Tinycorder

A multitool device to sense environment, test electrical signals and more. Tribute to scifi tricorder in star trek

Victor Barahona

Following Follow project

Liked Like project

Become a Hackaday.io member

Just one more thing

To make the experience fit your profile, pick a username and tell us what interests you.

OK, I'm done! Skip

Similar projects worth following

View Gallery

Description

Tinycorder is a small multipurpose device that seeks to pay tribute to the mythical tricorder from the science fiction series Star Trek.

It includes several sensors, as well as a high-resolution, low-power screen that allows us to use it as an electronic badge.

It is small (75x85x10mm), light (70gr) and uses very low energy.

Main features:
-Two-piece PLA chassis that are joined together using 4 M3x10 screws.
-Includes hook to hang it from the neck or hand.
-XIAO ESP32C3 MCU from Seeed Studio.
-150mAh Lithium Ion battery.
-Power switch and 3 pushbutton for interface (Up, Down, Enter).
-Sharp Memory Display 400x240px from Adafruit. Very low consumption.
-AS7341 sensor for light measurement in 7 visible and NIR (near IR) bands.
-SCD40 sensor for measuring air quality and CO2.
-BMP280 sensor for measuring temperature, humidity and pressure.
-2 free pins accessible from the front to measure analog signals.

WORK IN PROGRESS

Details

Main features:

Two-piece PLA chassis that are joined together using 4 M3x10 screws. Includes hook to hang it from the neck or hand.
XIAO ESP32C3 MCU from Seeed Studio.
150mAh Lithium Ion battery.
Power switch and 3 pushbutton for interface (Up, Down, Enter).
Sharp Memory Display 400x240px from Adafruit. Very low consumption.
AS7341 sensor for light measurement in 7 visible and NIR (near IR) bands.
SCD40 sensor for measuring air quality and CO2.
BMP280 sensor for measuring temperature, humidity and pressure.
2 free pins accessible from the front to measure analog signals.

WORK IN PROGRESS

Files

Tinycorder_schematic.jpg Fritzing schematic. Pay attention, some pieces are bad represented because don't be in fritzinf libraries. Read the labels. JPEG Image - 968.14 kB - 04/24/2025 at 16:34		Preview

Badges.cpp Arduino cpp file (insert here your badge) plain - 73.97 kB - 04/24/2025 at 16:33		Download
TINYCORDER_250415.ino Arduino file ino - 11.56 kB - 04/24/2025 at 16:33		Download
Badges.h Arduino header file (insert here your badge) plain - 611.00 bytes - 04/24/2025 at 16:33		Download
Tinycorder Bottom.stl PLA bottom case Standard Tesselated Geometry - 431.14 kB - 04/24/2025 at 16:32		Download

View all 6 files

Components

1 × SEEED Studio XIAO ESP32C3 Microcontroller
1 × Adafruit Sharp Memory Display 400x240px Display with SPI bus, low power
1 × AS7341 Light Sensor Extract 7 colours and NIR, I2C bus
1 × SCD40 Air Quality Sensor CO2 ppm, I2C bus
1 × BMP280 Temperature, Humidity, Pressure, I2C bus

View all 7 components

Build Instructions

Collapse

1

Join the perfboard (70x30mm) and display with glue or soldering.

Use this schematic to mount the device. Pay attention: some stuff isn't in Fritzing libraries and could be different. Read the notes.
2
Wire all the sensors and display following the schematic
- The display uses 3 pins for SPI and sensors 2 pins for I2C. 3 pins for pushbuttons (up, down, enter). 2 pins are connected in the front to header pins, they are analog pins.
- Solder the XIAO in the topside but take care of align the perfboard holes. XIAO ESP32C3 has two pads in the bottom to connect the battery and you must solder them in the bottom, it's a little tricky.
3

Glue the sensors in the bottom side, also the wiring, see the picture: