Welcome to EnviroDIY, a community for do-it-yourself environmental science and monitoring. EnviroDIY is part of WikiWatershed, an initiative of Stroud Water Research Center designed to help people advance knowledge and stewardship of fresh water. New to EnviroDIY? Start here
Blog
Water depth sensor display
We have several dozen pressure transducers deployed in wells or in streams to measure water level, and sometimes it’s helpful to read the water level directly from the sensor. This model of sensor has an analog output, meaning that the circuitry supplies 5 volts DC to one wire, and the voltage on the return signal wire is proportional to the depth of the water. So by measuring the analog r...[Read More]
Getting sensor wires into the enclosure
One of the biggest challenges when building your own environmental monitoring instrumentation is how to get the sensor cable into the waterproof box with the logger. There are several different methods, but I prefer plastic or nylon cable glands. You can get them from a variety of vendors and for many different diameters of cables. They also make ones that allow you to run anywhere from 2 to 6 ...[Read More]
Datalogger enclosures
One of the most important things to consider when deploying devices outdoors is what type of enclosure you’re going to use. Many designers say they focus on finding the ideal enclosure first, then they design their circuit board to fit that particular enclosure. For our projects, we have been using Pelican brand waterproof cases. A handy size is their model 1050. I like them for a cou...[Read More]
Clear enclosure dataloggers
We have had a number of Arduino dataloggers deployed for a couple years now. The first ones were based on the Arduino Pro boards and a datalogger shield from Adafruit. Our newest version is based on the Seeeduino Stalker board. It’s handy because it has a built-in real time clock (RTC), solar charging circuitry, a microSD memory card slot, and an XBee radio socket. On top of the Stalker ...[Read More]
Protecting circuits from moisture
I have had several questions lately asking what is the best way to prevent corrosion on the datalogger circuit boards. Even if your boards are deployed in a waterproof enclosure, they will be subjected to high humidity inside the case, usually caused by condensation in the air in the box. Occasionally you might also get a stick, leaf, wire, or something else that crosses the edge of the waterpro...[Read More]
Getting Started with Arduino
If you are new to Arduino and are wondering what you need to buy to get started with making your own datalogger, things have just gotten a lot easier.
