What's the best PIR sensor?

[alexsh1]

By far the best PIR is Panasonic EKMB1201111 - 2uA
The problem is the price

[gohan]

the good question would be "what is the best pir sensor with an affordable price" that can be used for DIY :)

[pyrodetector]

"what is the best pir sensor with an affordable price" that can be used for DIY
If you want to do a thing by yourself, with a PIR sensor being cheap, you had better choose a PIR sensor from this manufacturer
http://kube.ch/pyroelectric/index.php
Read how they test their PIR sensors under humid environmental conditions
http://kube.ch/downloads/pdf/kube_sensors_stability.pdf
If a sensor is extremely cheap and is not sealed properly, moisture when comes in, just short-circuit the high-megohm pyroelectric sensitive element. No need to explain further...
You can buy a high-quality ceramic PIR sensor from KUBE for less than 10 euro. Lower price (10 euro for a bag full of PIR sensors) will give the low quality. You will be upset from the low quality longer than happy from the low price.

[alexsh1]

@pyrodetector it is €50 for a demonstrator
Wow! I'll stick to Panasonic :-)

[gohan]

@alexsh1 Panasonic is around 20€ just for sensor, then you will have to build the pcb with all components, right?

[alexsh1]

@gohan sure, I got mine for $19 plus components and the case. And if you consider a good quality 3D printed case l, it is alone can be €15-20.

However, my PIR is nowhere near €50 given that all other components are cheap. I am only using it indoors. All I'm trying to say is that €50 is a level of z-wave devices. Aeon Multisensor is €55 - you get 6-in-1 sensor and not just PIR

[gohan]

Agreed, over 50€ is price range for commercial zwave (or similar) products and you would not even get near the level of compactness with a DIY cheaper solution

[scalz]

@gohan
depends what you mean by diy ;)
if this is using cheap ali modules and stacking them, i agree. Else, soon, let me show how it can be more tiny :) That said rev1 of my multisensors is already tiny.

[gohan]

If you can make a comparable multisensor like the fibaro motion sensor with a 2 years battery life, I'm happy for you :D

[alexsh1]

@gohan yeah, major limitation for me is designing and printing a nice enclosure. I have recently finished a Geiger sensor. Cost of parts is not massive. The most expensive was the Geiger-Muller tube - £15. Printing an enclosure in SLS was £55. Ouch!!!
It does look nice, but the cost is just prohibitive

[gohan]

@alexsh1 agreed, with today's cost of a rather cheap 3D printer, you could repay it within 15-20 printed boxes :D

[alexsh1]

@gohan not in SLS. If you have to have a final product, the cost of printer is way too high. Needless to say that it looks like Xerox back in the 1980s :-)

[gohan]

Over here we are mostly talking about DIY stuff, and many times don't even have a box, so an ABS 3D printed box is close enough for a final product :D

[alexsh1]

@gohan perhaps it is me, but I'm perfectionist. If I have a node, it has to be perfect. And as a final product, that's the way it should be. When designing a prototype, ABS/PLA is fine, but it does not look like a finished product. Sorry

[pyrodetector]

@alexsh1 Why do you need a 50 euro demonstrator? A PIR sensor has 3 outputs: +, output, common. There is a 47K resistor between output and common. The circuit of an alarm sensor is very simple. Next, you can either make an alarm sensor using a circuit for example taken from here

http://unhas.ac.id/tahir/BAHAN-KULIAH/ELIN/NEW/AlarmSensorandSecurityCircuitCookbook.pdf

page 230 (you can use any ceramic PIR sensor instead of Model 5192 on lithium tantalate described by the author), or connect it directly to an A/D converter, and "play digits".

You can order good quality dual ceramic PIR sensors at kube.ch or
http://www.excelitas.com/Pages/Product/Pyroelectric-Detectors-and-Sensors.aspx
Remember that no name manufacturers give no name quality.

Want to know more about how PIR sensors work? Feel free to ask me.
https://sites.google.com/site/pyrodetector/
If I am skilled (if your question relates to a PIR sensor itself), I will help. Otherwise, I may try to help you, at least, by saying what I think about your problem. Good luck:)

[alexsh1]

@pyrodetector that was exactly my point. Way too expensive

I have checked the web-site your provided and I can see their prices for PIRs are not too bad (exVAT and exWorks):

http://kube.ch/downloads/pdf/kube_pricelist.pdf

[pyrodetector]

@alexsh1 Happy to been helpful:) But, remember if you want to apply a PIR sensor in instrumentation, you have to use lithium tantalate pyroelectric detector rather than simple ceramic one. Ask me before.

[mar.conte]

@NeverDie
Hi
I just ordered a pir of panasonic Papirs series and even a parallax'll let you know

[NeverDie]

@mar.conte
Great!

[Nca78]

I have received:

• AM312 based complete PIR sensors, basic sensor with Vcc, GND and output. Claimed consumption on datasheet 20µA.
• AM612 PIR sensors (sensors only). This include all the circuitry in the metal cap, so you only have to add basic components like caps and resistors to set parameters: sensibility, trigger duration. Claimed consumption on datasheet: 15uA.

I'll try to test them this week to first see if the claims are true (or at least, not too optimistic :D ) on power consumption, then I'll make some basic sensors to check range and stability for a while.