BME680 MEMS Environmental Multi-Sensor

It’s always quite amusing to think about how we constantly sense the environmental factors around us with our human senses, and then become so curious when we find Modules and sensors that can do the same. However, modules and Sensors typically offer some extra insight that our senses struggle to pinpoint, and while we can tell when it’s hot or cold, or when there is an odd odour in the air, we struggle to identify the precise temperature or chemical makeup of the environment we’re in, and this is what makes sensors so damn valuable in the world of Electronics tinkering and design.

This I2C-capable BME680 Environmental Multi-Sensor is quite a marvel compared to the slew of single-sense sensors on the market, as it’s capable of measuring the concentration of VOCs (Volatile Compounds) in the air, as well as the air Pressure, Temperature and Humidity, all in one discrete (and very fancy) little package. It is primarily designed for wearable technologies which need to be discrete while offering full functionality, and conveniently operates on both 5V and 3.3V so as to work with a good range of Microcontrollers – including the very small ATTiny range of MCU’s.

In terms of interfacing with this module, you can choose to either use the conveniently provided Gravity 4-Pin port on the front of the board, or you can use the serial SPI connection pins that run along the edge. This, coupled with the wide input voltage, makes this little module surprisingly diverse, and with such ease-of-use, it’s one of the most user-friendly Environmental Sensors available.

Please Note: The VOC or IAQ sensing capabilities of this module seem to struggle when running on an 8-bit microcontroller, although we have tested it to work well in conjunction with more powerful boards like the ESP8266 Series of MCU’s. So please keep this mind if you are eager to use this module for measuring volatile compound concentrations.

Typical Applications for the BME680 MEMS Environmental Multi-Sensor:

Because of the very tiny form factor and surprisingly diverse capabilities of the I2C BME680 Environmental Multi-Sensor, it is most commonly incorporated into wearable technologies like smart watches or smart phones. However, it can also be used for any other environmental sensing projects you’re working on, and some cool project ideas that we plan on doing with this module include:

• Building our own wearables that keep track of external temperatures, body temperatures, humidity levels and pressures around the user, so as to interact with home automation and maintain perfect comfort at all times.
• Crafting a speed drone that travels to specific points, records and logs the data before coming back home and uploading the data onto a spreadsheet. This can be particularly beneficial on farms, in factories, as well as a range of other locations in which getting quick measurements is not always an easy task.
• Making a butler-bot for our workstations, that travels around the room and adjusts the air conditioners, fans and other devices to perfectly cater to our predefined “Optimal Comfort” settings.

 Of course, as with anything open-source, the possibilities for using this module are only really limited by your imagination. So get out there and start experimenting with all of the possibilities, and be sure to share your projects on social media for us all to see, comment on and learn from.

Additional Resources:

• If you’re eager to learn more about this sensor, this DFRobot BME680 Environmental Sensor Wiki Page contains a great amount of info’ on how it works, with example code for getting it up and running, as well as a range of library functions to help you control and operate the sensor.
• In addition to the above, you can also find some really useful information regarding this sensor within this DFRobot BME 680 Sensor GitHub Page.

As self-proclaimed “Robo-holics”, DFRobot is a company comprised of over 100 staff members, of which 30% are engineers who love to build robots. It was started in 2008 with the goal of embracing and promoting open-source hardware, with a core focus on Arduino, Raspberry Pi and their very own LattePanda development boards. Since then, DFRobot have manufactured over 1300 unique modules, sensors and components that all work together and complement each other, allowing users like us to enjoy a full spectrum of cutting edge robotics and electronics without having to pay premium prices.

With the primary goal of developing and manufacturing great quality products, while making them accessible to as many people as possible, DFRobot are rapidly becoming one of the most common-place brands in the world of open-source robotics and electronics. With more than 1300 products developed in-house, and an impressive range of different categories and specialisations, there are few brands in the world who can compete in terms of quality, accessibility and genuine innovation.