I’ve been playing with the RaspberryPi SenseHAT to see how easy it would be to code some live data logging of environmental factors like temperature or air pressure.
The Python matplotlib library makes it easy to plot nice graphs, and you can even update them. The Python code below takes a reading from the air pressure sensor on the SenseHAT every second for 20 seconds, and writes the readings into a list called pressure_list. It also logs the air pressure readings in the console you get a live readout which may be useful later…
It also writes numbers up 20 in a list called x to give us some numbers to go on the x-axis of our graph.
When the 20 seconds are up, it plots a bar chart of the readings, zoomed in to show only air pressures between 1026.7 and 1027 millibars – this is roughly the current range of air pressures in my lounge and the plt.axis command ensures we can easily see the differences in the bar chart. I also check to see if there are any exceptionally high or low pressure readings in each 20 second cycle, and take those into account when plotting the bar chart, though this gets reset on the next pass. You may need to fiddle with values for max_pressure and min_pressure depending on the weather!
It then repeats the process, wiping the list and starting again with 20 new air pressure readings.
Each Friday is PiDay here at Adafruit! Be sure to check out our posts, tutorials and new Raspberry Pi related products. Adafruit has the largest and best selection of Raspberry Pi accessories and all the code & tutorials to get you up and running in no time!
Adafruit publishes a wide range of writing and video content, including interviews and reporting on the maker market and the wider technology world. Our standards page is intended as a guide to best practices that Adafruit uses, as well as an outline of the ethical standards Adafruit aspires to. While Adafruit is not an independent journalistic institution, Adafruit strives to be a fair, informative, and positive voice within the community – check it out here: adafruit.com/editorialstandards
Stop breadboarding and soldering – start making immediately! Adafruit’s Circuit Playground is jam-packed with LEDs, sensors, buttons, alligator clip pads and more. Build projects with Circuit Playground in a few minutes with the drag-and-drop MakeCode programming site, learn computer science using the CS Discoveries class on code.org, jump into CircuitPython to learn Python and hardware together, TinyGO, or even use the Arduino IDE. Circuit Playground Express is the newest and best Circuit Playground board, with support for CircuitPython, MakeCode, and Arduino. It has a powerful processor, 10 NeoPixels, mini speaker, InfraRed receive and transmit, two buttons, a switch, 14 alligator clip pads, and lots of sensors: capacitive touch, IR proximity, temperature, light, motion and sound. A whole wide world of electronics and coding is waiting for you, and it fits in the palm of your hand.
Have an amazing project to share? The Electronics Show and Tell is every Wednesday at 7:30pm ET! To join, head over to YouTube and check out the show’s live chat and our Discord!
Python for Microcontrollers – Adafruit Daily — Python on Microcontrollers Newsletter: Open Hardware is In, New CircuitPython and Pi 5 16GB, and much more! #CircuitPython #Python #micropython @ThePSF @Raspberry_Pi
EYE on NPI – Adafruit Daily — EYE on NPI Maxim’s Himalaya uSLIC Step-Down Power Module #EyeOnNPI @maximintegrated @digikey
Each Friday is PiDay here at Adafruit! Be sure to check out our posts, tutorials and new Raspberry Pi related products. Adafruit has the largest and best selection of Raspberry Pi accessories and all the code & tutorials to get you up and running in no time!