Think and Create's QAir Is a Connected Air Quality Sensor in a Smart 3D-Printed Housing
Having found nothing suitable for integration into an existing smart home setup, Think and Create set about designing something new.
Belgian-based electronics specialist Think and Create has launched a smart air quality sensor in a neat 3D-printed housing, dubbed the QAir.
"During the current pandemic, I was looking for some smart sensors being able to inform me on the air quality status and the need for ventilation," writes Think and Create's founder Frédéric. "Beside this criteria, I wanted to connect the sensor to my smart home. All I found was or ugly, or expensive, or not connected."
The solution: A custom air quality monitor, dubbed the QAir, which is built around a Winsen MH-Z19B carbon dioxide (CO₂) concentration sensor and a Bosch BME680 sensor for temperature, humidity, and atmospheric pressure.
"It is compact, with an unconventional design, and connected," Frédéric says of his design. "It has a small OLED screen informing people present in the room about the air quality."
"All data can be sent to a MQTT broker for any further processing (dashboard, alerts). The sensor can be hang on the wall or stick to your PC thanks to the two neodymium magnets."
The housing, meanwhile, is 3D-printed around the sensor's custom PCB in PETG. "Colors can be tailor-made on request," Frédéric notes. Power is provided via a micro-USB input."
Think and Create is selling fully-assembled versions of the sensor, complete with 3D-printed housing in one of two designs, on Tindie at $100 each.