> ESP32S3 IC : $4 retail, SCD41 Sensor : $21 retail, SGP41 Sensor : $8 retail, LPS22 Sensor : $4 retail
I am not an expert but if I get these components, how easy would it be to build a hacked version out of these?
I’m not in the US and unaffected by the tarrifs.
The basic connections are easy in theory, especially if you get a ready-to-use, breakout-board version (e.g. Adafruit modules) of each, for perhaps double or triple the price. Then it's just a matter of wiring each sensor to data lines of the controller chip, and giving everything the power it requires.
Programming libraries contain the basic functions necessary to access to sensors' readings with simple lines of code.
But the devil is in the details - to go from that to an actual practical, working model and physical build is quite a lot of work. Expect months, in hobbyist terms.
Pretty simple. You can find lots of examples of getting each sensor working by googling "site:github.com ESP32 SCD41" etc.
There are libraries which make it extra-easy:
SCD41: SparkFun_SCD4x_Arduino_Library.h
SGP41: SensirionI2CSgp41.h
LPS22: Adafruit_LPS2X.h
Take a look through the past HN discussions of this and similar air quality monitors. Can also search HN for chip names themselves (like 'SCD41'). Many people note that the sensors drift over time, and buying "calibration bottles" of low-concentration CO2 is a slight hurdle for many - they're not that crazy expensive, but they're expensive enough to be a bit of a block for some.
Sounds great!
I’ll give it a try and see how far I go. Do you know any discord channels where such folks hang out?
P.S. Apt username BTW.
Super easy, use esphome. There's a few vendors out there that sell pre built devices, and they usually make their configs available if you want to DIY it. For example Apollo automation.
Hardware companies design breakout boards for most semi popular sensors (including the SCD41 and the SGP41) so arguably if you can put things together on a breadboard and can setup I²C comms (for example with an Arduino library) then it is certainly accessible to a hobbyist.