Universal Sensor Kit for Spark Core & Photon

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1

Hey Guys,

I’m Marcus. I just wanted to drop a note in to let you guys know that we/I have just launched a Kickstarter project (https://www.kickstarter.com/projects/foxfire/ready-universal-sensor-kit) to build an easy to use (at least I think it is), and relatively affordable sensor kit that includes the following features:

  • Noise level (with built-in microphone).
  • Infrared, UV Index and Illumination.
  • Barometric pressure and Altitude.
  • Air relative humidity and Soil moisture*.
  • Air and Soil temperature*.
  • Up to 3 sources of power measurements* using non-invasive, split-core clamps.
  • A 3-axis gyroscope and a 3-axis accelerometer.
  • Powered by solar with proper MPPT charging control, battery terminals or via the on-board USB port. Turn sensors on or off in software so that you can manage battery life.
  • 2 on-board activity LEDs
  • Pin breakout for all the unused A/DIO (TX, RX, D6, D7, A6, A7, SDA/SCL, RST and GND)
  • Works with the Core and Photon.
  • 71mm by 42mm

We’re also releasing the firmware and supporting libraries so that owners can just load up everything up with reasonable confidence that it should just all work. From there it’s mostly about customizing :).

I’m starting to get some feedback for add-ons and extensions like an IR transmitter, Bluetooth connectivity, an eTape add-on, etc. A cop friend of mine just asked if he could use it to monitor fresh paint/graffiti, so I’m looking up some MEMs type chemical sniffers as I type this.

I’d be happy to answer any queries, but I’d be more keen to hear if you guys have any other ideas.

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2

I see great potential for educational/research purposes, but to be honest, Im not sure what the ‘product’ will be. Will it include all these sensors ?

3

Hey There,

Yeah, the final production version does include all the sensors on board. The main add-ons you will need are the induction clamps for power sensing and the soil probes for soil sensing. The main reason for keeping those separate are to manage costs :). Main thing is that not everyone will use those and they become “wasted” parts.

4

great product! will it also be compatible to the Electron?

5

Hi,

My question is: are there examples how to use sensors (with Photon)?

6

Hey man,

I’m not 100% sure what you mean, but we use the I2C bus with most of our sensors. Working with I2C is fairly well defined, and Wire support with Particle has been pretty good for the most part. We’re currently working out some issues with the 0.4.7 firmware, but we’re confident it can be worked out.

HTH.