DFRobot launches low-power, low-cost Fermion: BMV080 air quality sensor module

Just last year, we reported on the SparkFun Air Quality PM1/PM2.5/PM10 Sensor, based on the Bosch BMV080 fanless air-quality sensor and priced at around $65. DFRobot has now launched a low-cost alternative, the Fermion: BMV080, which provides the same fanless, laboratory-grade PM1, PM2.5, and PM10 sensing capabilities for just $29.90.

The sensor uses laser-based light-scattering technology with fanless optical counting to detect particles as small as 0.5 μm. This avoids fan noise, dust buildup, and mechanical wear, which are common with fan-based PM sensors, and, on top of that, it has a service life of up to 10 years. It measures particulate concentrations in a 0–1000 μg/m³ range with 1 μg/m³ resolution and ±10 μg/m³ of accuracy. The sensor supports I2C and SPI interfaces, and consumes about 70 mA in continuous measurement mode with a 6 μA sleep current, making it suitable for battery-powered systems.

DFRobot’s Fermion: BMV080 specifications:

• Sensor IC – Bosch BMV080 particulate matter sensor
  • Measured parameters – PM1, PM2.5, PM10 mass concentration
  • Detection principle – Laser-based light scattering, fanless optical particle counting
  • Minimum detectable particle size – 0.5 μm
  • Measurement range – 0 to 1000 μg/m³
  • Output resolution – 1 μg/m³
  • Measurement accuracy
    • ±10 μg/m³ (0–100 μg/m³)
    • ±10% (101–1000 μg/m³)
  • Measurement Modes – Continuous or duty cycling
  • Maximum Output Data Rate (ODR)
    • 0.97 Hz in Continuous Measurement Mode
    • Lower ODR Rates configurable in duty cycling measurement mode
  • Communication interfaces – I2C (default) or SPI
  • Start-up time – 1.2s
  • Supply Voltage – 1.2 to 3.3V DC
  • Dimensions – 4.2 x 3.1 x 20 mm (Sensor IC with its flex cable)
  • Weight – 0.092 grams
  • Laser Class – Class 1, according to IEC 60825-1
  • Temperature Range – Operating: -10 to +40°C;  storage: -10 to +80°C (BMV080 datasheet specify a +15°C to +35°C range for highest accuracy)
• Host connection – 13-pin 0.33mm FPC connector; I2C (default), or SPI, selectable by resistor
• Expansion – 7x through holes with I2C, SPI, IRQ, 3.3V and GND
• Input Voltage – 3.3V via through holes (3V3 and GND)
• Current Consumption @ 3.3V
  • 0.97 Hz ODR (active measurement) – < 70mA
  • Sleep current – 6 µA
• Dimensions – 24 × 20 × 4.24 mm

The sensor is all well and good, but the company mentions that the sensor has a 35 cm obstruction zone; as the sensor measures particles in free air without a fan, Bosch recommends keeping at least 35 cm of clear space in front of the sensor. If a surface such as a wall or enclosure is closer than that, laser reflections can cause large spikes in the readings, which is way worse than sensors like PMS7003 or SDS011. This also means you can’t integrate into compact devices like smartwatches, smartphones, or wall-mounted thermostats.

It’s not quite as open as the SparkFun open-source hardware module, but DFRobot still provides PDF schematics, a component location diagram, and 3D STEP files for the Fermion: BV080 module, along with a wiki that, at the time of writing, is empty. However, we found a GitHub repo for the module with Arduino code samples, so that’s one place to get started. Since the module supports I2C and SPI interfaces, we would have Arduino, Raspberry Pi, and ESP32-based boards to work fine with it, but the table at the end of the readme file only has ESP32 in the “work well” column, and all others, including Raspberry Pi Pico, Arduino Uno, and BBC Micro:Bit boards are in the “work wrong” column.

There are plenty of air quality sensor modules and devices, such as the M5Stack Air Quality Kit v1.1, SparkFun’s Indoor Air Quality Combo Sensor, the Renesas RRH62000 multi-sensor indoor air quality monitoring device, and more, but it’s hard to beat BMV080-based solutions for low-cost, space-constrained, or battery-powered applications. If you prefer a complete solution with ESP32-S3 + BMV080 sensor, the mikroBUS-compatible Polverine board is worth a look.

The Fermion: BMV080 Air Quality Sensor is available on the DF Robot store for $29.90.

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