Utsav shared detailed instructions of how to build your own current sensor that can measure up to 15 Amps, project instructables here: This current sensor can easily be used for measuring currents up to 15 Amps constant and can even handle about 20 Amps peak. I had previously built a shunt current measurement module using […]
Category Archives: sensors
Chaac weather station
An update on Chaac weather station project we covered previously: With this latest redesign, I made a few more changes. First of all, I decided I would no longer be afraid of LoRa and put in a LoRa radio module. This will, with the right firmware, allow for standalone operation using LoRaWAN and The Things […]
Using the ADS1115 in continuous mode for burst sampling
Edward Mallon writes, “The 16-bit ADS1115 has a programmable amplifier at the front end, where the highest gain setting providing a range of +/- 0.256 v and a resolution of about 8 micro volts. But readers of this blog know you can already approach 14-16 bit sensitivity levels with Arduino’s ADC by oversampling with lower […]
An ATmega brushless sensored motor driver v02
David Gironi writes, “Brushless electric motor (BLDC motors) are synchronous motors that are powered by a DC electric source via an integrated inverter/switching power supply, which produces an AC electric signal to drive the motor. Hall sensored motors uses hall effect sensors or a rotary encoder to directly measure the rotor’s position. See the full […]
How to make analog sensor readings with digital I/O pins
Edward Mallon wrote an article describing a technique he used to make analog sensor readings with digital I/O pins: Will this method replace our pin-toggled oversampling? Perhaps not for something as simple as a thermistor since that method has already proven itself in the real world, and I don’t really have anything better to do […]
DIY wireless temp/humid/pressure sensors for measuring vacuum sealed 3D printed filament containers
Scott M. Baker writes: I made some wireless sensors, using BME280 temperature, humidity, and pressure sensors, together with SYN115 transmitter modules. I used these to verify the storage of vacuum sealed “PrintDry” 3D filament storage containers. See the full post on his Scott M. Baker blog. Check out the video after the break.
1000² Zen
Bob’s smart home project: At some point I though about building the smallest PCB for a sensor node that I could. Hence, the ZEN was born. The PCB is small enough to fit on a holder of 2 AA batteries. I have only build a few of these. Here is one reading the soil moisture […]
‘No-Parts’ temperature measurement with Arduino Pro Mini
From the comments on our ESP8266 temperature logger post, Edward Mallon writes: The ESP8266 has a hardware watchdog timer, so you could probably use that to measure temperature to much better resolution that you’d get from a DS18B20. We get better than 0.003C using the technique with cheap Pro Mini Clones Ooops, I missed an important […]
Semiconductor radioactivity detector: part 3
Robert Gawron has made a new version of his radioactivity detector project and wrote a post on his blog detailing its assembly: In this post I will present a new hardware version of my sensor, older versions are described in part I and part II. In comparison to the previous one, sensitivity is roughly x10 […]
Tiny particle sensor node with decorative case
Lucky Resistor published a new build: This article is about a small sensor node with a decorative case. It is based on the Raspberry Pi Zero W board with a custom sensor shield on top. I publish all hardware files for a simple version of the sensor, so you should be able to build this […]
Outdoor UV index sensor
A detailed instructions of how to build this outdoor UV index and ambient light sensor from Mare & Gal Electronics: The VEML6075 senses UVA and UVB light and incorporates photodiode, amplifiers, and analog / digital circuits into a single chip using a CMOS process. When the UV sensor is applied, it is able to detect UVA and UVB intensity […]
BMP180 based USB atmospheric pressure monitor
Dilshan Jayakody published a new build: We initially developed this USB atmospheric pressure monitor to study some operating characteristics of Bosch BMP180 sensor. BMP180 is low cost sensor to measuring barometric pressure and temperature. According to the data sheet this sensor can use to measure pressure ranging between 300hPa to 1100hPa. This sensor is introduced […]
Calibrate a magnetic sensor
Liudr shared a how-to on calibrating a sensor: First of all, what is calibration? In a general sense, calibrating a sensor makes the sensor provide the most accurate readings allowed by the sensor’s own precision. As an example, let’s assume for a moment that the earth’s magnetic field and any other stray magnetic fields are […]
Particle sensor with LoRa
Mare published a new build: Particle sensors could be cheap and easy to use. Disadvantage of lowest cost PM sensors is lack of “calibration”. The best method to measure particle content dispensed in the air is to collect the air sample and analyse it off-line in the laboratory with proper equipment (not cheap at all). […]
Dual ultrasonic sensors combine for 2D echolocation
A how-to on making a Dual-sensor ultrasonic echo locator by lingib, project instructables here: This instructable explains how to pinpoint the location of an object using an Arduino, two ultrasonic sensors, and Heron’s formula for triangles. There are no moving parts. Heron’s formula allows you to calculate the area of any triangle for which all sides are […]
Multisensor LoRa device
Mare published a new build: The described device is nearly matchbox-sized board (50 x 24 mm) packed with sensors. Auxilary board is 10x50mm with additional sensors. The module is developed around the Murata ABZ LoRa module, which integrates STM32L072 and samtech SX1276 in tiny 12.5 x 11.6 x 1.76 mm package. More details at Mare & […]
Small motor controller with integrated position sensor
Ben Katz writes: A while ago I added the hall effect encoder IC I’ve been using directly to the motor controller PCB. The controller sits directly on the back of the motor (with a magnet added to the motor shaft), and the phase wires solder straight in. I also have a pair of board-mounted XT30 […]
Weather logger with Losant and Amazon Alexa
Steve documented his experience experimenting with home weather logging: Like a million other people on the Internet, I’ve been experimenting with home weather logging. I roll my eyes at the phrase “Internet of Things”, but it’s hard to deny the potential of cheap networked sensors and switches, and a weather logging system is like this […]
An open source rain and humidity sensor couple
Boris Landoni writes about a new open source rain and humidity sensor project: It detects humidity through two sensors which are to be used alternatively to let us know when there is water on the ground because it’s raining, or when the water level in a flowerpot is too low and it needs watering. See the […]
MQ gas sensor correlation function against temperature and humidity
Davide Gironi writes: We have taken a look at the MQ sersor in this post here. As I said those sensor are electro-chemical. Accuracy of those sensor is not the best. Also they will react to many gases. It means that if you are trying to measure the ppm of a certain gas with this […]