Monitoring the environment with Arduino

Build your own measuring devices with the Arduino platform!

Arduino is an amazing platform that has opened up a whole new world of electronics. Thanks to the simplicity of service, it gained a large number of supporters, and this translated into the amount of materials and publications available online. Numerous accessories have been developed for the Arduino platform that allow the user to expand each system. In addition, it is also possible to combine it with another popular platform - Raspberry Pi. You will achieve everything with this duo!

This fantastic handbook will show you how to use Arduino to collect information about the surrounding world. Measurement of noise, temperature and humidity are only part of the projects that you can achieve thanks to this platform. During the reading you will learn how to use the network module and present the collected data on the display. Would you like to have your own Geiger counter? This miracle is within your reach! During the implementation of the projects presented here you will learn the Arduino platform and start to create your own layouts. Reach for this book and immerse yourself in the world of electronic circuits.

Build your own:

• thermometer
• noise meter
• Geiger counter
• dream layout with the Arduino platform!

Arduino - Your pass to the world of electronics!

Table of Contents:

Foreword (9)

1. The world's shortest electronics handbook (15)

• What is Arduino? (15)
• Electronic circuits and components (17)
• Arduino platform programming (20)
• First sketch: flashing LED (20)
  • Required parts (21)
  • Installing the IDE environment (21)
  • Circuit construction (21)
  • Writing code (21)
• Further experiments (23)

2. Project: noise monitor and display information on LED strip (25)

• Measuring the noise level - microphone (25)
  • LED strip (27)
• Structure of the gadget (28)
  • Required parts (28)
  • Circuit on universal board (28)
  • Writing code (30)
• Further experiments (32)

3. New component: 4-character display (33)

• Test project (34)
  • Required parts (34)
  • The circuit on the universal plate (34)
  • Pushing the code (35)
• Further experiments (38)

4. Electromagnetic interference (and generating really bad music) (39)

• Detection of EMI sources in the environment (40)
  • Construction of the gadget (40)
  • Required parts (41)
  • 8-ohm speaker (41)
  • EMI radiation monitor design (43)
  • Writing code (44)
  • Starting a sketch (45)
  • Gadget power in mobile mode (46)
• What can you measure with this gadget? (46)
• Further experiments (47)

5. Project: measuring water conductivity and numerical output (49)

• What is conductivity and why is it so important? (49)
• Construction of the gadget (49)
  • Required parts (50)
  • Construction of the probe (51)
  • Circuit on universal board (52)
  • Writing code (53)
  • How to take measurements? (54)
• Further experiments (54)

6. New component: network module (57)

• Using the network module (59)
  • Network port (59)
  • MAC address (59)
  • IP address (59)
  • SD card slot (61)
• Testing the network module (62)
  • Required parts (63)
  • System structure (63)
• Testing the SD card slot (63)
  • Required parts (63)
  • System structure (64)
• Further experiments (64)

7. Project: display of humidity, temperature and dew point on a 4-character display (65)

• You do not need to be a meteorologist to study weather (65)
• Collection of reliable measurements (66)
• The first electronic sensor: DHT-22 (68)
• The use of code libraries (69)
• Construction of the gadget (70)
  • Required parts (70)
  • Circuit on universal board (70)
  • Writing code (71)
• Further experiments (75)

8. Providing geotagged data in real time via Xively (77)

• Test project: connecting to Xively and sending data to it (78)
  • Required parts (78)
  • Account registration on Xively (78)
  • Writing code (79)
• Further experiments (80)

9. Measuring radiation and sharing data on the internet (81)

• What is the Geiger counter? (82)
• Construction of the gadget (84)
  • Required parts (84)
  • Circuit on universal board (85)
  • Writing code (86)
• What can you measure with this gadget? (90)
• Failure analysis (91)
• Further experiments (92)

10. Housing for the gadget (93)

Index (94)