Adafruit Breadboard-friendly Mini PIR Motion Sensor with 3 Pin Header

PIR sensors are designed to detect motion from pets and humanoids up to roughly 5 meters away. Their small size makes them ideal for inconspicuous projects, and they are fully contained, requiring only power and ground connections.

The sensor operates on a simple setup: it can be powered by 3 to 12V DC with an onboard regulator. The digital signal output is 3.3V high/low; the signal goes high upon motion detection and remains high for 2 seconds, providing ample time for signal reading.

For a seamless connection, pin #1 goes to ground, pin #2 to output (with a tiny "O" marker), and pin #3 to power (marked with a "+" sign). The lens, 13.8mm in diameter, focuses from 2 to 5 meters with a 100-degree spread.

These compact and affordable modules provide satisfactory performance, though they may have a shorter range and slower trigger time compared to larger alternatives. For programming guidance using CircuitPython and Arduino, explore our comprehensive PIR sensor tutorial page.