Riffle: an Open Source Water Monitoring Approach
riffle

The **Riffle** is a collection of designs that take an open source approach to water monitoring, with the intent of making gathering water information easier and more accessible. It is part of Public Lab's [Open Water Project](https://publiclab.org/wiki/open-water). (Lead image by @cfastie) For an overview of the design philosophy behind the Riffle, and **what constraints and uses it was aimed at**, see [this wiki page](https://publiclab.org/wiki/riffle_design_philosophy). Public Lab has supported development of an [Arduino](https://www.arduino.cc)-compatible [Riffle version - a datalogger enclosed in a water bottle](https://github.com/OpenWaterProject/riffle_328). This is great, because the Arduino community is huge, and lots of knowledge and troubleshooting resources are now applicable to the Riffle project. (The first **Riffle** design was an [ARM-based datalogger board enclosed in PVC](https://github.com/bgamari/riffle)) **** # Riffle Water Monitor Designs By now, several instrument designs have been constructed around the **Riffle**, some of which of are described in an array of Github repositories: - [Openwaterproject](https://github.com/OpenWaterProject) -- the main organization on github - [riffle_328](https://github.com/OpenWaterProject/riffle_328) -- hardware designs, instructions and software for getting started with the Riffle_328 datalogger - [riffle_328-conductivity](https://github.com/OpenWaterProject/riffle_328-conductivity) -- Design considerations around conductivity - [riffle_328-depth](https://github.com/OpenWaterProject/riffle_328-depth) -- Depth measurement circuit prototype - [riffle_328-turbidity](https://github.com/OpenWaterProject/riffle_328-turbidity) -- Turbidity sensor prototype - [riffle_328-thermistor](https://github.com/OpenWaterProject/riffle_328-thermistor) -- Connecting a thermistor to a Riffle - [riffle_328-i2c](https://github.com/OpenWaterProject/riffle_328-i2c) -- Connecting i2c sensors to a Riffle - [riffle_328-one-wire](https://github.com/OpenWaterProject/riffle_328-one-wire) -- Connecting one-wire sensors to a Riffle # Sensor Designs We've started to summarize some of the approaches to sensing water parameters like conductivity and turbidity: - [Sensing conductivity](https://publiclab.org/wiki/conductivity_sensing) - [Sensing turbidity](https://publiclab.org/wiki/turbidity_sensing) # Activities Here are some activities the Public Lab community has conducted using the Riffle [activities:riffle] # Project Status 2017: A second small order of Riffle_328 boards was shipped on May 30th, and is on its way to the Public Lab kits department in Portland, Oregon. From there it will be sent to Public Lab community members who ordered them. The Riffle was available for pre-order until March 17. https://publiclab.org/questions/warren/06-12-2017/what-s-the-battery-life-of-the-nano-data-logger#answer-comment-16862 2016: A small order of Riffle_328 boards arrived late April 2016, and were sent to Public Lab community members as a way of testing the design and informing further development. Projects using this riffle can be found at https://publiclab.org/tag/riffle and https://publiclab.org/tag/riffle-beta # How to get a Riffle Datalogger The Riffle is open source, so if Public Lab is not currently offering it for sale, anyone can take the designs above to a PCB fabricator and have one made, copy and remix the design, or investigate other dataloggers. # Riffle Alternatives The following dataloggers also have a real time clock and log to a micro SD card as the Riffle does. All of them are based on Arduino and will run more or less the same sketches. These are all open source hardware. 1. [EnviroDIY Mayfly Logger](https://envirodiy.org/mayfly/). Designed at the Stroud Water Research Center and commercially available through Amazon but currently out of stock (as of Feb 2017). 2. [Adafruit Feather M0](https://www.adafruit.com/products/2772) and [Adalogger FeatherWing RTC + SD Add-on](https://www.adafruit.com/products/2922). These are two commercial products which snap together. 3. [Cave Pearl Project logger](https://hackaday.io/project/6961-the-cave-pearl-project). Ed Mallon's design for a DIY data logger made from very inexpensive clone components (Arduino Pro Mini, SD card board, RTC board). Requires soldering and care. 4. see more open source data loggers collected on the [Data Logging page](/wiki/data-logging) **** ## Questions [questions:riffle] **** ###All updates related to the Riffle [notes:riffle] **** ##Related Questions Since the Riffle is Arduino-compatible, here are also some Q&A for Arduinos in general: [questions:arduino] The Riffle is also a part of a larger area on data logging. Here are some Q&A asked more generally: [questions:data_logging] [questions:nano-data-logger]...


