Jey Spulka's Latest Sensor Provides Carbon Dioxide, Environmental Monitoring for Your Smart Home

Jey Spulka, creator of the TeHyBug family of environmental data trackers, has launched a new product: a Wi-Fi-connected air quality monitor built in a USB dongle form factor and driven by an Espressif ESP8285.

The sensor board is built around the SenseAir S8 carbon dioxide sensor, a non-dispersive infrared (NDIR) carbon dioxide sensor capable of measuring from 400 to 2,000 parts per million (PPM) CO₂ with a ±3 per cent accuracy. Data captured from the sensor are transmitted via an Espressif ESP8285 running the user's choice of compatible smart home firmware, while an onboard RGB LED provides local alert capabilities.

For those seeking additional data, the board is available with an optional BMP280 temperature, humidity, and air pressure sensor for full environmental monitoring. If that's still not enough, a 3.5mm-jack sensor connector on the rear of the board supports any TeHyBug-compatible add-on devices.

"It is easy to flash the module since it has an USB to UART chip on board," Spulka notes. "You can use Arduino [IDE], PlatformIO, [or] EspHome to upload your firmware to the board. Hold the Mode button, hit the Reset button, and release the Mode button to put the ESP8285 Module into the flashing mode."

The sensor board is now available from the TeHyBug Tindie store at $69, with the optional BMP280 sensor adding $6 to the price.