“Keep track of air quality with pretty graphs
These are my prototypes of an IOT air quality monitor primarily based on the ESP32 and CCS811 sensor. They’re meant for indoor use. They are not the prettiest at the moment, but they work surprisingly well and run stable. If you encounter a strange language in the pictures, it’s due to my mother tongue.
General specifications:
CO2 measuring range: 400-8192 PPM
12 hours of battery life provided by a 18560 cell
Pretty graphs on a web interface
Data can be exported to Excel and software alike
Breaking it down
The build:
I bought a cheap plastic box on Aliexpress for this project. I drilled some holes on the front for screws, LED’s, the button and made some space for the screen. On the back, I’ve made space for a power cord and an on/off rocker switch.
Inside the unit, there’s a small fan running in ten-second intervals for refreshing air inside to get better measurements.
The box ended up being a bit large for the project. When I ordered all the parts I had planned to use an Arduino MEGA as well but ended being able to use the ESP32 for everything. But with all the clutter, fan, battery, screen, etc. it’s not that oversized.
What it measures:
TVOC - CCS811
CO2 - CCS811
Temperature - BMP280
Atmospheric pressure - BMP280
Most data points here should explain themselves. But some people might be unfamiliar with TVOC. Total volatile organic compounds is a group of different molecules like alcohols, aldehydes, ketones, organic acids, amines, aliphatic and aromatic hydrocarbons.
The CCS811 doesn’t actually claim to measure CO2. Instead, it measures something called eCO2. It’s a calculated number, not the actual amount of CO2. But because there is a very tight correlation between TVOC’s and CO2 that’s no problem for measuring air quality, and it works wonders for the job.
You could actually argue that it’s a better way of doing it, in terms of measuring air quality because TVOC’s are a better measurement for air quality.
While testing I have made some different observations that affect the measurement if the source is relatively close.
Opening a coke - if opened closely it will affect the reading.
Taking shoes off - if your shoes smell after a long day it will show up.
Spray deodorants - if you apply spray deodorant, then you should probably not do so near this.
Others more obvious observations include painting, cleaning products and so on…
Web interface:
The ESP hosts a web interface providing:
Real-time data
24 hours graphs for temperature and CO2
Downloadable log
Remote restart
The website’s code is embedded in the Arduino code. When someone enters the website data for the graphs will be injected into some Javascript in the HTML code. The code for the graphs is not stored locally, as it would take up too much space. I’m using this wonderful open source library “chart.js”.
Calibration and precision:
As of now, I’ve made four units. Running them close to each other for some time they even out up to 100 PPM CO2 difference. This is more than enough precision for this purpose. But I’ve tested them up against a professional CO2 monitor as well with similar accuracy. And of course, they’ve been tested against fresh air which is somewhere between 350 and 400 PPM CO2.”