Activity No.

2
Transistor Application Controlled by LDR

I.

Objectives:
1. To construct a circuit using NPN transistor as a switch together with the LDR
2.

To construct a circuit using PNP transistor as a switch together with the LDR

3. To construct an LDR circuit using NPN/PNP transistor controlled by dark resistance and
light resistance.
II.

Transistor NPN and PNP

LDR
Resistor
DC Source
Potentiometer

III.

Theories/Principle
An LDR is a component that has a (variable) resistance that changes with the light
intensity that falls upon it. This allows them to be used in light sensing circuits.

A typical LDR

Variation in resistance with changing light intensity

Typical LDR resistance vs light intensity graph

The most common type of LDR has a resistance that falls with an increase in the light
intensity falling upon the device (as shown in the image above). The resistance of an LDR may
typically have the following resistances:
Daylight = 5000
Dark = 20000000
You can therefore see that there is a large variation between these figures. If you plotted this
variation on a graph you would get something similar to that shown by the graph shown above.
Applications of LDRs
There are many applications for Light Dependent Resistors. These include:
Lighting switch
The most obvious application for an LDR is to automatically turn on a light at certain light
level. An example of this could be a street light or a garden light.
Camera shutter control
LDRs can be used to control the shutter speed on a camera. The LDR would be used the
measure the light intensity and the set the camera shutter speed to the appropriate level.
Example - LDR controlled Transistor circuit
LDR controlled transistor circuit
The circuit shown above shows a simple way of constructing a circuit that turns on when it
goes dark. In this circuit the LDR and the another Resistor form a simple 'Potential Divider' circuit,
where the center point of the Potential Divider is fed to the Base of the NPN Transistor.
When the light level decreases, the resistance of the LDR increases. As this resistance
increases in relation to the other Resistor, which has a fixed resistance, it causes the voltage dropped

across the LDR to also increase. When this voltage is large enough (0.7V for a typical NPN Transistor),
it will cause the Transistor to turn on.
The value of the fixed resistor will depend on the LDR used, the transistor used and the supply
voltage.
LDR Circuit Diagram
This LDR circuit diagram shows how you can make a light detector. An LDR or Light Dependent Resistor is a resistor
where the resistance decreases with the strength of the light.
Making The LED Turn On When Its Light
:

circuit no. 1 Light Detector Switch

When its dark, the LDR has high resistance. This makes the voltage at the base of the transistor too low to turn the
transistor ON. Therefore, no current will go from the collector to the emitter of the transistor. All the current will instead pass
through the LDR and the potentiometer. When its light, the LDR has low resistance. This makes the voltage at the base of the
transistor higher. High enough to turn the transistor ON. Because the transistor is turned on, current flows through the transistor.
It flows from the positive battery terminal, through R1, the LED, and the transistor down to the negative battery terminal. This
makes the LED light up.
Computation of current flowing on the LED
The resistor R1 controls the amount of current going through the LED. Its simple to calculate. If you are using an LED
with 2V voltage drop, you will have a 7V voltage drop over the resistor when the transistor is ON. By using Ohms law we can
find the current:

And 18 mA is usually a good current value for common LEDs.

Making The LED Turn ON When its Dark

You can also make the LED turn ON when it is dark instead of when it is light. To do this, replace the NPN transistor
with a PNP transistor like this:

circuit no. 2 Dark Detector Switch

Procedure:
1. Connecting parts in the breadboard
In circuit no. 1, connect the parts on the breadboard to make the transistor and led turn on
when their is light (Light Detector Switch).
2. Tell your Instructor if you are finish to see to it that the circuit is correct and ready to energized.
3. Connect the power source to the breadboard.
4. Repeat step 1, 2 and 3 but, do circuit no.2
5. In testing the two circuits, use VOM to check the voltage, use the table below.
6. Check for sensitivity: connect the DC source, adjust the potentiometer to a low resistance R2,
before and after turning on the transistor
7.
Circuit No.____

Base Voltage (Vb)

LED is

LED is

turn on

turn of

LED

IV. Questions
1. In circuit no. 2 explain how the ldr controls the transistor.
2.

What is the purpose of R1 on each circuit?

3. What will happen if the potentiometer R2 is omitted on

a. Circuit no. 1?
b. Circuit no. 2?

4.

Resistance (R2)
Before LED

After LED

turns on

turns on