TCRT5000 IR Sensor Module | Obstacle Avoidance – Reflective Sensor

The TCRT5000 IR Sensor Module detects surfaces from 2cm to 30cm using the TCRT5000 (an integrated IR emitter and photodetector that measures reflected infrared light). The tcrt5000 ir sensor runs on 3.3V to 5V DC at 20mA supply current and outputs both an analog voltage and a digital threshold signal on two separate pins. Students building line follower robots read the digital pin.

The tcrt5000 ir reflective sensor has a colour-dependent detection range. A white surface triggers at up to 30cm, while a dark surface may only trigger below 5cm. One non-obvious detail — the analog output is non-linear across the full range. Readings near 2cm change steeply, while readings near 25cm change slowly per millimetre. The honest limitation is sunlight, which overwhelms the IR receiver and causes false output. Use indoors under stable lighting. StemVolt supplies this module tested with confirmed analog and digital output.

Related Products:

• Check out the TCRT5000 Reflective IR Optical Sensor

Features:

• Detection distance from 2cm to 30cm covers surface sensing for line following and proximity applications
• Operating voltage from 3.3V to 5V DC connects directly to Arduino and ESP32 analog and digital pins
• Dual output format with analog and digital voltage allows both threshold and proportional signal reading
• ir sensor pinout with standard VCC GND analog and digital pins maps directly to Arduino header rows

Applications:

• Line follower robot uses digital output to detect black tape on a white floor surface below
• Object proximity detector uses analog output to sense how close a hand is at under 10cm range
• tcrt5000 reflective ir sensor module reads paper edge on a printer mechanism and sends GPIO stop signal

Package includes:

• 1 x TCRT5000 IR Sensor Module