Arduino-Fart-O-Meter

[robomaniac] shows us some serious application of modern technology with his recent Instructable, (the) Arduino-Fart-O-Meter. The wireless device uses a “perfboard Arduino” to read a remote wired methane sensor, and send data over a nRF2401A radio transceiver.

“The data” is picked up by another Arduino / transceiver combo, which then drives a servo motor connected to the pointer. The meter itself consists of 6 ranges from “Fresh Air” to “Liquid” so there is no doubt in your standing.

The wireless and remote sensor setup makes this an easy device to include into your loved ones chairs while having the meter far enough away (just in case you have to make a run for it). If you want some more accuracy check out the Fart intensity detector we posted about, which adds in temperature and sound to the equation, or how about a chair that twitters your toots?

Join us after the break for a quick video, its a real gas.

[youtube=http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Yv8-mPuJaQ0&w=450]

24 thoughts on “Arduino-Fart-O-Meter

  1. Eh, it may measure fart volume via methane, but ears do that well enough. Everyone knows that at 75 decibel blast is near odorless, while a 0 decibel SBD/squeaker can clear the room. If this hack wasn’t just a creative use for a spare methane detector, a thiol detector would have better indicated the offensiveness of yon tootin.

  2. methane is odorless… it’s the sulfides and mercaptans that cause the smell, higher concentrations cause more stink.

    Therefore this thing is 100% useless and was built by someone that knows nothing at all about the subject.

  3. @fartface
    Again, people think about this too seriously! I made that for entertainment purpose!!! It was never intended to be useful, how on earth this thing could be useful?!? I also do not detect the “stink” I just detect the presence of methane. If you fart longer, you produce more gas, the change of producing more methane is higher then a smaller fart. That’s what I am looking for. It’s all about a good laugh!

  4. edison “invented” the lightbulb …. tesla invented the radio … and now robomaniac invented the fart-o-meter
    i believe we have now reached the peak of what mankind can do *hats off*

  5. I think it is hilarious and fun and enjoyed it thoroughly. However, about 2/3 of the population create no methane gas and the other third do. This is an incredible disappointment to some who have tested the flammability of their emissions and failed to make a flame.

    Where this detector could be used is to identify the persons who create the above mentioned green house gas and therefore should be docked on their carbon footprint. Methane is 21 times worse as a greenhouse gas than CO2.

  6. Now that vog season is back in HI, I was thinking along the lines of an SO2 sensor, but couldn’t find a project to build on. So, thanks! Too bad Sparkfun doesn’t sell a sulfur dioxide module. I may try to make do with a CO sensor.

  7. @Jerome Demers
    Pay no attention to “fartface”, he’s the resident expert on all subjects and could redo all of our projects better. He’s also a master at identifying bad solder joints from blurry photos.

  8. The website is great! @walt If you consider yourself a hardcore hacker then don’t look at simple projects. Electronics is for everyone not only for the experts and I’m sure that every expert has started from a simple instructable.

  9. @walt – The anti-Instructables rants have already been done on another post – you are late for the party. In case you had not noticed, there has been a significant increase in the number of posts here on HaD. Even if you skip the ones from Instructables there are a ton of quality hacks.

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