No one ever thought in history that the air we breathe might become the reason for millions of deaths of living kinds. The pollution level in our environment is rising continuously and that is harmful to us. You are surely familiar with the word Particulate matters or PM levels because of high damage to the health systems. It becomes hard for people to evaluate PM levels in the environment because of which they do not get the solution for their health. SB components came up with the device Air Monitoring HAT based on Raspberry Pi to provide a method to the users for monitoring the PM level in the environment. In this blog, we’ll shed some light on air pollution and the harmful effects of Particulate matter, and the advantages of Air Monitoring HAT so that you can make an informed decision for you and your loved ones. 

What is Particulate Matter?

A lot of people do not have any idea about the particulate matter or about its harmful effects on our bodies. Particulate matter is the sum of the organic and inorganic suspended particles in the air many of which are hazardous to health. There are particles like dust, pollen, smoke, liquid droplets, et0c. Particulate matter is characterized by the aerodynamic diameter of the particle. PM 1.0, PM 2.5, and PM 10 with the size ranging from 1 to 10 µm are the ones that we have to take care of to have a healthy life. PM 2.5 and PM 10 came into existence by the mechanical break-up of solid particles that are large in size. If these particles get inhaled by a person then these particles can get deep into the lungs or can mix with the bloodstreams that would decline the health. Most of the individuals do not have the devices from which they can measure or monitor the air quality index. 

How Air Monitoring HAT would help me?

Most individuals might understand the harmful effects of Particulate matter but they would also want to know the device from which they can monitor the Particulate matter. SB Components understand the things which people are going through and for them, they developed the Air Monitoring HAT so that they can look at the status of particulate matter in their environment. Air Quality Monitoring HAT for Raspberry Pi is a portable sensor that allows the users to see the level of quantity of the suspended particulates with their mass in their environment. If we look at the components of the Air Monitoring HAT then it comprises a hi-tech PMSA003 sensor that provides the information of suspended particulate matter(PM1.0, PM2.5, PM10) in the air per unit volume via digital output. The operating voltage of the Air Monitoring HAT is 3.3V communicated via UART(serial) with the standby current ≤200 Microampere(μA) of the sensor. You can make an environment friendly project like automatic air purifier by connecting an Air Monitoring HAT with an air purifier and program it as per the need. A user can enable or disable air purifier as per the data given  by the Air Monitoring HAT sensor.

Specifications

• Model - Air Monitoring HAT
• Sensor Model number - PMSA003  
• Data Output - Digital Sensor(unit quality + number of units)
• Type - Biosensor 
• Communication Interface - UART (Serial)
• Display Type - OLED Display 0.91”
• Board Dimension - 65 x 56 mm
• Measuring range - 0.3 to 1.0; 1.0 to 2.5; 2.5 to 10 Micron (μm)
• Counting efficiency - 50% @ 0.3 μm 98% @> = 0.5 um
  Said quasi-volume - 0.1 litre (L)
• Response time - ≤10 s
• DC supply voltage - 5.0 V
• Maximum Operating Current - 100 Milliamp (mA)
• Standby current - ≤200 Microamp (μA)
• Data interface level -  L <0.8 @3.3, H >2.7@3.3 Volt(V)
• Operating Temperature range - -10 to +60 Celsius (℃)
• Operating Humidity range - 0 - 99%
• Mean time between failures - ≥3 Year(Y)

Innovate Better, Live Better Campaign

 SB Components is working as a design partner for Air Monitoring HAT by providing its assistance with resources and a team of experts. Air Monitoring HAT has launched on Kickstarter(https://www.kickstarter.com/projects/amritsingh/air-monitoring-hat-real-time-pm-sensor-for-raspberry-pi) under Innovate Better, Live Better campaign. Innovate Better, Live better is the campaign on which SB Components are working in which they are developing products or gadgets that would help people to enhance the quality of the environment. If we look at the current situation of the environment then we can easily tell that the quality of the environment is degrading rapidly. All of us can see the change in the environment and its degradation but most of us do not have an idea about the quantity of particulate matter like PM 1.0,  PM 2.5, and PM 10 in their ambiance.  Air Monitoring HAT for Raspberry Pi is the product that people can use to see the Particulate matter index in real-time that would help one to get the information. It would make them get an informed decision about the environment that would make them talk with their government or take steps to make the environment better.

Applications

There are following things that user can do by Air Monitoring HAT that would help to make a healthy environment for all the living kinds

• Track Bad Quality of Air
• Provide Data for Research
• Aware Users about the Risks in the Environment
• Compact, Economica, and Advanced
• Make Detailed Information about the particulate matter in the environment.

Live Data