Is my ultrasonic sensor broken?

Other Hardware Sensors
1

I just tried using this sensor for the 1st time today and cannot get it to work. I only get a reading of 0, but when I take the echo pin OUT of the breadboard (but still connected to Arduino) I start getting readings from the pin when I touch my finger to the pin. The sensor is a bit warm when connected as well.

I am following this schematic

and I am using this code:

const int trigPin = 9;
const int echoPin = 10;
// defines variables
long duration;
int distance;
void setup() {
pinMode(trigPin, OUTPUT); // Sets the trigPin as an Output
pinMode(echoPin, INPUT); // Sets the echoPin as an Input
Serial.begin(9600); // Starts the serial communication
}
void loop() {
// Clears the trigPin
digitalWrite(trigPin, LOW);
delayMicroseconds(2);
// Sets the trigPin on HIGH state for 10 micro seconds
digitalWrite(trigPin, HIGH);
delayMicroseconds(10);
digitalWrite(trigPin, LOW);
// Reads the echoPin, returns the sound wave travel time in microseconds
duration = pulseIn(echoPin, HIGH);
// Calculating the distance
distance= duration*0.034/2;
// Prints the distance on the Serial Monitor
Serial.print("Distance: ");
Serial.println(distance);
delay(100); 

}

Does this seem like it is just a faulty sensor? It is the HC-SR04 sensor that I am using.

2

Could be you're reading it too fast and it's confused by the thousands of echos. Most sample codes include delay(50) or more after the print to eliminate that problem.

3

DaveEvans:
Could be you're reading it too fast and it's confused by the thousands of echos. Most sample codes include delay(50) or more after the print to eliminate that problem.

Thanks for mentioning that because I accidentally left the delay(100) line of code out of the original post (fixed it now). I increased the delay to 200 just to see if anything changed, but it did not.

4

Wanting to prove the sensor or the code, I'd try a ultrasonic library to see if the library gives results. If the library gives results then you know one thing and if the library does not give results you know another thing.

5

From the sound of it, I would say yes if it acting that strangely. Are you sure you have Trig and Echo in right pins?