Avnet Inc. has introduced a specialized hardware attached on top (HAT) sensor for Raspberry Pi designs intended for engineering professionals developing commercial industrial, heating, ventilation and air conditioning products.
The HAT is an add-on module calibrated with the Renesas ZMOD4410 air quality sensor that measures the concentrations of total volatile organic compounds (TVOCs) from parts-per-billion to parts-per-million. The sensor can also estimate carbon dioxide levels, which are important indicators for monitoring air quality.
The HAT also incorporates a Renesas HS3001 relative humidity and temperature sensor as well as software-controlled status light emitting diodes (LEDs). The connection points are available to measure the ZMOD4410 active current consumption, which Avnet said is useful when integrating the sensor and software into battery-powered products.
Avnet said the Raspberry Pi HAT form factor is designed for engineers prototyping, evaluating and proof-of-concept products. Applications the HAT could be used with a Raspberry Pi with include air/health monitoring systems, smart home appliances, smart thermostats, smart speakers and smart fans to smoke alarms, vacuum cleaners, garage openers, security systems, HVAC controls, air purifiers and building automation.
The sensor HAT for Raspberry Pi, named AES-RHSEN-ZM44-G, is priced at $49.95 and Avnet provides a pre-compiled test application that runs on the Raspberry Pi operation system and can measure TVOC and eCO2 out of the box.
