An interesting project for measuring indoor air quality as it’s worth noting that for many homes the indoor air quality is actually worse than outdoor air pollution. The demonstration here just shows the lighting of a match and how the readings jump up, and then die down again as that pollution disperses.
The sensor uses a laser diode and a photodiode to detect and count particles, while a fan moves air through the system. If you aren’t up on pollution metrics, PM2.5 is a count of very fine particles (under 2.5 microns) and PM10 is a count of particles for 10 microns.
One thing to note is that the sensor has a finite lifespan. The datasheet claims “up to” 8,000 hours. If you ran the sensor continuously that’s not quite a year, so you might want to be judicious about how often you light up the device.
See Ooohhh, That Smell: Arduino Monitors Air Quality
#technology #opensource #airquality #airpollution #DIY
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