PIR Stopped Working

[Jadams]

I have been using a Parallax PIR for several months to monitor movement in and out of a door.  It is now in a constant 'on' state, the alarm sounds with no movement.  I have tried reloading the program but the issue is the same.  Do they stop working after time?  Access to the PIR is difficult but if I have to replace it, I may use another style.  This application is running 24 hours a day.

[JonnyMac]

Jim,

You may want to use a commercial grade PIR.  If you're running 24/7 and the PIR is outdoors then the hobbyist-grade PIR from Parallax might not be the best choice. 

The commercial PIR units I've seen are typically N.C. dry-contact output.  If you change the trigger pin SETUP jumper to UP, remove the ULN influence from that pin, and connect the N.C. contacts between the W and B pins then the code will work as-is.

[Jadams]

Thanks.  I'll find one and give it a try.  I like the parallax due to the small size, it's almost transparent in my application.

[bsnut]

Jim

The commercial one that Jon is talking about is standard motion detector use for security systems.

[Jadams]

Thanks for the tips.  I got a PIR from Visonic that works very well.  It's small and easy to set up.  This might be a good choice for future projects, so far I have had no false triggers, which was a problem with the parallax PIR.  The programing was exactly as Jon described.

Thanks

[bsnut]

Jim,

I found the info on Visonic motion detector that you have and below is the links for everyone to look at.

Product Page:
http://www.visonic.com/Products/Wired-Detectors/Spy-4-pir-curtain

Data Sheet:
http://www.visonic.com/Data/Uploads/Spy_Data_Sheet_Main_Catalog_English.pdf

Installer Guide:
http://www.visonic.com/Data/Uploads/Spy_1_2_3_4_Installer_Guide_English_DE1151.pdf