Category-by-Category Breakdown of Sensors for the Raspberry Pi
Use of Plexiglass to house the sensors and the LED display.
Ideas:
Here’s a category-by-category breakdown of sensors you could realistically integrate into your node boxes and what each can do in your environment.
Think of this as a menu — you don’t need all of them, but grouping makes it clear what each category buys you.
Use case: Your Plexiglass Pi-Zero unit can act as a smart badge reader + relay switch, logging entries into your forum backend.
Use case: Build an Enviro Pod that logs climate into your database and auto-triggers fans or greenhouse vents.
Use case: Track machine uptime and create a “digital twin” of your shop’s utility usage.
Use case: Wire them into your node for instant SMS via Twilio if a critical safety event occurs.
Use case: Plexiglass pods in your garden node can water plants automatically and log soil data to your forum.
Use case: Your front-desk pod could combine NFC + screen + keypad for redundancy.
Use case: Your Empire Node could report “network health” on a plexi-mounted OLED.
The cool part about plexiglass:
Use of Plexiglass to house the sensors and the LED display.
Ideas:
- Security motion sensor to trigger alarms and cameras.
- Facial recognition to open doors and unlock toolcages.
- Greenhouse enviro.. heat, fans, cooling, power relay for motors pumps and vents.
- Landscape lighting.
- Security Gates
- Layered security doors, External exit, Office, Kitchen, boardroom, living.
- Open animal gates and chicken doors.
- Feed hoppers and watering.
- Triggering pumps for flushing waste.
- Timers, Temp, Motion...so many sensors
- Use of Relay, a small digital signal to trigger a magnetic relay or a solid state relay to control a higher electrical current.
- Some how monitor the sidewalk and drive and turn on the ice melter cables or pumps and values for the pex heating tubes in concrete.
- Dashboard and cooking recipes and cooking timing.
- Dashboards and human commands and validation from sensors..feeback and triggering.
Here’s a category-by-category breakdown of sensors you could realistically integrate into your node boxes and what each can do in your environment.
Think of this as a menu — you don’t need all of them, but grouping makes it clear what each category buys you.
Access & Security Sensors
- RFID/NFC readers: unlock doors, track member access, log entries.
- Fingerprint scanner: high-security authentication for labs/boardrooms.
- Camera (USB or CSI module): visual surveillance, motion capture, license plate recognition.
- PIR (Passive Infrared motion): detect presence in rooms or corridors.
- Magnetic reed switches: monitor door/window open/close state.
- Vibration/shock sensors: detect forced entry or tampering.
Use case: Your Plexiglass Pi-Zero unit can act as a smart badge reader + relay switch, logging entries into your forum backend.
Environmental Monitoring
- Temperature & humidity (DHT22, BME280): climate monitoring, HVAC optimization, greenhouse control.
- CO₂ / Air quality (MH-Z19, CCS811): ensure safe workspace and labs.
- VOC sensors: detect chemicals, paints, or welding fumes.
- Particulate sensors (PM2.5 / PM10): track dust levels in shop areas.
- Sound sensors (microphone arrays): noise level monitoring, security trigger.
Use case: Build an Enviro Pod that logs climate into your database and auto-triggers fans or greenhouse vents.
Power & Utility Sensors
- Current clamps (ACS712, SCT-013): measure tool/equipment power draw.
- Voltage sensors: detect brownouts or failures in circuits.
- Water flow meters: monitor usage in kitchens, bathrooms, or irrigation.
- Gas leak sensors (MQ series): safety monitoring in mechanical areas.
Use case: Track machine uptime and create a “digital twin” of your shop’s utility usage.
Safety & Emergency
- Smoke/heat detectors: fire detection.
- Flood/leak sensors: alert if water detected near floor/equipment.
- Tilt sensors: detect collapsing structures or mishandling of sensitive gear.
Use case: Wire them into your node for instant SMS via Twilio if a critical safety event occurs.
Facility & Automation
- Ultrasonic rangefinders: detect cars/people at gates or in shop bays.
- Weight sensors / load cells: inventory, propane tanks, or shop parts bins.
- Soil moisture sensors: automate greenhouse watering.
- Light sensors (LDR, TSL2591): control facility lighting.
- Servo/relay feedback sensors: confirm doors, gates, or valves actually moved.
Use case: Plexiglass pods in your garden node can water plants automatically and log soil data to your forum.
Human Interaction
- Keypads/touchscreens: secondary access, manual overrides.
- Proximity sensors (IR/ultrasonic): auto-wake displays, lights.
- Biometric heartbeat sensors: niche, but could tie into member “health check-in” stations.
Use case: Your front-desk pod could combine NFC + screen + keypad for redundancy.
Network & Meta Sensors
- GPS modules: if your node is mobile (in RV or case).
- Network latency sensors (software pings): constant uptime monitoring.
- RF spectrum scanners (RTL-SDR dongles): watch for interference or jamming.
Use case: Your Empire Node could report “network health” on a plexi-mounted OLED. The cool part about plexiglass:- Transparent → you can see LEDs glowing from sensors.
- There is black plexiglass for an advanced look and the plexiglass can be heated and forumed over a mold.
- Easy to etch labels → “ACCESS”, “ENVIRONMENT”, “POWER”.
- Edge-lit with LEDs → your modules double as glowing dashboards.
Sensor Journey Timeline