THE CAVE PEARL PROJECT - LOW COST OPEN-SOURCE HARDWARE FOR ENVIRONMENTAL MONITORING NETWORKS

We present a low cost data logger and environmental housing system developed for long term monitoring projects that require operation in remote locales under humidity saturation and/or sub-aquatic environments, with the aim of providing 1 year deployment durations for a number of sensor configurations. The project ethos focuses on accessibility for limited budget non-experts, by using a limited number of open-source and inexpensive parts assembled with a minimum number of common tools. Bench-testing of more than sixty builds have advanced the basic three component electronic design (Arduino, RTC, SD card) to the point where one full year of operation is now demonstrated with three AA batteries. More than forty real world deployments have been completed over the last year including in flooded caves using the robust underwater housing tested to 30 m depth that can be made for less than $15 dollars with only a drill, a hacksaw, and sandpaper. Models with different sensor combinations will be demonstrated: drip/precipitation sensors, flow sensors, pressure sensors, temperature strings, and relative humidity sensors. Design and construction details will be provided.