# PIXEL sensor Serial Readout **URL:** \ **Category:** Sensors\ **Created:** [April 14, 2025, 6:33pm UTC](https://community.purpleair.com/t/pixel-sensor-serial-readout/12159 "2025-04-14T18:33:40Z")\ **Posts on this page:** 7\ **Page:** 1
**Author:** ![christopolise](https://sea2.discourse-cdn.com/flex020/user_avatar/community.purpleair.com/christopolise/32/263_2.png) [@christopolise](https://community.purpleair.com/u/christopolise)\ **Post date:** [April 14, 2025, 6:33pm UTC](https://community.purpleair.com/t/pixel-sensor-serial-readout/12159/1 "2025-04-14T18:33:40Z")
I am excited to integrate my new PIXEL in a new system. I have been poking around the serial output but there are some columns that seem ambiguous to me and I am not having any luck finding documentation about it. The output looks like: ```auto 4574145,13,3.0,nan,100 4575303,13,3.0,nan,100 4576483,13,3.0,nan,100 4577122,10,2.4,nan,100 4578275,10,2.4,nan,100 4579488,10,2.4,3.0,100 4580671,10,2.4,3.0,100 4581310,10,2.4,nan,100 4582503,10,2.4,nan,100 4583688,10,2.4,nan,100 4584327,10,2.4,nan,100 4585485,10,2.4,nan,100 4586650,10,2.4,nan,100 4587284,10,2.4,nan,100 4588517,10,2.4,3.0,100 4589700,10,2.4,3.0,100 4590337,10,2.4,nan,100 4591522,10,2.4,nan,100 ``` And I am assuming the columns are: ```auto timestamp,??,PM2.5 reading,??,?? ``` Any clarification as to what these other columns mean? Thanks! ---
**Author:** ![nyu-hwn](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/n/53a042/32.png) [@nyu-hwn](https://community.purpleair.com/u/nyu-hwn)\ **Post date:** [April 21, 2025, 7:33pm UTC](https://community.purpleair.com/t/pixel-sensor-serial-readout/12159/2 "2025-04-21T19:33:39Z")
I don’t have an answer to your query unfortunately, but, Christopher, how were you able to access this information off a pixel? Did you have to download any drivers in order for it to show up on your computer? ---
**Author:** ![christopolise](https://sea2.discourse-cdn.com/flex020/user_avatar/community.purpleair.com/christopolise/32/263_2.png) [@christopolise](https://community.purpleair.com/u/christopolise)\ **Post date:** [April 21, 2025, 7:52pm UTC](https://community.purpleair.com/t/pixel-sensor-serial-readout/12159/3 "2025-04-21T19:52:02Z")
Yes, this is the serial output from the PIXEL itself that I am reading from a serial monitor. However, it is output like as I described above, with no reference to what the data in the columns mean. No drivers were necessary for me to access this info. ---
**Author:** ![dwhitemv](https://sea2.discourse-cdn.com/flex020/user_avatar/community.purpleair.com/dwhitemv/32/1508_2.png) [@dwhitemv](https://community.purpleair.com/u/dwhitemv)\ **Post date:** [April 21, 2025, 9:14pm UTC](https://community.purpleair.com/t/pixel-sensor-serial-readout/12159/4 "2025-04-21T21:14:15Z")
PIXEL serial output breakdown is located here: > [@Understanding PurpleAir Serial Output](https://community.purpleair.com/t/understanding-purpleair-serial-output/3244#p-5138-data-from-the-purpleair-pixel-10): > > When using the PurpleAir Utility or a Classic-SD sensor [modified to record SD data every second](https://community.purpleair.com/t/higher-logging-rate-on-the-sd-card/3799) data is not in CSV format. Instead, it is in a custom format described below, which may require additional processing to use. Data From WiFi Capable Sensors 1-second Reports Every second, one of the laser counters will report. Five reports will be recorded from channel A, then five reports from channel B. This process repeats until the next 2-minute report. This 2-minute report is the averaged data t… ---
**Author:** ![nyu-hwn](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/n/53a042/32.png) [@nyu-hwn](https://community.purpleair.com/u/nyu-hwn)\ **Post date:** [April 22, 2025, 1:47am UTC](https://community.purpleair.com/t/pixel-sensor-serial-readout/12159/5 "2025-04-22T01:47:21Z")
Thanks Christopher - I’d missed the serial output part. It’s my first time reading serial output despite lots of using the PurpleAir API. For the PurpleAir mods, it might be a helpful thing to note in the product page for the Pixel that although you don’t have upload capabilities, you can access the readout through a serial monitor and then recommend say the VSCode Serial Monitor, and when you see the output, the columns are `uptime_millis,us_epa_aqi,pm2.5,pm2.5_raw,illuminance_percentage` (good find, Doug!). Then it’s pretty easy to understand why at some point some software update could come through that allows uploading to the map, because all the info you need is already there. Most of the Reddit complaints about the Pixel that I’ve seen have been that you can only see the LED and not access raw values, and that’s not true with about 2 minutes of tinkering. ---
**Author:** ![Lorenzo\_Flores](https://sea2.discourse-cdn.com/flex020/user_avatar/community.purpleair.com/lorenzo_flores/32/6638_2.png) [@Lorenzo\_Flores](https://community.purpleair.com/u/Lorenzo_Flores)\ **Post date:** [April 25, 2025, 5:18pm UTC](https://community.purpleair.com/t/pixel-sensor-serial-readout/12159/6 "2025-04-25T17:18:38Z")
Oddly enough for an unrelated project I had to install the Silicon Labs CP210x USB to UART Virtual COM Port driver which essentially lets you read serial output as though it’s a regular COM port. I was able to connect via PuTTY and can read values in real-time. Since it’s a terminal the values just scroll so not super useful if trying to save data BUT I’d imagine any utility for reading data via a COM port would work. That being said, the VSCode Serial Monitor seems promising! I plan to check that out soon. This is awesome! I didn’t realize I could read values from the device, I just thought it was a light indicator for AQI. ---
**Author:** ![dwhitemv](https://sea2.discourse-cdn.com/flex020/user_avatar/community.purpleair.com/dwhitemv/32/1508_2.png) [@dwhitemv](https://community.purpleair.com/u/dwhitemv)\ **Post date:** [May 17, 2025, 7:01pm UTC](https://community.purpleair.com/t/pixel-sensor-serial-readout/12159/7 "2025-05-17T19:01:30Z")
For anyone checking this thread later, PurpleAir has published this article on using the PurpleAir utility to stream data out of the Pixel: > [@How to View Data from the Pixel using the PurpleAir Utility](https://community.purpleair.com/t/how-to-view-data-from-the-pixel-using-the-purpleair-utility/12336): > > The following article provides step-by-step instructions for viewing and saving live data from the PurpleAir Pixel. For technical users: The Utility shows data from the Pixel using USB serial. This can be used to directly access the data and process it yourself. Further details can be found in our [Accessing Serial Data From PurpleAir Sensors](https://community.purpleair.com/t/accessing-serial-data-from-purpleair-sensors/8536) article. Viewing Data Note: A web page that shows data from your Pixel is currently planned but not yet available. Open the PurpleAir Utility on yo…