Low-cost and precise inline pressure sensor housing and DAQ for use in laboratory experiments.

Area of Science:

• Engineering
• Instrumentation
• Fluid Dynamics

Background:

• Inline pressure sensors are crucial for fluid flow experiments, field deployments, pumps, and IoT systems.
• Existing pressure sensors are often expensive, lack customizability, are limited to specific tubing sizes, offer only analog output, and lack integrated data logging.
• These limitations hinder the widespread adoption and effective use of pressure sensing hardware.

Purpose of the Study:

• To develop a low-cost, open-source, and highly customizable inline pressure sensor system.
• To provide a flexible solution that addresses the limitations of conventional pressure sensors.
• To enable easy integration and data logging for diverse applications.

Main Methods:

• Development of a customizable hardware and firmware system using the Loom code and ecosystem.
• Configuration options for tubing diameter, adapter dimensions, sensor type, and logging behavior.
• Experimental validation using a viscous fluid flow between parallel plates.

Main Results:

• The developed system is low-cost (~US$56) and offers significant customizability in hardware and firmware.
• The sensor system successfully detected sudden changes in fluid properties that were not visible in static images.
• Demonstrated operational flexibility and simple data logging capabilities.

Conclusions:

• The open-source, customizable inline pressure sensor system provides a practical and cost-effective alternative to commercial sensors.
• The system's flexibility allows easy tailoring to specific application requirements, including fluid dynamics research and IoT deployments.
• This innovative sensor system enhances the ability to monitor and analyze fluid behavior in real-time.