DESIGN OF MINI SOUND LEVEL METER #Arduino

As urban environments grow increasingly dense, environmental noise pollution has become a significant concern for public health and quality of life. It is now understood that sustained exposure to high noise levels can contribute to various health issues, from stress and sleep disturbances to more severe conditions such as cardiovascular disease. Consequently, the importance of effective noise monitoring has never been more evident. Traditionally, this task has been the responsibility of specialised acousticians and engineers equipped with precise instruments like general-purpose sound level meters.

However, in recent years, there has been a marked surge in public engagement with environmental issues, including noise pollution. This trend has sparked a demand for reliable yet affordable noise measurement devices for the public to monitor and evaluate environmental noise levels in their locales. Despite this growing demand, the vast majority of low-cost "noise meters" on the market exhibit significant shortcomings in terms of accuracy, leaving them unfit for effective noise assessment.

The International Electrotechnical Commission (IEC) has established a standard, IEC61672-1, that stipulates the precision required for a device to be deemed suitable as a sound level meter. The standard delineates three distinct levels of accuracy, contingent upon the specific circumstances and contexts of instrument usage. Given the legal ramifications of noise pollution assessment – such as determining whether noise levels exceed permissible thresholds – the use of an instrument that conforms to IEC61672-1 becomes crucial. Devices that do not comply with these requirements are unlikely to be accepted in a legal context.

At the outset of my initial research outlined in Thesis A, no low-cost sound level meter on the market satisfied the IEC61672-1 requirements. Nevertheless, recent technological advancements in integrated circuits and microphones presented a promising avenue for developing a cost-effective yet reliable sound level meter. Capitalising on these developments, this research objective was to design a customised, low-cost mini sound level meter that adheres to IEC standards, empowering citizens to monitor noise pollution.

Building on the foundation laid in Thesis A, this Thesis B project strives to continue the pursuit of a cost-effective, IEC-compliant sound level meter. By doing so, it aims to contribute to the burgeoning field of citizen science and facilitate broader public participation in environmental noise monitoring, an increasingly critical aspect of urban living in the 21st century.

Project Description

This project presents the design, implementation, and evaluation of an Arduino-based mini sound level meter. The device provides accurate dBA measurements reflecting the sensitivity of human hearing across various environments. The motivation for this project is to develop an affordable, accessible, and reliable noise monitoring device. Features

Accurate sound pressure level measurements
User-friendly interface
Cost-effective and accessible hardware components
Comparison capabilities with professional devices and mobile applications

Installation Hardware Requirements

Arduino microcontroller
Sound pressure level sensor
Auxiliary hardware components (wires, breadboard, etc.)

Software Requirements

Arduino IDE
Required Arduino libraries

Steps

Connect the hardware as per the given schematic diagram.
Open the Arduino IDE.
Import the necessary Arduino libraries.
Upload the provided Arduino code to the Arduino board.

Usage

Once the device is powered and the code is uploaded successfully, it starts to monitor and display the sound pressure levels in dBA. Contributing

Contributions, issues, and feature requests are welcome! Feel free to check issues page. License

This project is MIT licensed. Contact

Created by @13hanu - feel free to contact me!

Project Status

This project is in the development stage and does not fully adhere to the IEC 61672-1 standards due to hardware limitations. Work is in progress to improve the device's design and performance, and updates will be posted regularly. Acknowledgments

This work was inspired by the need for affordable, reliable tools for monitoring noise pollution, a major environmental and public health concern. We acknowledge the efforts of all those who have contributed to making this project possible.