PIMORONI MAX30101 Heart Rate Oximeter Smoke Sensor Breakout

The PIMORONI PIM438 MAX30101 sensor breakout is a versatile electronic component designed for makers, hobbyists, and educational projects. It integrates sophisticated sensing technology into a convenient, easy-to-use board, enabling the measurement of heart rate, blood oxygen levels, and the detection of smoke or airborne particles.

At its core, the breakout utilises green, red, and infrared LEDs paired with a precise photodetector. This combination allows it to perform photoplethysmography (PPG) for non-contact heart rate and SpO2 monitoring, while also detecting light scattering from particulates for smoke sensing. The built-in ambient light rejection feature ensures more accurate readings by minimising interference from external light sources. An integrated temperature sensor provides additional environmental data, making the board suitable for a wide range of interactive and monitoring applications.

Designed for seamless integration, the breakout features a standard I2C interface with the address 0x57 and is compatible with both 3.3V and 5V logic levels. It comes with a Raspberry Pi-compatible pinout (using pins 1, 3, 5, 7, and 9) and is fully compatible with the Pimoroni Breakout Garden ecosystem for intuitive plug-and-play setup. Comprehensive support is available through dedicated Python and Arduino libraries, which can be downloaded online along with extensive example code to help you get started quickly, whether you're creating a pulsating light display, a basic air quality monitor, or an educational biology project.

Please note: This sensor and its accompanying software libraries are designed for educational, hobbyist, and novelty use only. They should not be used for medical diagnosis, as the basis for a real smoke or fire detector, or in any life-critical situation.