Adafruit TSL2591 High Dynamic Range Digital Light Sensor

Key Features:

• TSL2591: Advanced digital light sensor
• Ideal for use in a wide range of light situations.
• Can be configured for different gain/timing ranges to detect light ranges from 188 uLux up to 88,000 Lux
• Separately measure infrared, full-spectrum or human-visible light with both infrared and full spectrum diodes

When the future is dazzlingly-bright, this ultra-high-range luminosity sensor will help you measure it. The TSL2591 luminosity sensor is an advanced digital light sensor. Compared to low cost CdS cells, this sensor is more precise, allowing for exact lux calculations and can be configured for different gain/timing ranges to detect light ranges from 188 uLux up to 88,000 Lux on the fly.

The best part of this sensor is that it contains both infrared and full spectrum diodes! Most sensors can only detect one or the other, which does not accurately represent what human eyes see (since we cannot perceive the IR light that is detected by most photo diodes) This sensor is like the TSL2561 but with a wider range (and the interface code is different). This sensor has a massive 600,000,000:1 dynamic range! Unfortunately, you cannot change the I2C address, so keep that in mind.

The built in ADC means you can use this with any microcontroller, even if it doesn't have analog inputs. The current draw is extremely low, so its great for low power data-logging systems. about 0.4mA when actively sensing, and less than 5 uA when in power-down mode.

As of September 2020, the original blue TSL2591 has been updated to this STEMMA QT board. There are now 4 mounting holes and two STEMMA QT connectors for plug and play connectivity. The pinout was modified slightly to be standardized.

Item Specifics
Approximates Human eye Response
Dynamic range: 1 to 600,000,000 Counts
Lux Range: 188 uLux sensitivity, up to 88,000 Lux input measurements.
Temperature range: -30 to 80degC
Voltage range: 3.3-5V into onboard regulator
Interface: I2C
This board/chip uses I2C 7-bit address 0x29 and 0x28 (yes BOTH!)
Dimensions: 19mm x 16mm x 1mm / .75" x 1" x .04"
Weight: 1.1g