Thanks to the group

May 20, 2010 3 Replies

I want to thank everyone that helped my with the level and flow sensor problems. I was trying to use Radio Shack phototransistor/IRLED pairs



- part # 276-0142. I couldn't get any of the circuits to... work reliably. It was very frustrating, trying to diagnose what I had done wrong. Then yesterday, I stuck one of the phototransistors on a curve tracer. It was worthless. OK, maybe I fried it, hooked it up backwards or something. Tried one I had opened but not hooked up in a circuit - again worthless. I had a technician open a NEW package and test the pt. Worthless. Maybe these would make resistors, and not good ones, but they do NOT function as transistors or phototransistors. I bought some Vishay units from Mouser and tried them out today. The circuits now work the way they should. *sigh* Rat Shack is close and convenient, but full of worthless semiconductors. I've got to do a little more planing to order parts instead of just running down the street, but buying reliable parts will make life easier. Again, thanks for your help, and thanks for listening to my rant


Sigh, that is too bad. Getting things to work is hard enough without bad parts. I've learned to stay away from Jameco too.

George H.

Did you cover the phototransistor with something to block all light? If not, it was biased into saturation by ambient light.

Anyone wanting to run for any political office in the US should have to have a DD214, and a honorable discharge.

t?

As a functional teas, I drilled a hole thru a 1/2" MNPT nipple. Stuck an IRLED in one hole, the pt in the other. Worked intermittantly, with the two devices in very close proximity and facing each other. This is how the circuit will be used in "real life". Vishay pt works, no problem. I'm using Vishay BPV11.

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