Abstract

ROMAN-HERRERA, Cristhian; LOZA-MATOVELLE, David; SEGURA, Luis  and  DABIRIAN, Reza. The construction of an open source based low cost turbidity sensor. Iteckne [online]. 2016, vol.13, n.1, pp.17-22. ISSN 1692-1798.

A novel device for measuring turbidity was designed and built. The device was prepared using low cost components and open source technology such as Arduinos, 3-D printers and open source software. The device consists of two main parts; firstly a LED which emits light and secondly a system that measures the light that passes through the sample holder. The amount of light is quantified to obtain a value of the turbidity of the sample. A detector setup with two light receptors aligned at 90° with respect to each other was chosen in order to increase the sensitivity of the instrument. The device was calibrated and showed a sensitivity range between 50 and 650 Nephelometric Turbidity Unit (NTU). As part of the system validation test samples of the device were compared with those of a commercial HACH turbidity sensor and the disparity was just 3.3%. The device is intended to be used to monitor the efficiency of removal of suspended particles in soils as well as treatment of wastewater in rural regions of Ecuador.

Keywords : Arduino; low cost; open source; turbidity.

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