The microAeth^® family now includes two lower-cost Black Carbon monitors: the new AL30 personal exposure monitor and the new AL80, designed for scalable outdoor monitoring for communities and research. The AL30 is a lower-cost, miniature wearable instrument based on the revolutionary AE51 Black Carbon monitor, featuring wireless data telemetry and improved performance. The AL80 can be used for both stationary and mobile monitoring, and it includes many of the features of the AL30, such as remote monitoring, control, and data telemetry. Additionally, the AL80 offers a long-life brushless pump in an outdoor-rated, insulated enclosure with sampling inlet protection and a sun shield. The AL80 is lightweight and compact, allowing for quick installation to measure aerosol Black Carbon concentration in real-time for long-term monitoring. The hardware is designed to last for many years with minimal maintenance. The only required intervention is a site visit every 1-2 weeks for a quick, simple filter exchange.

The microAeth family also welcomes the brand new Scout SD1, a real-time, low-cost multi-pollutant air monitor equipped with dual PM sensors. This compact and highly capable device includes wireless data telemetry, allowing it to measure a variety of air quality parameters and provide detailed, actionable data in real-time for both indoor and outdoor applications. Designed for versatility, the Scout is suitable for a wide range of uses and works seamlessly alongside any microAeth Black Carbon Monitor. The new lower-cost microAeth AL series BC monitors and the low-cost Scout PM+ monitor expand upon, and complement, the existing scientific and research-grade microAeth family MA series instruments.

The microAeth MA series instruments are continuous real-time monitors, offering advanced features in compact, lightweight form factors. These multi-wavelength instruments continuously collect aerosol particles on a filter and measure optical absorption at five wavelengths, spanning from UV to IR, at a data rate as fast as 1 Hz. The multi-wavelength measurement provides valuable insights into the composition of light-absorbing carbonaceous particles, helping to distinguish between the optical signatures of various combustion sources such as diesel, biomass, and tobacco. Additionally, the instruments support the DualSpot® loading compensation method, which corrects for the optical loading effect and provides further information about aerosol optical properties.

The MA devices utilize a miniature tape transport mechanism and an easy-to-exchange filter cartridge for the automatic advance of filter tape material. This feature allows for unattended operation ranging from multiple weeks to a year, depending on the model and environmental conditions. This capability enables continuous monitoring in both mobile and stationary installations with minimal human intervention or site visits. The tape transport is engineered to minimize sampling downtime.

The MA devices are equipped with internal lithium-ion batteries, enabling low-power operation. They include an internal pump with closed-loop flow control, satellite time synchronization, and a range of sensors such as an accelerometer, GPS, temperature, relative humidity, and altimeter/pressure sensors. Additionally, the devices offer years of data storage.

WiFi communication and source apportionment capabilities were introduced with MA Series firmware version 1.12, enabling data management through the AethLabs Dashboard. The USB data connection allows communication with the cross-platform microAeth® Manager software, available for macOS® and Windows®. A dedicated serial data port is also provided for streaming data to data loggers or integrating directly with other microcontroller systems.