Motion & Light Sensors

About This Infographic

Compares four sensors that let a project sense the world around it: the PIR motion sensor (HC-SR501), the MPU-6050 accelerometer and gyroscope, the LDR light sensor, and the APDS-9960 color, proximity, and gesture sensor. Click each column to see how it senses, how it connects, its range, and its cost, then use Quiz Me to test which sensor fits a given task.

Image Prompt

Prompt

Please generate a wide-landscape infographic for "Motion and Light Sensors".

Render all text exactly verbatim. Do not substitute any numbers, paraphrase labels, or invent extra rows/columns/stats. Where a cell says "None" or "N/A", render that exactly.

A clean, modern, flat-design educational comparison infographic poster, landscape 16:9, titled at the top in large bold sans-serif: "Motion & Light Sensors Compared", subtitle beneath: "Four sensors that let your project sense the world around it."

Layout: a four-column comparison table on a light off-white background (#F7F9FC). Each column is a rounded-corner card with a distinct accent color on its top edge and a small top-view illustration of the module. A vertical row-label strip on the far left lists the nine attributes. Generous white space, friendly textbook feel.

Column 1 (raspberry red #C7164E): Header "PIR Motion Sensor"; Module name "HC-SR501"; Illustration: white dome on a green PCB with two yellow potentiometers. Rows: · Sensing principle: Passive infrared — detects heat from warm bodies (humans, animals) · Interface: Digital output — HIGH when motion detected, LOW otherwise · Power supply: 5 V–12 V (signal output is 3.3 V safe) · Detection range: Up to 7 m; ~110° cone angle · Response time: 0.3 s minimum delay between triggers · Adjustable: Sensitivity potentiometer + time-delay potentiometer on board · MicroPython: Pin(n, Pin.IN) → read 0 or 1 · Typical cost: $1–$3 · Best for: Intruder alarm, automatic light, people counter

Column 2 (deep purple #6A3FB5): Header "Accelerometer + Gyroscope"; Module name "MPU-6050 (IMU)"; Illustration: small rectangular blue PCB with a tiny MEMS chip labeled MPU-6050 and 8 header pins. Rows: · Sensing principle: MEMS — measures acceleration (g) and angular rate (°/s) on 3 axes each · Interface: I2C (address 0x68 default; 0x69 if AD0 pin pulled HIGH) · Power supply: 3.3 V or 5 V (on-board voltage regulator) · Measurement range: Accel ±2/4/8/16 g; Gyro ±250/500/1000/2000 °/s (configurable) · Axes: 6 DOF — X, Y, Z acceleration + X, Y, Z rotation rate · Response time: Up to 1 kHz sample rate (default 100 Hz in MicroPython use) · MicroPython: i2c.readfrom_mem(0x68, 0x3B, 14) — read 14 bytes raw data · Typical cost: $1–$4 · Best for: Tilt detection, step counter, robot balance, shake detection

Column 3 (forest green #2D8A4E): Header "Light Sensor (LDR)"; Module name "Photoresistor + voltage divider"; Illustration: small disc-shaped component with squiggly lines on surface (light symbol), two leads, sitting in a voltage-divider circuit sketch. Rows: · Sensing principle: Photoresistance — resistance drops as light intensity increases · Interface: Analog output — connect middle of voltage divider to ADC pin · Power supply: 3.3 V (one end to 3.3 V, other end to GND through 10 kΩ resistor) · Measurement range: ~100 Ω (bright light) to ~10 MΩ (darkness) · Axes: N/A — single analog value · Response time: ~10 ms (not suitable for fast light changes) · MicroPython: ADC(26).read_u16() → returns 0–65535 · Typical cost: $0.10–$0.50 · Best for: Day/night detection, automatic brightness, plant light monitor

Column 4 (teal blue #1389A6): Header "Color, Proximity & Gesture"; Module name "APDS-9960"; Illustration: small rectangular PCB with a flat black APDS-9960 sensor IC and 6 header pins. Rows: · Sensing principle: Ambient light (RGBC), proximity (IR), and gesture direction detection · Interface: I2C (address 0x39 fixed) · Power supply: 3.3 V only (not 5 V tolerant — use level shifter if needed) · Measurement range: RGB+Clear: 16-bit per channel; Proximity: 0–255; Gesture: Up/Down/Left/Right/Near/Far · Axes: 4-directional gesture (requires IR photodiodes in 4-corner array) · Response time: Gesture: ~100 ms; Proximity/light: configurable integration time · MicroPython: Uses apds9960.py library; gesture = sensor.gesture() · Typical cost: $5–$12 · Best for: Touchless gesture control, proximity alarm, color sorting robot

Typography: one clean geometric sans-serif (Inter/Roboto style), bold column headers, monospace for MicroPython snippets, numbers bold. Footer bar: "Sources: InvenSense MPU-6060 datasheet · Avago APDS-9960 datasheet · HC-SR501 datasheet." Overall: tidy vector flat-design infographic poster, four-column grid with module illustrations, suitable for a textbook or classroom screen.