Electronics 2000

Hi all, I have just started teaching myself electronics and have a project I am keen to get my teeth into.

I have a number of bird boxes fitted with small cameras, some with IR LEDs and some without. The problem with the IR fitted cameras is that the IR output is too strong and therefore swamps the colour resolution of the cameras even in daylight, the problem with the non-IR cameras is a lack of night vision. It seems that the solution to both is to disconnect the IR LEDs on the cameras that have them and use a separate module to provide whichever form of light is needed based on light levels.

I want to build some small modules that will enable me to have either IR or warm white LEDs active based on an LDR - i.e. in low light (late evening / night, the IR should be activated, by day the warm white LED should be on to supplement the amount of natural light in the box.

With the aid of the web I found a suitable design for a light/dark activated circuit (consisting of an LDR, LED, an NPN transistor, and a variable resistor to adjust sensitivity) that in theory I can build two versions of; a light activated one for the daylight enhancement and a dark activated version that is used for the IR. However I would be keen to combine these into a single device, but my lack of experience is preventing me from deciding how I switch between two paths (White LED vs IR Array) for based on the output from the LDR. Am I about to enter the world of logic ICs, or is there a way of doing this without an IC?

Thanks

Stuart

The simplelist thing to do I suppose would be to feed your circuit with a make or break relay.

For example when the LDR has switched the night lights on, voltage from it is also sent to a relay which would hold contacts
on the relay open- in the morning the night lights would go out and so would the voltage to the relay and the relay contacts would close therefore switching on the 'day' lights?

what do you think?