HC-SR501 PIR with NUCLEO-F401RE

Wiring for the HC-SR501 PIR motion sensor on the NUCLEO-F401RE (STM32F401RE, 3.3 V logic), chosen with the same pin rules BoardPilot uses: default buses first, and no pins that are used for flash, USB, the debugger or booting.

Wiring

HC-SR501 PIR pin	Role	NUCLEO-F401RE pin	Notes
VCC	Power	5V	Needs 4.5 V or more: use 5V
OUT	Output from the part	D2 (PA10)
GND	Ground	GND

Check before you power it on

Supply: 5 V from the 5V pin.
The HC-SR501 PIR works at 5 V. On the NUCLEO-F401RE, D2 tolerate 5 V inputs, so a direct connection is fine while the board is powered.

Test code (Arduino)

void setup() {
  Serial.begin(115200);
  pinMode(PA10, INPUT);  // OUT on D2
}

void loop() {
  Serial.println(digitalRead(PA10));
  delay(100);
}

Arduino board: STMicroelectronics:stm32:Nucleo_64:pnum=NUCLEO_F401RE. Plug the USB cable into the mini-USB port on the ST-LINK end. No button press is needed.

Questions

Which NUCLEO-F401RE pins do I use for the HC-SR501 PIR?

VCC → 5V, OUT → D2 (PA10), GND → GND.

Does the HC-SR501 PIR work with the NUCLEO-F401RE at 3.3 V?

Yes: the HC-SR501 PIR runs at 5 V and the NUCLEO-F401RE uses 3.3 V signals, so no level shifting is needed.

BoardPilot checks this wiring in 3D as you build it, and finds crossed or missing wires on the real board.

Download BoardPilot

Full NUCLEO-F401RE pinout · HC-SR501 PIR motion sensor: all pins and data

The HC-SR501 PIR on other boards

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