Author Comment Last activity Moderation
WhiteRabbit "Be mindful how temperature may affect your saline conductivity measurements, as I tried to point out in the comments here: http://publiclab.org/not..." | Read more » over 9 years ago
ajawitz "Check out my recent research note- http://publiclab.org/notes/code4maine/07-25-2014/grassroots-underwater-photography I've been using floating came..." | Read more » over 9 years ago
WhiteRabbit "You'll probably need to correct for differences in sample temperature. i.e. temperature will affect the conductivity of the salt solution. So, to..." | Read more » over 9 years ago
DavidMack "seems like a good approach. maybe specify the type of salt: fine sea salt, table salt (with iodine), kosher salt (no iodine), or Himalayan pink sa..." | Read more » over 9 years ago
neilh20 "Hi Don, looks great procedure, and while not knowing if it actually works - it does give a procedure for establishing a range for a specific set of..." | Read more » over 9 years ago
neilh20 "Hey Donblair - you've got some great posts. The above was from my experience - working with designing a simple water level measurement device. Real..." | Read more » over 9 years ago
donblair "Thanks, Neil -- this will be a great document to reference, going forward! The water depth measurement, and use of ruler as a an accessible standa..." | Read more » over 9 years ago
patcoyle "Terrific writeup and results, +1 to above comments. Excellent. " | Read more » over 9 years ago
straylight "great workshop, really well run and I loved reading about the glitches along the way :) Now you have a prototype working, the next step would be t..." | Read more » over 9 years ago
kanarinka "Awesome write-up guys - I can't believe how much progress was made in such a short time. I think the audio stuff has so much educational potential ..." | Read more » over 9 years ago
mathew "visualizing data is hot right now, but this is some next level $#!%-- in-situ data landscape audiolization--- its so cutting edge the spellchecker ..." | Read more » over 9 years ago
warren "Great tone difference at around 2:26! I love the idea (discussed with @dorncox) of listening to two of these at different ends of your yard, or up ..." | Read more » over 9 years ago
donblair "Update: Brett Longworth at WHOI just pointed me to article about using oil in ROVs! http://oceanexplorer.noaa.gov/technology/subs/hercules/hercule..." | Read more » almost 10 years ago
mathew "WARNING: do not, under ANY CIRCUMSTANCES get distracted by searching e-bay for vintage Hygrothermographs. " | Read more » almost 10 years ago
donblair "Also: how hard would it be to rig up some sort of 'pen' that connects to a 555 and writes out a 'record' of the conductivity on some physical mediu..." | Read more » almost 10 years ago
donblair "ZOMG that's brilliant. I'm going to try to bring the materials required to do a rough prototype of this to Plymouth -- but anyway shouldn't be hard..." | Read more » almost 10 years ago
mathew "Yes, exactly! I would love to see an analog "retro edition" riffle with a microcassette recorder and a 555, maybe in a really nice Ball jar. " | Read more » almost 10 years ago
warren "Wow, i'm not sure I follow all of this, but is one potential advantage of the 555 that we could even skip the arduino entirely, if, say, we wanted ..." | Read more » almost 10 years ago
donblair "E.g. I just found this: http://wiki.openmusiclabs.com/wiki/PWMDAC And, oh gosh, this is fun: http://sensorium.github.io/Mozzi/ And: http://www.ucho..." | Read more » almost 10 years ago
donblair "Good call on the power control chip -- for the riffle-ito design, I'm just using an LDO, which should provide a relatively clean signal? But yeah,..." | Read more » almost 10 years ago
mathew "the power issues are going to be tough. Most power control chips do tricky high-speed things to push out a DC signal and the voltage isn't very cle..." | Read more » almost 10 years ago
donblair "Egads! Mat, thanks for pointing this out! I totally flubbed that one: in the 555 approach, the signal that is passing through the water is indee..." | Read more » almost 10 years ago
mathew "the 555 is pretty simple. There's not that much inside of it. If it simplifies the power circuitry issues you're facing then go with it. I hadn'..." | Read more » almost 10 years ago
donblair "Ah -- great thoughts! And your comment points to an important issue, which is that I myself was unclear (and still am, a bit) as to the utility of..." | Read more » almost 10 years ago