Dust Particle Sensor

Precise Air Quality Monitoring for Server Rooms and Industry

The Didactum Dust Particle Sensor is a state-of-the-art fine dust sensor specifically developed for monitoring air quality in server rooms, data centers, and other critical business areas. It continuously measures the concentration of airborne particles and detects air pollution at an early stage before it can affect sensitive electronics, production processes, or employees.

Server rooms and data centers form the backbone of a company’s digital infrastructure. The sensitive electronics in server racks, switches, and storage systems are particularly vulnerable to dust and airborne particles – even small amounts of fine dust can lead to overheating, short circuits, or failures. With the Didactum Dust Particle Sensor, the particle concentration in the air can be precisely monitored and configured with individual threshold values.

The sensor operates on the principle of laser scattering and, thanks to innovative contamination-resistant technology, delivers precise measurement values from the very first commissioning that remain stable over a service life of more than ten years.

Design of the Dust Particle Sensor

Unlike the two-part Airflow Sensor, for example, the Dust Particle Sensor is designed as a compact unit that is mounted as a whole on the wall or ceiling.

The sensor housing contains the complete measurement electronics including laser unit and photodetector as well as a permanently connected 2-meter RJ11/RJ12 cable (6P4C) for connection to an analog sensor port (A1…A8) of the Didactum Monitoring System. A plug-on plastic cover protects the sensitive optics inside and is only fitted after mounting on the wall or ceiling. In contrast to many other analog sensors, the Dust Particle Sensor cannot be daisy-chained with further units of the same type – each sensor requires its own analog port.

How the Sensor Measures Particles

The Dust Particle Sensor is an optical particle counter (Optical Particle Counter, OPC) based on the principle of laser scattering. Inside the sensor, the drawn-in ambient air is guided past a measuring cell consisting of a light source (laser) and a photodetector. When a particle hits the light beam, a portion of the light is scattered toward the nearby photodetector. The signal detected in this way is converted in real time into particle count and mass concentration values, expressed in #/cm³ or µg/m³ respectively.

Thanks to advanced particle size classification, the sensor can distinguish particles in the range from 0.3 to 10.5 µm and thus provides differentiated measurement values for different dust fractions such as PM1, PM2.5, and PM10.

Installation and Mounting

Installation of the Dust Particle Sensor is carried out in a few simple steps on the wall or ceiling.

1. Hold the sensor without the plastic cover attached at the desired position on the wall or ceiling and mark the two drill holes with a pencil
2. Drill two holes at the marked positions and insert the supplied wall plugs
3. Screw the sensor firmly to the wall or ceiling using the two supplied screws
4. Fit the plastic cover again
5. Connect the permanently attached RJ11/RJ12 cable to a free analog port (A1…A8) of the Monitoring System – the sensor is automatically detected (Plug & Play)

Expandability for Larger Installations

For larger monitoring systems or extensive installations, the number of Dust Particle Sensors as well as the maximum cable length can be expanded with a Didactum Sensor Extension Unit or a DIN-rail expansion unit. This also allows complex infrastructures, multiple floors, or different building sections to be monitored centrally. Connected sensors are automatically detected and displayed in the system. Configuration is conveniently performed via the web-based Didactum Monitoring Interface, where individual threshold values, alerts (e.g. e-mail, SMS, SNMP trap), and automatic control actions can be defined.

Monitoring of Critical Business Areas

Air quality monitoring is of great importance not only in the server room, but also in numerous other sensitive areas.

Practical Application Examples

• IT Infrastructure: Protection against equipment failures through continuous dust monitoring in server rooms
• Production Facilities: Timely initiation of filter changes or ventilation adjustments in the event of increased dust levels
• Cleanrooms and Laboratories: Verifiable documentation of compliance with strict air quality standards
• HVAC System Control: Real-time monitoring of airflow and filter performance to improve indoor air quality
• Smart Building: Automatic control of ventilation systems for a healthy indoor climate
• Healthcare: Protection of particularly vulnerable patient groups against airborne pollutants

What Is Included in the Scope of Delivery

Please check the scope of delivery for completeness upon receipt and report any missing or damaged parts immediately to your supplier.

• Dust Particle Sensor including 2 m connection cable1 unit
• Plastic cover1 unit
• Screws M3.5 × 22 mm2 units
• Wall plugs, length 29.5 mm2 units

Why the Dust Particle Sensor Is the Right Choice

Frequently Asked Questions