My first multisensor daughter board

[scalz]

Hi!

I am happy to present my first daughter board for MyTinyCamel (my other board in progress).
All this work is in progress, but I like to share my work and it was rather lot of work ! but I think I will have something small&modular finally

I have made another version of MyTinyCamel with onboard sensors, but what about if I need a PIR sensor, or a gesture sensor. and want to keep things small. So I made this little daughter board.

And a small vid to see how it looks with MyTinyCamel and 2xaaa:
https://youtu.be/4ULY3P-F-Fo

Technical descriptions (all optional):

• 0805 NTC thermistor for temperature
• SI7021 : temperature and humidity
• BMP180 : pressure, barometer
• VEML6070 : UV
• TSL2561: ambiant light & IR
• APDS-9960 : ambiant light & RGB & Gesture
• PIR motion with mini lens (schematic is based on HC-SR501), with H-pad & trimmer footprint for sensibility
• PIR can be enabled/disabled by onboard mosfet on daugther board
• enlarged footprints for sensors (I hope to be able to handsolder them by adding a small drop of paste and heating the pad, otherwise I will have to build a reflow oven...)
• solder jumper for each sensor to choose : VCC3 from MyTinyCamel or VCC_Sensors from Mytinycamel by mosfet

There are 2 footprints for PIR. Why? because MyTinyCamel can have RFM69 or NRF24 smd. When nrf24 is used as you can see in the vid, it is a little wider. I wanted PIR sensor centered on top of a custom enclosure, in each case, so...

Some notes :

• as it is small, you can't use Gesture chip and PIR motion in same time. it is selectable by jumper. This jumper let you use : PIR or Gesture or External IO (smd pad).
• When Gesture chip is soldered (APDS-9960), the onboard mosfet is used to enable/disable the internal IR led of the sensor. But it can still sense ambiant light by its VCC.
• if it works well, I will make another version of this daugther boad for @Anticimex motherboard. I have thought a lot about I could make this compatible but I needed to stick to MyTinyCamel for this rev...

I ordered one set of board to see, at oshpark... But your feedback are welcome of course, as now I need to design a small custom enclosure for this..

And it gives me lot of other idea, like a micro-usb connector for usb powered or Hi-link AC-DC step down for something in wall mounted...

See you soon!

[GertSanders]

Very nice!!! How do you make the 3D views of your boards ?

Gert

[scalz]

@GertSanders: thx
I use Sketchup. It is easier to use with Eagle (lots of tuts on internet). I find the models everywhere I can (sparkfun, 3d sketchup market...) then I make changes if needed or create some (like the lens). I would prefer Solidworks, easier for me, but I can't export eagle to Solidworks, so..

[scalz]

just some ideas, but it's so fast with SolidW

Do you want some salt??

I need a 3d printer, aaargh

[Anticimex]

For PIR, there is a low power design proposal by ST here. Perhaps something to consider? I would like to make one myself, but I do not have the time for that right now. Could be useful for battery-driven PIR.

[scalz]

@Anticimex : it seems very interesting. Something I was searching for.. I have found some others links different, but not easier to implement as your link. A low power PIR could be great, this is something missing in our battery powered sensors toolbox. I will look at this asap. Thx for share

[Anticimex]

@scalz No problem I would replace the 4-resistor voltage dividers with potentiometers instead. Fewer components and much more tunable

[scalz]

@Anticimex: yes, good idea. I am still waiting my D203s pir sensors. asa I get them, I try your link on breadboard and give you some news. thx. see you soon

[Anticimex]

@scalz Great!

[Dylano]

@scalz said:

D203s pir sensors

Can i buy his board?

[scalz]

@Dylano: thx for interest :). I am comparing few pcbas, waiting my reflow oven much for small batch and boost prototyping than selling. I would prefer to have a good quotation or deal like limited partnership maybe...

In fact I have other boards in progress maybe you would prefer..
This one is based on mytinycamel, a board I made for ultra low power <1uA + booster, and for the exercise of power sequence&mosfets.... but it is better for telemetry application than PIR motion sensor.
Plus, here it needs a shield which add a little bit thickness, for indoor, I know it's just few mm...

So I made this one, better for pir (in progress, I will post pics) : http://forum.mysensors.org/topic/2951/my-mysx-multisensors-board

but mytinycamel is still actual because modular and enough cheap too, it works but I redraw it to add more connectors as i don't need pir on this one. rfm69 or nrf, ldo or booster+ ultra low power modee, eprom, power on/off sensors radios 2.4x5cm blabla...looks like this now with 3 connectors for common sensors.

Note: I have not yet this rev, this is a part of my week order (with a dhl in my face please, as I am not so patient ...)

So for the moment nothing to sell, but in future..I would be glad

[Dylano]

I wait..
Hope you give a signal here when there are new possibilities..
And i hope you will share a stable sketch... for battery devices.

good luck!!

[alexsh1]

@scalz any progress on this board? How did you like it with VELM6070 ?

[scalz]

@alexsh1
veml6070 works nice.
that's a while i've done this ulpnode board. finally i've done my coincell multisensors for indoor.
And now, for lot of sensors etc i use more powerful mcu.
That said i have a weather extension board with lot of sensors including the veml6070. will try to release when i'have time