Particle, Dust Sensors

Particle dust sensors measure airborne particulate matter, usually reported as PM1.0, PM2.5 and PM10, and they show up everywhere from air purifiers and HVAC controllers to industrial monitoring stations and portable air quality meters. Most of what moves through the channel falls into two camps: laser scattering modules, which use a photodiode and a small fan to count particles by light scatter, and older infrared LED types, which are cheaper but drift more and give rougher readings. Brands buyers ask for most include Plantower, Sensirion, Sharp, Honeywell and Amphenol, with Plantower's PMS series being the volume workhorse in consumer air quality products. When engineers source these, the first questions are rarely about the datasheet headline. They want to know measurement range and consistency between units, because a low-cost sensor that reads 20 percent off its neighbor creates calibration headaches on the production line. Laser modules last longer but cost roughly double the IR versions, so plenty of cost-sensitive designs still go infrared and accept the shorter service life. Output interface matters too: UART is standard, but some designs need PWM or I2C, and not every variant in a family offers all three. Procurement teams also watch for counterfeit and refurbished Sharp GP2Y series parts, which circulate heavily in the open market with worn or contaminated optics that pass a basic power-on test but read badly in the field. Packaging is another practical point. Modules ship best in original trays or sealed bags with the optical chamber protected, and loose bulk parts from unknown repackers are a common source of elevated failure rates at incoming inspection. Lead time swings a lot on the popular Plantower parts during air purifier season, so locking stock early in Q3 tends to pay off. Current availability and pricing for the part numbers covered here are listed on the page. If you need a date code check or a volume quote, send the part number to icxing.com and we will come back with real stock figures.