Tag Archives: arduino
New Instructable: DIY Moisture Test
Our problem: We need to know the % of moisture in each batch of manure to determine how much carbon material (sawdust, coffee hulls, etc) to add to achieve 50-60% moisture (typical ideal moisture for aerobic decomposition). We didn’t have an oven that could accurately maintain temperatures between 221-230 F (and we didn’t really want [...]
New Temperature Monitor
I’ve re-made the compost temp sensors to conform to our original design of stabbing probes. I was having difficulty choosing a non-conductive housing for the probes that could give accurate measurements along its length, until I remembered that my favorite plastic, polyethylene, is mostly transparent to infrared. Duh, that’s why I make solar balloons out [...]
Monitoring Compost, pt.1 (what we’ve got)
There is no substitute for the complexity of human senses. Quantitative data is cannot stand in for direct experience with compost. But it does provide a means of directly comparing processes and feedstock mixes, as well as real-time feedback for control. Lacking grad students or interns we have only robots to exploit (for now…). To [...]
the internet of decomposers
I’ve just installed an Arduino-based temperature logger at five points in our compost pile, proving the obvious: it’s hotter on the sunny side and hottest in the middle. Details tomorrow, but check out these sweet dashboard widgets!
Fighting the Flush: Metropolis Next Generation Competition
Mathew and I entered Metropolis magazine’s competition for “one fix that will make a positive difference in the designed environment.” They had 292 applicants this year. We wrote up a proposal for a networked sensor platform for navigating the social and legal obstacles to locally cycling organic matter. It closes the loop between composting toilets [...]
