Marco Zonca
Published © GPL3+

Acoustic Variometer (Ultra Sensitive Barometer)

As a free flying paragliding pilot, I have finally built my own simple but effective instrument that plays beep-beep during climb and so on.

IntermediateFull instructions provided9,789
Acoustic Variometer (Ultra Sensitive Barometer)

Things used in this project

Hardware components

Arduino Pro Mini 328 - 3.3V/8MHz
SparkFun Arduino Pro Mini 328 - 3.3V/8MHz
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Story

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Custom parts and enclosures

Components face PCB

Solder face PCB

Schematics

Fritzing schematic

Gerber PCB file

Code

Acoustic Variometer code

Arduino
/*
  This sketch act as Variometer for paragliding, by Marco Zonca, 2020
  Arduino MiniPro 3.3 as CPU, GY-63 (MS5611) barometric pressure sensor, 8 x dipswitch, buzzer,
  Mux 4051, lipo 1s 3.7v 350mA, 3.7v -> 5v voltage stepup + lipo usb charger;

  DipSwitch: 1= not used
             2= hw low/high buzzer volume
             3= \ sink alarm: OFF -1.0 -2.0 -3.0 m/sec
             4= /
             5= \ frequency beeps: +1.0 +1.5 +2.0 +3.0 Hz
             6= /
             7= \ sensibility: +0.0 +0.1 +0.2 +0.5 m/sec
             8= /
 */

#include <MS5611.h>
#include <NewTone.h>

const int muxIOpin = 15;
const int vbattPin = 14;
const int muxbit0 = 4;
const int muxbit1 = 5;
const int muxbit2 = 6;
const int buzzerPin = 7;
const int DIPSWinterval = 5000;
const int BATTinterval = 10000;
const int PrexInterval = 500;
const boolean isDebug = false;

float sensibility[5];
float frequency[5];
float sinkalarm[5];
long n=0;
boolean dipswitch[9];
String dips;
unsigned long prevDIPSWmillis = 0;
unsigned long prevBATTmillis = 0;
float n1=0;
float n2=0;
float SensorVBatt=0;
double referencePressure = 0;
unsigned long prevPrexMillis = 0;
unsigned long currPrexMillis = 0;
double realPressure = 0;
float absoluteAltitude = 0;
float relativeAltitude = 0;
float avgAltitude = 0;
float avgPrevAltitude = 0;
long PrexCounter = 0;
float PrexTotal = 0;
float PrexVario = 0;
boolean isFirstCalc = true;

MS5611 psensor;  // pressure sensor

void setup() {
  Serial.begin(9600);
  pinMode(muxbit0, OUTPUT);
  pinMode(muxbit1, OUTPUT);
  pinMode(muxbit2, OUTPUT);
  pinMode(buzzerPin, OUTPUT);

  sensibility[4]=0;
  sensibility[3]=0.5;
  sensibility[2]=0.2;
  sensibility[1]=0.1;
  sensibility[0]=0.0;

  frequency[4]=0;
  frequency[3]=3.0;
  frequency[2]=2.0;
  frequency[1]=1.5;
  frequency[0]=1.0;
  
  sinkalarm[4]=0;
  sinkalarm[3]=-3.0;
  sinkalarm[2]=-2.0;
  sinkalarm[1]=-1.0;
  sinkalarm[0]=-999.9;

  readDIPswitch();
  psensor.begin();
  referencePressure = psensor.readPressure();
  if (isDebug == true) Serial.println("Vario is on");
  NewTone (buzzerPin,4);
  delay(750);
  noNewTone();
}  // end setup()

void loop() {
  readPSensor();
  if ((prevDIPSWmillis+DIPSWinterval) < millis()) {
    readDIPswitch();
    prevDIPSWmillis=millis();
  }
  if ((prevBATTmillis+BATTinterval) < millis()) {
    checkBATT();
    prevBATTmillis=millis();
  }
}  // end loop()

