IKESP-Air: Calibrating the BME280

After making a few IKESP-Air air quality units an interesting issue became apparent. Due to the heat given off by the D1 Mini, the internal temperature of the unit was consistently a few degrees higher than the ambient temperature of the room in which the device was placed. This is honestly to be expected, airflow through the box is slow, the board sits at the top of the unit as does the BME280, and the heat has to go somewhere. If we want accurate room readings then, we need to account for this.

IKESP-Air

On a trip to my local IKEA for some other project supplies, I happened upon an intriguing item, a Vindriktning air quality sensor. Unlike its big brother, the ZigBee enabled Vindstyrka, it is a relatively simple box, with just a few diffuse LEDs on the front, indicating the “air quality” of a room. In its stock form, its really that simple. It piqued my curiosity as I wondered what metrics it used to determine the local air quality, and more importantly, if it could be hacked.

Hello

Hello to anyone reading this, I’m Calum. This is the new home for my projects, ramblings, and other nonsense on the web.

I was inspired to start this as a way of recording what I’ve been up to, what I’m thinking about, and to highlight any other projects I find interesting. The thing that finally gave me the push to actually do it was seeing Alex Haydock start their own blog.

Why this site?

So why start a personal blog instead of utilising one of the centralised alternatives? Predominantly, I’ve watched many communities come and go as funding dries up, or a new owner decides they know best. I wanted a place that was a place just for me, where I could post whatever I felt like posting, and not have to worry about content disappearing or the site its on becoming the plaything of some billionaire. Enter the IndieWeb. I’ve watched the rise of the Fediverse and am a big fan of the decentralised web. I’ve seen how it allows people to own what they post, helps prevent one individual or group from dominating conversations, helps to keep users safe from abuse, and allows people to engage in a more open and collaborative way with both their own communities, and the wider web.