I think this is one of the most common questions about the NAM – whether the SDS011 can be replaced with the SPS30. Well, theoretically it’s possible, since support for the SPS30 has been available in NAMF for a long time, but there was still one “minor” issue – namely, how to physically connect the SPS30 to the HECA and install it in the NAM.
It seems the first question has already been answered. In the featured image, you can see one of the latest iterations of the adapter for connecting the HECA tube to the SPS30.
And the second question? We won’t leave you hanging on this one – work is already underway. Here’s a small illustration, but the iterations here are much slower than with 3D printing, so you’ll have to wait longer for the final version.
In any case, expect a complete solution to this problem soon. You’ll be able to use the SPS30 with NAM without any hassle.
In my previous post, I wrote about our experiment with the Android app. Since it generated some interest, you can download and install the APK. Everything, along with a short description, is available on GitHub (specifically in Releases).
The program code itself isn’t there yet, as it’s an experiment, and is currently part of a larger repository where I keep internal experiments. In a few days, I’ll try to extract the app code and add it to the repo linked above. Those interested can manually install the APK.
For now, I don’t plan to create a Google Play store to “legally” distribute the app. Maybe in the future. Maybe.
Recently we did internal experiment with Android apps. First, short clip:
Now, a few words of explanation. I have quite a few NAMs running at home, and not only that. And although they all send data to Influx, some are connected to HomeAssistant, and each device can be checked through its web interface, I needed a convenient way to quickly check a specific value.
So, I created a JSON browser – you enter a URL, the app downloads the JSON and displays a tree – you browse and select a field, name it, and from then on, you have the value from that field displayed on the main screen. You can refresh all entries at once or just one. This isn’t shown in the video because I quickly realized I mainly use NAMs, and when the app recognizes the JSON structure as “NAM-based,” it immediately suggests quick selection fields, which can be selected with a single click.
This way, without having to click around in Grafana, I can quickly see that the fermentation is nearing completion 😉
I know, I know – THIS is from Grafana, but I had no access to test phone with installed app when writing. Also – app shows only value, not a graph, but you know what I mean…
After using it for a while, I’ve come to the conclusion that it’s a useful tool and that maybe more people would find it useful?
Creating a Google Play store is a bit of a hassle, though, so I’m wondering if anyone would install something like this on their Android (but not iOS, unless Apple allows apps to be built on Linux…).
Let’s summarize – what does the app currently do?
You can enter the URL of any JSON file, download it, and select a single value from it. Name it, and it will be displayed on the main screen.
It finds NAM devices on the local network and recognizes the JSON structure, allowing for a shortened method of selecting a value (in this variant, it’s resistant to changes in the JSON structure; for example, after a sensor configuration change, it should still provide the correct reading, provided it’s available).
You can refresh all values at once or select them individually.
Is this worth developing and making available to a wider audience?
We have received info from Post, that starting from Jan 1st posts will stop accept small packages sent as registered letters. It was way how we shipped most small orders in Europe. For some countries it was only available shipping method.
Due to this change we have suspended accepting orders with this shipping. That means we service now lower number of countries. We are looking for solution. Post proposes use of parcels instead, but price is about 3 times higher so courier services will be in similar price or even cheaper.
Today the binaries for the NAMF-47rc2 version (of course – in the beta update channel) hit the server. It brings quite significant new features. The first, which will be appreciated especially by those who have recuperation in their homes.
If you equip your NAM with the SDS011 restarter, then in the SDS configuration you can set the alarm to go off at a preset PM2.5 or PM10 value.
Then pin 7 (the one closest to the LED and SDS connector) will be set to high (3.3V) when alert value has been exceed. Remember that PCF used in restarter can drive only 400 µA in high state, so You need to use some transistor to drive any load.
If you have mechanical ventilation in the house, you can thus receive information about the need to turn it off when the air is of poor quality. Output this signal to the outside (don’t forget to also “take” GND from the EXT connector or any of the HX connectors) and you can control the device.
You can achieve a similar solution using home automation (whether Home Assistant or Domoticz), there are also ready-made commercial solutions. Here the advantage is simplicity – if you don’t have HA/Domoticz this will also work. Since it works locally, it doesn’t require access to the cloud as some of the solutions you’ll encounter from competitors have.
LoRaWAN
The NAM 0.4 kit, expected by some for a long time, has finally appeared – based on ESP32 and running on LoRaWAN. The kit is still in beta, but if anyone is strongly interested in testing – you are welcome. The NAMF-47rc2 version already allows you to use LoRaWAN – you just need to be in range of The Things Network. The other good news about TTN is that besides being in range you don’t need additional infrastructure – Tomek Rękawek, the author of aqi.eco has added an integration that allows you to send data from TTN to aqi.eco! But about the details, I will write on the Starter Kit, describing the configuration. For now, soldering instructions for the NAM 0.4 kit are available.
DNMS – measure noise
The next big news is support for DNMS! Digital Noise Measurement Sensor is, as the name suggests, a sensor that measures noise intensity. Well, and since version 47rc2 it is already supported by NAM.
To top it off – any day now a soldering kit will be on sale in our shop, which will allow you to build such a sensor
There are also some bugs fixed (like not working user/password when sending data InfluxDB)
Two days ago there was release NAMF-2020-46a with one bugfix – there was additional parenthesis marks in Prometheus metrics endpoint. With 46a that was removed, Prometheus endpoint now should work OK.
Next stable release will have a bit different naming scheme – no 2020 in it so it will be just NAMF-47.
A minor but useful change. From now on, links to configuration help for NAM will appear. Currently, this is represented by a compass symbol, which leads to pages with a brief description. For example, like this one.
Why a compass? Because the icons used by NAMF are based on symbols available in Unicode. And somehow, I couldn’t find a better one. There’s a nice question mark, but white on white is not great, and red doesn’t quite fit.
Help is based on a system of pages that are generated along with the code on GitHub. The advantage is the simplicity of the whole system, and the structure allows for maintaining different language versions. For now, it’s just the structure; I still need to work on the translations (and expanding the list of topics) 🙂
The downside is that since the help files are on GitHub, internet access is required. When configuring NAM for the first time and connected to the AP in NAM, there usually isn’t network access, but this depends on the phone’s settings.
And yes, there will soon be an rc8 version, because I was convinced that rc7 included all the necessary translations/labels for languages, but it didn’t, so rc8 is coming soon. Based on this, there will likely be a stable version.
Other changes – the implementation of the BH1750 light sensor has been completed.
What next?
The next versions will have slightly different numbering. Since there is currently only one line of software, the year 2020 will be dropped from the version number. Thus, after NAMF-2020-46, the next version will be NAMF-47.
Version 47 will primarily focus on completing the ESP32 version with LoRa (and possibly Ethernet, but that’s not the main goal). As for sensors, the initial tests of the Winsen ZE25A are very promising, so I plan to add support for this O3 sensor to NAM.
