Water level with the Ping)))

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Copyright © Parallax Inc. • Water Level Measurement with Ping))) Sensor (#28015) • v1.0 2/9/2007 Page 1 of 2
Water Level Measurement with the Ping)))
Ultrasonic Distance Sensor (#28015)
General Description
Parallax customers frequently ask about measuring water level with the Ping))) Ultrasonic Distance
Sensor. The Ping))) sensor isn’t designed to be water resistant, and the specifications for the transducer
don’t provide any details for humidity sensitivity. Therefore, customers attempting to measure water level
are doing so at their own risk of damaging their Ping))) hardware. At some point the humidity and
moisture will likely damage your Ping))) Ultrasonic Distance Sensor, but depending on your circumstances
and need this may or may not be a problem.
The purpose of this explanation is to convey the results of a brief test conducted at Parallax
headquarters.
Ping))) Sensor Specifications
The Ping))) sensor's ultrasonic transducer emitter and detector have the following specifications:
Rated Freq 40 kHz
Sensitivity -65 dB
Sound Pressure 115 dB
Capacitance 2 nF
Driving Voltage 0 VDC
Operating Temp 30° to 75 °C
No humidity exposure rating is provided by the transducer manufacturer.
Water Measurement Level Setup
We started our experiment by placing the Ping))) sensor in
a two-inch diameter ABS plastic pipe. This provided
readings to a maximum of five feet. Using a three-inch ABS
pipe we obtained readings all the way to the end of the ten-
foot length. This simple experiment showed that water level
could be measured with a Ping))) sensor through the middle
of an ABS pipe.
Next the Ping))) sensor was mounted in a plastic case to
keep water away from most of the electronics. Silicon
caulking was put around the transducers. The Ping)))