Close

Project Video, and Plotly data!

A project log for Open Source Science Tricorder

Science in your hand. A pocket-sized instrument capable of visualizing and exploring the world around you.

peter-jansenpeter jansen 10/28/2014 at 06:331 Comment


The project video is up! It's been a very busy few weeks building the final revision boards, putting together an enclosure, and adding the final features to the software. I'm absolutely thrilled at the results, and I hope it helps you make little discoveries -- everywhere.

Connectivity with Plotly

The Arucorder Mini now interfaces with Plotly -- a website that's like social media for data, that I've absolutely fallen in love with. After hours of rearchitecting the Plotly Arduino library (with Chris from Plotly's help -- thanks Chris!), there is now a beautiful, fast library for Arduino that supports multiple streams, blazing fast transfers, and normal plotting functions. Please use it, and send me links to your amazing streams.

The Arducorder now supports one touch uploading to Plotly -- you can literally pull the device out of your pocket, and in 20 seconds have sensor data streaming or spectra shared with friends on the other side of the planet. It's really incredible, and I'm pleased with the results.

The data used in the video is all available on the Arducorder Mini Plotly profile. Here are direct links to some of the data, including:

In addition, I will try to keep some of the data from the live streams used in the video active, including the atmospheric stream, magnetic field stream, radiation stream, and inertial measurement unit stream.

Build Instructions and Acrylic Case

I've tried to put together a case that would help draw people in, while being functional and easy to construct and disassemble for tinkering. Thanks to Connor and David from Xerocraft for helping me figure out the settings for precision laser engraving, and machining the delrin standoffs!

Thanks to everyone for their kind words and helpful comments over the project! While designing and building the device is very rewarding, I feel like the real fun is just starting -- actually using the device, and having a reconfigurable scientific multitool to explore the world around us.

I hope you enjoy the video, and thanks for reading!

Discussions

Noman wrote 10/28/2014 at 10:45 point
Dear Dr. Jansen, please accept my heartiest congratulations. I am following the development since I first saw your blog entry (The Shape of Things to Come: the Mark 5 Arducorder) earlier this year and wished somehow I can buy or build this. Only I know how excited I am see this project come to reality and finally completed. Although competition is strong, I am sure you will have made your mark and will catch the first place easily. You know this little gadget will save me from buying half a dozen devices on my wishlist including Apollo Board (Approx $200), Type 4s Radiation Watch (Approx $100), Flir 1 ($350+shipping), Sensordrone ($200+sipping), A spectrometer (Min $500 plus), a weather-station with Lightening sensor ($150+) and an imu ($75+), so otherwise I have to spend $1575 plus shipping plus separate battery and charging solutions, extra weight, carry options and bulge in my pockets in addition to a fight with my life partner. The worth of this device is obvious and I would like to keep 3 accessory switchable boards along with as per my field requirement, including laser rangefinder (like lidar lite) , IR detector & communicator as well as a GPS (like navspark I already have). Please no sooner did you win the prize, tell me when you are going to launch and at what price or if I could buy the first prototype in this final video, really!

  Are you sure? yes | no