General Description
The PurpleAir (PA-II) Sensor is an optical particle counter. Measurements of PM1.0, PM2.5 & PM10 mass concentrations are calculated from the counts.
Principle of Operation
PurpleAir PA-II uses Plantower PMS5003 laser particle counter, where laser beams detect particles going past by their reflectivity. These sensors count suspended particles in sizes of 0.3, 0.5, 1.0, 2.5, 5.0 and 10um. These particle counts are processed by the sensor using a complex algorithm to calculate the PM1.0, PM2.5 & PM10 mass in ug/m3. PMS5003 sensors come factory calibrated. PurpleAir PA-II uses two identical PMS5003 sensor units attached to each other and placed in the same shelter.
Features
- Dimensions: 50 (L) x 38 (W) x 21 (H) (mm)
- Weight: N/A
- Battery: No
- Power supply: Yes (USB power adapter)
- Sensor lifetime: N/A
- Clock function: N/A
- Sampling mechanism: Fan
- Environmental operating conditions: N/A
- Internal data logging: No
- Data communication and logging: ESP8266 chip runs code developed using Arduino to upload data to a cloud
- Data visualization: PurpleAir Map or University of Utah's MesoWest Map
- Weatherproof: Yes
PurpleAir PA-II uses dual PMS5003 sensors, while PA-I uses one PMS1003 sensor. The inlet/outlet design in PMS5003 (PA-II) is different than that in PMS1003 (PA-I).
Applications
- Indoor Air Quality
- Outdoor Air Quality
Developer's product webpage
Plantower PMS5003 manual_V2.3 (PDF, 761 KB)