How to Interface With Optical Dust Sensor

This tutorial is going to teach you basics on using Optical Dust Sensor.

Description:

Sharp's GP2Y1010AU0F is an optical air quality sensor, or may also known as optical dust sensor, is designed to sense dust particles. An infrared emitting diode and a phototransistor are diagonally arranged into this device, to allow it to detect the reflected light of dust in air. It is especially effective in detecting very fine particles like cigarette smoke, and is commonly used in air purifier systems.

To interface with this sensor, you need to connect to its 6-pin, 1.5mm pitch connector by using mating connector.

Specifications:

• Low Current Consumption (MAX: 20mA)
• Typical Operating Voltage: 4.5V to 5.5V (MAX: 7V)
• The presence of dust can be detected by the photometry of only one pulse
• Enable to distinguish smoke from house dust
• Dimensions: 1.81 x 1.18 x 0.69'' (46.0 x 30.0 x 17.6mm)

The above schematic is applicable to both Arduino Uno and Arduino Fio.

*For Arduino Uno, connect Pin Vo of GP2Y1010AU0F to Pin A5 of Arduino Uno. And also, Pin V-LED and Pin Vcc of GP2Y1010AU0F can be connected to either 5V or 3.3V of Arduino Uno.

To get the result, please download the sample source code attached below and upload it into Arduino.

*Kindly download the datasheet of Optical Dust Sensor for your own reference and for understanding the coding written better.

The reading shown on Serial Monitor when the optical dust sensor is left in a room. The measurement of dust density obtained shows that the air only contains a low amount of dust.

The reading shown on Serial Monitor when a pen is inserted into the dust detector area. The measurement of dust density obtained shows that there is a high amount of dust in the air.

This video shows how optical dust sensor works.