Build a LoRa Particle Pollution Detector

We will build a Particulate Matter detector using PM2.5 Air Quality Sensor, ESP32, UNO and LoRa Module.

Particle Pollution, also known as Particulate Matter is a mixture of wide-ranging sizes of solids and liquids found in the air. Some of these particles (especially the small ones) can be harmful to our health because it is tiny enough to enter our lungs when we breathe.

To measure this we need a particle pollution detector that can measure the air quality of the air that we breathe.

Difficulty Level:
Zio Youngling

Helpful Resources:
We have a separate post on our development board guides on our blog. Check them out below:

You can also check other Zio Qwiic Start guides related to this project below:

Installing Libraries
You need to install the following libraries to your Arduino IDE. Download the following libraries and save it on your local Arduino IDE libraries folder:

To install the libraries open your Arduino IDE, go to Sketch tab, select Include Library ->Add .Zip Library. Select the above libraries to be included on your IDE. You can also check out this complete guide here.

Hardware

Zio Qwiic PM2.5 Air Quality Sensor with Adapter Board x1
Zio Qwiic Lora Module (443MHz) x 2
Antennae x 2
Zio Zuino XS PsyFi32 (ESP32) x1
Zio Zuino M Uno x1
Zio Qwiic 1.5” OLED Display x1
Qwiic Cables x4
Micro USB Cable x 2

Connection Setup

We need two Lora modules in order to send and receive data from our PM2.5 Sensor. We will call this as LoRa Receiver and LoRa Sender respectively. A Lora receiver will receive data collected by the PM2.5 Sensor and will output this on the OLED Display. A LoRa sender is where the PM2.5 will be connected.

Setting up LoRa Sender
Below are the modules needed for the Lora sender. You need to attach the PM2.5 Sensor with adapter on the sender side inorder to detect Particle matter and measure the air quality.

Step 1: Attach the PM2.5 Sensor and Adapter Together

Step 2: Attach the Antennae to the LoRa Module

Step 3: Daisy Chain All the Components Using Qwiic Cables

Step 4: Download Code and Upload to PsyFi32

You can download the code from our Github page here

Step 5: Setting Up LoRa Receiver

After setting up your Lora Sender, we need to set up the Lora Receiver. The data we have collected from the Lora Sender for the Particle Matter will be sent over to our receiver and displayed on the OLED.