light?
Don’t worry about adding light or blocking out light. These sensors are very robust, designed for industrial applications. Just tune the sensors using the knob on top to your liking. That’s it.