UPDATE: Replaced my PIR-Sensor with a Doppler Microwave Sensor.

[Fozi]

@bachoo786 First re-check if the sensor is cabled correctly to the GPIO as described in my tutorial. Further check if the resistor is soldered correctly to the sensor. Maybe there is a “cold soldering joint”. Sounds trivial, but the devil is a squirrel (old german saying )
Then, extend the detection range to the max, to check if the sensor is generally OK (200 Ohms) and re-run @cowboysdude script. If this works, then reduce the resistor step by step until you reach the desired detection range. Theoretically 80 Ohms should provide a range of 40-50 cm, but from my experience this may vary strongly as the resistor value does not correspond linearly to the detection range.

[bachoo786]

@Fozi ok will do thanks.

[bachoo786]

@Fozi Hi

I am on raspberry pi 4 and I think wiringPi does not work with it as the guy has stopped developing it any further. Is there any other way I could make this work?

Thanks.

[Fozi]

@bachoo786 there exist alternative libs like piGPIO or GPIOzero, but I have no experience with them. Why not try MMM-PIR-Sensor? It is easy to install and to configure and works out of the box with the RCWL-0516.

[bachoo786]

@Fozi nope none of them worked for me very surprising.

[lavolp3]

@bachoo786 Same for me. Couldn’t get neither MMM-PIR nor MMM-PIR-Sensor to work, but on a Raspi3B+

[Fozi]

Hmmm…that’s strange.
Here is my config for MMM-Pir-Sensor I use:

//----------------------------------------------------------------------------------------
{
        module: 'MMM-PIR-Sensor',
        config: {
        sensorPin: 4,
        powerSavingDelay: 150, // (seconds) how long the monitor will be turned on
        
        }
},
//----------------------------------------------------------------------------------------

And this is the wiring of the sensor with the GPIO, which corresponds to the above config. ‘sensorPin: 4’ corresponds to GPIO_4 (brown cable)

[lavolp3]

@Fozi The odd thing is that I didn’t even get the module installed properly. However, just tried again and it seems to work now. Maybe because of MM v 2.10.0. I don’t know…

[Fozi]

@lavolp3 great!

[hedmik]

More or less the same problem for me…
I’m using a velleman VMA314 connected to GPIO pin 11 (BCM GPIO 17) and module MMM-PIR-Sensor.
I’ve updated wiringPi for Pi 4 (wiringPi updated to 2.52 for the Raspberry Pi 4B)
I see that state changes using “gpio readall” but nothing happens…or to start with, connected screen does not even turn off after time set in config:

		{
			module: 'MMM-PIR-Sensor',
			config: {
			// See 'Configuration options' for more information.
				sensorPin: 17, // The pin (BCM numbering, NOT pin number itself) your PIR-sensor is connected to.
				powerSaving: true, // Should the monitor be turned off if no user is present? (via HDMI or relay)
				powerSavingDelay: 5, // Additional software side delay (in seconds) before the monitor will be turned off.
				powerSavingNotification: true, // To display a notification before to switch screen off
				powerSavingMessage: "Skärmen stängs av på grund av inaktivitet..." // Message notification to display before to switch screen off
				
			}
		},

[hedmik]

@hedmik sorry, my bad, i was editing config in another pi…
Now it’s working now as it should :-)

[sdetweil]

@hedmik said in UPDATE: Replaced my PIR-Sensor with a Doppler Microwave Sensor.:

i was editing config in another pi

doesn’t that drive u crazy?! I have 5 devices running, and all have open editors and file managers…
in the editor I can’t tell where the file came from…

[Fozi]

You made my day, guys! 🤣

[hedmik]

This post is deleted!

[hedmik]

@sdetweil :rolling_on_the_floor_laughing:
Yes, i’ve built two mirrors and now working on my third bathroom mirror and with x number of files open in Notepad++ it’s getting messy…and even if you can see the file name and it’s location (host name) you end up editing elsewhere :dizzy_face:

[devmil]

What type of mirror glass do you all have?

I have a Pilkington Mirropane Chrome Spy and to me it seems that this type of Mirror glass interferes with the RCWL-0516.

When doing tests (mirror glass taken off) the sensor works as expected but as soon as I put the mirror glass back it stops working through the glass.
Waving my hand at the side still works.

Greetings
Michael

[Fozi]

@devmil I have the same mirror, but 4mm thick, and it works really well. Thickness shouldn’t be an issue, because the sensor is easily able to detect motions in adjacent rooms separated by stone walls. I‘d suggest to increase slightly the sensitivity by increasing the trimmer value.

Further check the soldering joints between trimmer and sensor. Maybe they need to be reworked so that the solder provides a proper connection.

[hedmik]

@devmil Hi Michael, i’ve been testing with d-c-fix mirror-effect privacy film and acrylic oneway mirror and both is interfering the PIR sensor so i had to put in a small box above the frame. Not a fancy design though…
For the acrylic i have spare place beneath the screen so i drilled a hole.
For the upcoming bath mirror i’ve ordered a Pilkington MirrorView. Don’t know yet if it will work with the sensor behind that glass though…otherwise i’ll put in a separate place/box. Hard to drill the glass and wouldn’t dare trying :-|

[uros76]

This is just amazing and pity I didn’t see it before I went into PIR usage.
If I put aluminum insulation on one side of sensor, can anyone confirm this can be used as 180-degree use?

[Fozi]

@uros76 the detection range will very likely be more than 180 degree, as the emission characteristic is more or less spherical. Further, the detection range depends also on the layout of your rooms, walls etc. Just give it a try and see what the result is.