PMSA003I Particulate Matter Sensor
Measures airborne particulate matter (PM1.0, PM2.5, PM10). Detects dust, smoke, pollen, and fine particles in the air.
Say it to PAL
“Warn me when the fine dust in the air gets unhealthy.”
The code PAL writes
p.onSensorChange('qwiic-pmsa003i', 'pm2_5', (pm) => {
if (pm > 35) p.notify('PM2.5 unhealthy: ' + pm + ' µg/m³');
});
await p.waitUntilStopped();“Keep a log of the dust in the air.”
The code PAL writes
const pm1 = await p.read('qwiic-pmsa003i', 'pm1_0');
const pm25 = await p.read('qwiic-pmsa003i', 'pm2_5');
const pm10 = await p.read('qwiic-pmsa003i', 'pm10');
p.log(`PM1.0: ${pm1}, PM2.5: ${pm25}, PM10: ${pm10} µg/m³`);When to pick it
Use when monitoring dust, smoke, or particulate matter. The only sensor that measures physical particles in the air. Essential for air quality stations, wildfire smoke monitoring, or tracking indoor pollution sources.
Good to know
- Needs 30 seconds after power-on for the fan to stabilize and readings to settle.
- Has an internal fan — produces a faint humming sound. Not suitable for noise-sensitive setups.
- Requires 5V supply — most Qwiic boards provide 3.3V. Check that the breakout has a voltage regulator.
- Laser degrades over ~8000 hours of continuous use (~1 year). For permanent installations, duty-cycle the sensor.
About it
The Plantower PMSA003I is a digital particulate matter concentration sensor using laser scattering. It simultaneously measures PM1.0, PM2.5, and PM10 concentrations in µg/m³ (standard environment readings). PM2.5 is the most health-relevant metric — fine particles that penetrate deep into lungs. Use for air quality stations, smoke detection, allergen monitoring, or industrial dust measurement.
Where to buy
Facts
Tested
It is in our catalog, but nobody has checked it on a real board. It may not work yet. Its driver is written, but it has not been tested on hardware yet.
I2C address
The PMSA003I Particulate Matter Sensor answers at I2C address 0x12. The address is fixed.
Current
100 mA
The catalog lists a typical draw of 100 mA for the PMSA003I, copied from the maker’s description and not measured by Palpable.
Board size
35.56 × 50.8 mm
The PMSA003I board measures 35.56 × 50.8 mm and stands 14 mm tall with its parts. It has 4 mounting holes. These dimensions are from the maker’s mechanical drawing.
Chip
PMSA003I
Its sensor is the Plantower PMSA003I.
Free to reuse
Every fact here is open data under CC BY 4.0. Copy it into your own docs or code, and credit Palpable. Download it
This record was last changed on October 6, 2026.