For my first project on Hackaday, I am starting simple by combining a Raspberry Pi Zero 2 W computer with an Adafruit MCP9808 sensor. The MCP808 will measure air temperature once every few seconds with Python. Said data will be logged to a CSV file, eventually exported and later visualized using JavaScript.
This early-stage project is part of a larger personal interest in self-quantification. As I move forward, I will update this page with more information.
Tonight I soldered header pins to the Adafruit sensor I am using for this project. I noticed the temperature on my Weller soldering iron varied quite a bit during the soldering process. But after cleaning the iron's tip, everything stabilized as expected.
What makes this soldering especially interesting and notable to me, is the fact tonight is my first time ever trying. And it was a success. The joints are solid, there are no solder bridges and I didn't use excessive material.
The next step is to test the sensor component's connectivity with my Raspberry Pi computer. If I am able to verify the two are communicating, I can write the software for collecting temperature readings. And get this project on its way in earnest.
As this is my first Hackaday.io project, it is also my first attempt at soldering. While I have already been using Raspberry Pi computers and the Python programming language for self-quantification, my experience with assembling electronics is relatively limited. I have built numerous desktop PCs, but only a few devices weighing less than a pound or two.
Today I purchased the equipment needed to solder. Once the hardware arrives, I will begin this journey by connecting header pins to the Adafruit MCP9808 temperature sensor. From there, I will be using jumper cables to connect said sensor to a Raspberry Pi Zero 2 W. At which point I will write a program to have this apparatus collect temperature data every few seconds, adding those measurements to a growing CSV file. Which will later be visualized using the D3 JavaScript library.
I will update this project again in the near future when there is more to share.