Reading PIR Sensors
Connecting PIR sensors to a microcontroller is really simple. The PIR acts as a digital output, it can be high voltage or low voltage, so all you need to do is listen for the pin to flip high (detected) or low (not detected) by listening on a digital input on your Arduino
Its likely that you'll want reriggering, so be sure to put the jumper in the H position!
Power the PIR with 5V and connect ground to ground. Then connect the output to a digital pin. In this example we'll use pin 2.
The code is very simple, and is basically just keeps track of whether the input to pin 2 is high or low. It also tracks the state of the pin, so that it prints out a message when motion has started and stopped.
/*
* PIR sensor tester
*/
int ledPin = 13; // choose the pin for the LED
int inputPin = 2; // choose the input pin (for PIR sensor)
int pirState = LOW; // we start, assuming no motion detected
int val = 0; // variable for reading the pin status
void setup() {
pinMode(ledPin, OUTPUT); // declare LED as output
pinMode(inputPin, INPUT); // declare sensor as input
Serial.begin(9600);
}
void loop(){
val = digitalRead(inputPin); // read input value
if (val == HIGH) { // check if the input is HIGH
digitalWrite(ledPin, HIGH); // turn LED ON
if (pirState == LOW) {
// we have just turned on
Serial.println("Motion detected!");
// We only want to print on the output change, not state
pirState = HIGH;
}
} else {
digitalWrite(ledPin, LOW); // turn LED OFF
if (pirState == HIGH){
// we have just turned of
Serial.println("Motion ended!");
// We only want to print on the output change, not state
pirState = LOW;
}
}
}
Don't forget that there are some times when you don't need a microcontroller. A PIR sensor can be connected to a relay (perhaps with a transistor buffer) without a micro!
This guide was first published on Jan 28, 2014. It was last
updated on Sep 24, 2018.
This page (Using a PIR w/Arduino) was last updated on Jun 17, 2018.
