In this tutorial, we will see how we can interface RCWL-0516 Microwave radar motion sensor with ARIES v3.0 Board. Like the PIR Sensor, this sensor also detects only movements within its detection range, hence can be used as another method for proximity detection.
RCWL-0516 Microwave Radar Motion Sensor
The RCWL-0516 Microwave Radar Sensor module has been designed as an alternative to the common PIR motion sensors widely used in burglar alarms and security lights. This sensor uses a “microwave Doppler radar” technique to detect moving objects. The RCWL-0516 module employs “Doppler Radar” – a specialized radar that makes use of the Doppler Effect (also known as Doppler shift) to detect motion and trigger proximity alerts.
Prerequisites
- Windows 10 or above/Linux (64 bit)
- Arduino IDE
- VEGA ARIES Board support package
Components Required
- ARIES v3.0 Board
- USB type C to USB type A cable
- RCWL-0516 Microwave radar motion sensor
- Jumper Wires
Note: All of the following boards can be used for this project
Connection Diagram
Connections
| RCWL-0516 Microwave radar motion sensor | ARIES V3 board |
| VCC | 3V3 |
| GND | GND |
| OUT | GPIO-0 |
Procedure
Open and set up the Arduino IDE as described in Getting Started with ARIES v3.0.
- Make sure you have selected ARIES v3 Board from Tools -> Board -> VEGA Processor: ARIES Boards -> ARIES v3
- Select Programmer as VEGA XMODEM from Tools -> Programmer -> VEGA XMODEM
- Also select appropriate port from Tools -> Port -> COM* (ARIES Board)
Now, Open Files -> Examples -> Under Examples for ARIES v3 -> GPIO -> microwaveRadarMotionSensor
Output
The RCWL-0516 microwave sensor detects any movement from any object. In this demo we are using ARIES Board to poll the sensor pin continuously to see if it has detected any motion.
If any motion is detected the internal RED LED in ARIES board will glow and “Motion detected!” will print on Arduino IDE serial monitor.
