The TCS3200 color sensor – shown in the figure below –  uses a TAOS TCS3200 RGB sensor chip to detect color. It also contains four white LEDs that light up the object in front of it.

Specifications

Here’s the sensor specifications:

• Power: 2.7V to 5.5V
• Size: 28.4 x 28.4mm (1.12 x 1.12″)
• Interface: digital TTL
• High-resolution conversion of light intensity to frequency
• Programmable color and full-scale output frequency
• Communicates directly to microcontrolle
• Here’s the sensor pinout:
  

  Pin Name	I/O	Description
  GND (4)		Power supply ground
  OE (3)	I	Enable for output frequency (active low)
  OUT (6)	O	Output frequency
  S0, S1（1，2）	I	Output frequency scaling selection inputs
  S2, S3（7，8）	I	Photodiode type selection inputs
  VDD（5）		Voltage supply

  Filter selection

  To select the color read by the photodiode, you use the control pins S2 and S3. As the photodiodes are connected in parallel, setting the S2 and S3 LOW and HIGH in different combinations allows you to select different photodidodes. Take a look at the table below:

  Photodiode type	S2	S3
  Red	LOW	LOW
  Blue	LOW	HIGH
  No filter (clear)	HIGH	LOW
  Green	HIGH	HIGH

  Frequency scaling

  Pins S0 and S1 are used for scaling the output frequency. It can be scaled to the following preset values: 100%, 20% or 2%. Scaling the output frequency is useful to optimize the sensor readings for various frequency counters or microcontrollers. Take a look at the table below:

  Output frequency scaling	S0	S1
  Power down	L	L
  2%	L	H
  20%	H	L
  100%	H	H

  For the Arduino, it is common to use a frequency scaling of 20%. So, you set the S0 pin to HIGH and the S1 pin to LOW.

  Color Sensing with Arduino and TCSP3200

  In this example you’re going to detect colors with the Arduino and the TCSP3200 color sensor.  This sensor is not very accurate, but works fine for detecting colors in simple projects.

  Parts required

  Here’s the parts required for this project:

  • TCSP3200 or TCS230 color sensor 
  • Arduino UNO – read Best Arduino Starter Kits
  • Jumper wires 

   

  Schematic

  Wiring the TCSP3200 sensor to your Arduino is pretty straightforward. Simply follow the next schematic diagram.

  

  Here’s the connections between the TCSP3200 and the Arduino:

  • S0: digital pin 4
  • S1: digital pin 5
  • VCC: 5V
  • S3: digital pin 6
  • S4: digital pin 7
  • OUT: digital pin 8