1/8 inch Water Flow Sensor-YF-S401 measures the rate of a liquid flowing through it. The YF-S401 water flow sensor consists of a plastic valve body, flow rotor and hall effect sensor. It is usually used at the inlet end to detect the amount of flow. When liquid flows through the sensor, a magnetic rotor will rotate and the rate of rotation will vary with the rate of flow. The hall effect sensor will then output a pulse width signal. Connect it to a microcontroller and you can monitor multiple devices such as your coffee maker, sprinkler or anything else, and control the water flow rate to suit your needs