All posts in Measurements

Data from OSBSS CO2 sensor

| March 16, 2015

Months ago the initial prototype OSBSS CO2 sensor was designed and made in BERG lab, so as the next step we tried to verify the sensor’s performance. Therefore, as you can see in the following picture we performed a co-location test with OSBSS CO2 sensor and two off-the-shelf CO2 sensors. SBA-5 CO2 Gas Analyzer and Telaire 7001 CO2 Sensor were used for this reason. In order to record data, the off-the-shelf sensors combined with the Onset HOBO Data loggers. As the first attempt we launched all sensors with one minute intervals and placed them close to each other in the BERG lab for approximately 21 hours.

DSC_1480

Continue Reading →

Data from OSBSS proximity sensor

| February 20, 2015

Now that our new proximity data logger tutorial is published, I would like to show some data of its performance. Below are photos from a co-location test with the initial prototype OSBSS proximity sensor and an off-the-shelf Onset HOBO occupancy/light logger in our lab. In our first test we simply launched both sensors with default settings and placed them side-by-side on the desk of a graduate student to record occupancy over a period of about 15 hours (we’re watching you, Parham!).

1_yo Continue Reading →

73 days of data from the 1st datalogger build (revision 09 30 2014)

| December 11, 2014

I previously posted on my first effort building the first complete sensor from OSBSS, a long-term battery powered temperature and relative humidity data logger (revision 09 30 2014), as well as about a week’s worth of data sampling at 1-minute intervals in my office and co-located next to an Onset HOBO U12. Just to test the battery life and clock drift, I’ve left it running since late September until yesterday (December 10, 2014), logging at 1-minute intervals in my office for a period of about 73 days. The sensor and data logger are still functioning normally even at this high resolution of data collection and powered only by AA batteries! The clock appears to have drifted minimally (maybe 5 seconds, although I can’t confirm that). See below!

Continue Reading →

Data from custom T/RH data logger – 1st build (revision 09 30 2014)

| October 8, 2014

osbss_v_hobo

Two months ago I wrote a blog post documenting my first OSBSS build of our low power (long battery life) air temperature and relative humidity data logger. At that time we were using the SHT15 sensor breakout board to measure both temperature and relative humidity. After some co-location tests with Onset HOBO data loggers and others, we discovered that (a) yes we could achieve low power draw and long battery life on this base framework of a data logger, (b) yes we could achieve accurate relative humidity readings compared to a HOBO, but (c) unfortunately, our temperature readings were not very accurate (they were decent after calibration, but who wants to build a temperature sensor that then has to be calibrated against another, better temperature sensor!?). This last part really bugged us — we simply couldn’t rely on the SHT15 to provide accurate temperature measurements, which then, because RH is based on temperature readings, yielded both inaccurate T and RH readings.

Continue Reading →

Custom T/RH data logger version 0.01 – First build

| August 7, 2014

IMG_20140806_124051

Yesterday marked a momentous occasion for OSBSS: our first complete build of a custom sensor by a non-expert (me!) using our first online tutorial. After about 9 months of work and many stops and starts with various boards, sensors, software, and design concepts, the development team (Akram Ali and Zack Zanzinger) has successfully developed their first low power data logger built on the Arduino platform. It even has its own GUI to launch the logger! The first logger is designed to measure temperature and relative humidity (read the tutorial here). But the really cool thing is that now they have the basic design for a custom data logger with low power draw and a long battery life that can be used to accept any number of other sensors that we are planning to build. We have already prototyped and sourced many of these others sensors, which, combined with the background legwork Akram and Zack have done, should allow for fairly rapid prototyping of new sensors and tutorials. Not bad for a team of architectural engineers without formal electronics training!

Continue Reading →