This smart device is able to monitor and display CO2, TVOC, PM, temperature, humidity and air pressure measurements.
In this project you will lean how to build a device capable of measuring air quality, designed for indoor use. It displays the measures on a 5 inch touch-screen interactively and provide feedback on how to improve the air quality conditions. It uses a number of sensors:
- BME280 – temperature, humidity and atmospheric pressure sensor.
- CC811 – CO2 and TVOC (total volatile organic compounds) sensor.
- SDS011 – Dust sensor (particulate matter – PM 2.5 and PM 10).
These sensors are connected to a small computer running Android Things OS with a screen and WiFi connectivity. This project is made in a way that it should be fairly easy to adjust it according to your needs and add various improvements like online connectivity or additional sensors.
Why measure indoor air quality?
Most of the modern applications focus on measuring outdoor air pollution. This is indeed very important and useful, however most of the time in person's life is spent indoors. This is also an environment, where one is able to influence the climate using various air purifying instruments.
The negative change of indoor climate is often influenced by normal human behavior. For example levels of CO2 are increased in heavily occupied spaces with poor ventilation, levels of PM increase when cooking or smoking.
This points towards a greater need to monitor these air quality levels and be able to react to them in a timely manner.
Before Starting
Section below should provide more insight into the hardware components I have used for the project in addition to the list in the hardware components section.
Sensors
I have mentioned SparkFun sensors in the hardware components, but to fit the 3-D designed case perfectly, you will need to get specifically sensors with breakout boards on the images below.
When you receive your sensors BME280 and CCS811 will most likely come with headers detached from the breakout board and you will have to solder these. This is fairly easy job and if you are not sure what you are doing, follow this tutorial. Make sure to solder these with the sensors facing outwards (see images in the next section).
Screws
Hardware components section mentions M2.5 screws. More specifically, you will need 2.5 mm diameter countersunk head machine screws with 5 mm length.
Cable
You will have to get specifically the cable mentioned in the hardware components section. This is because it needs to fit in the 3-D printed case and in the current design there is almost no tolerance.
Read more: INDOOR AIR QUALITY MONITORING SYSTEM
