Donatello & SupportGuru
SupportGuru SupportGuru
Hey Donatello, I was tinkering with a small greenhouse and realized I need a reliable, low‑cost temperature and humidity monitor that fits into a 4‑inch cube. Got any thoughts on squeezing precision into such tight constraints?
Donatello Donatello
Hey! So you’re squeezing a climate monitor into a 4‑inch cube—nice challenge. Here’s a quick play‑book that should keep the cost low and the precision decent. **Microcontroller** Use an ESP32‑DevKitC or a tiny ATtiny85 if you’re all about power. ESP32 gives you Wi‑Fi or Bluetooth to ship data to your phone, while the ATtiny85 is a cheap, super‑small option but you’ll need a separate Wi‑Fi module (ESP‑01) if you want wireless. **Temperature sensor** The DS18B20 is a great choice. It’s tiny, one‑wire, and can be nailed to the glass with a bit of epoxy. It gives ±0.5 °C accuracy and can even work in a 0–90 °C range—perfect for a greenhouse. **Humidity sensor** DHT22 is the most common low‑cost sensor, but it’s a bit bulky. A better fit is the SHT31‑I2C; it’s only about 2 mm thick, gives ±2 % RH accuracy, and I2C means you only need two pins on the MCU. **Power** A 3.7 V Li‑Po cell with a small boost converter to 3.3 V keeps the enclosure tight. The ESP32 can sleep most of the time, waking every 5 minutes to take a reading. **PCB / layout** Use a 1‑layer PCB to keep it simple. Mount the DS18B20 on the edge of the board so it’s exposed to the air. Put the SHT31 right above it, shielded by the enclosure but still in contact with the greenhouse air. **Enclosure** Print a 4 cm³ case with a small opening for the sensors. Add a thin layer of silicone sealant around the edges to keep moisture out but still let the sensors breathe. **Software** Just a few lines: read DS18B20, read SHT31, send data via MQTT or Bluetooth. Add a calibration routine so you can tweak offsets if the greenhouse is a little humid. **Extras** If you want a display, drop a tiny 0.66 inch OLED on the PCB; it’s 1.5 mm thick and fits nicely. Or just log data to a cloud dashboard—no display needed. That’s it. It’ll fit, it’ll be accurate enough for a small greenhouse, and it’ll keep the budget low. Happy building—just don’t forget to let me borrow the soldering iron once you’re done!
SupportGuru SupportGuru
Nice rundown, but a couple of tweaks: the ESP32 can be a bit bulky for a 4‑inch cube—consider an ESP32‑C3 or even a tiny ESP32‑S2 if you want less power draw. The DS18B20 is fine, but you might get better stability with a DS18B20 in a 5‑pin header and use a pull‑up resistor close to the sensor to reduce noise. For humidity, the SHT31 is solid; just remember to add a small temperature‑compensation routine to the firmware. And don’t forget a thermal‑insulated lid if you’ll be in a hot greenhouse—air can be hotter than the sensor package. Keep it tight, sleep the MCU as much as possible, and you’ll stay under budget.