void readPSensor() {  // read Pressure Sensor
  // Calculate average altitude and vario
  realPressure = psensor.readPressure();
  absoluteAltitude = psensor.getAltitude(realPressure);
  relativeAltitude = psensor.getAltitude(realPressure, referencePressure);
  PrexCounter = PrexCounter + 1;
  PrexTotal = PrexTotal + relativeAltitude;
  currPrexMillis = millis();
  if (currPrexMillis - prevPrexMillis >= PrexInterval) {
    avgAltitude = PrexTotal / PrexCounter; // average
    if (isFirstCalc == true) {
      avgPrevAltitude=avgAltitude;
      isFirstCalc=false;
    }
    PrexVario=(avgAltitude-avgPrevAltitude) * (1000/PrexInterval);  // vario mSec
    if ((PrexVario <= sensibility[4]) && (PrexVario >= sinkalarm[4])) {
      noNewTone();
    }
    if ((PrexVario > sensibility[4])) {  // lift beep beep +
      NewTone (buzzerPin,((int)(PrexVario+frequency[4])));
    }
    if ((PrexVario < sinkalarm[4])) {  // sink beeeeeep -
      NewTone (buzzerPin,0.1);
    }
    avgPrevAltitude=avgAltitude;
    prevPrexMillis = currPrexMillis;
    PrexTotal=0;
    PrexCounter=0;

    if (isDebug == true) {
      Serial.print("Vario=");
      Serial.println(PrexVario);
    }

  }
}  // end readPSensor()

void readDIPswitch() {  // read dipswitch 1-8 for settings
  int s=0;
  for (n=1; n<9; n++) {
    dips="0000"+String(n-1, BIN);  //leading zeros at left, compose 3 bits selection
    dips=(dips.substring(dips.length()-3,dips.length()));
    if (dips.substring(2,3) == "0") digitalWrite(muxbit0, LOW);  // port selection (1-8)
      else digitalWrite(muxbit0, HIGH);
    if (dips.substring(1,2) == "0") digitalWrite(muxbit1, LOW);
      else digitalWrite(muxbit1, HIGH);
    if (dips.substring(0,1) == "0") digitalWrite(muxbit2, LOW);
      else digitalWrite(muxbit2, HIGH);
    if (analogRead(muxIOpin) > 512) dipswitch[n]=false;  // read selected port
      else dipswitch[n]=true;
    if (isDebug == true) {
      if (dipswitch[n]==false) Serial.print("0");
        else Serial.print("1");
    }
  }  // end for
  if (isDebug == true) Serial.println("");
  s=0;
  if (dipswitch[7]==true) s = s + 2;
  if (dipswitch[8]==true) s = s + 1;
  sensibility[4]=sensibility[s];
  if (isDebug == true) {
    Serial.print("Sensibility=");
    Serial.println(sensibility[4]);
  }
  s=0;
  if (dipswitch[5]==true) s = s + 2;
  if (dipswitch[6]==true) s = s + 1;
  frequency[4]=frequency[s];
  if (isDebug == true) {
    Serial.print("Frequency=");
    Serial.println(frequency[4]);
  }
  s=0;
  if (dipswitch[3]==true) s = s + 2;
  if (dipswitch[4]==true) s = s + 1;
  sinkalarm[4]=sinkalarm[s];
  if (isDebug == true) {
    Serial.print("SinkAlarm=");
    Serial.println(sinkalarm[4]);
  }
}  // end readDIPswitch()

void checkBATT() {  // check lipo/liion battery voltage
  n1 = analogRead(vbattPin);
  n2=(((6.60 * n1) / 1023.00));
  SensorVBatt=(n2 + ((n2 * 0.0) /100));  // arbitrary correction (not active = 0.0%)
  if (SensorVBatt <= 3.4) {
    NewTone (buzzerPin,6,1000);
  }
  if (isDebug == true) {
    Serial.print("VBatt=");
    Serial.println(SensorVBatt);
  }
}  // end checkBATT()

Credits

Marco Zonca

Marco Zonca

12 projects • 41 followers
"From an early age I learned to not use pointers"

Comments

Related channels and tags
  • Arduino
  • Environmental Sensing
  • Sensors
  • SparkFun