So... what did you make
What could this be used for
How mcThings platform works
Connecting the ultrasonic sensor to the mcModule120
Setting up the enclosure and installing the device
Programming the mcModule120
Visualizing the data
How long will this last
Thanks for reading

Published October 8, 2017 © GPL3+

Wireless Handheld IoT Ultrasonic Distance Sensor

Just a quick showcase on a handheld, wireless and battery operated distance sensor. Incredibly long-life (8 + years!).

BeginnerFull instructions provided1 hour2,736

Wireless Handheld IoT Ultrasonic Distance Sensor

Things used in this project

Hardware components

mcThings mcModule120 Dev Kit

This kit gives you everything you need to get going with mcThings. Not a requirement for this project however you will require at least one mcModule120, one mcGateway and one mcDongle

mcThings mcMod120 Module

You also require an mcGateway and mcDongle to bring the information from the device to the cloud. Consider an mcModule120 development kit!

Hammond - Nice blue case with easy access to batteries

US100 - Ultrasonic Sensor

You can get these from many different suppliers - search around for the best price from your preferred supplier

Generic AA battery clip

Software apps and online services

mcThings mcStudio

MQTT

Hand tools and fabrication machines

Soldering iron (generic)

Story

So... what did you make?

In this project we put together a handheld Utrasonic distance measuring device using the mcModule120 and a US-100 ultrasonic sensor! This is an example of using the ultra-low power nature of the mcThings platform to quickly and easily connect another sensor to create a cool IoT device/solution.

You can easily do this too into whatever enclosure you wish!

In a previous example, we had created a device that used the mcModule120 with an ultrasonic sensor to measure 'fullness' levels within a garbage can.

What could this be used for?

Using this example to create your own version, you can build tons of feasible and truly realistic IoT solutions:

Smart City - Imagine smart Garbage/Recycling/Bin/Container levels relayed back to a city control/dispatch center to increase efficiencies with vehicle routing, statistics, etc

Large Facilities - Large facilities with hundreds of bins (like amusement parks, airports, hospitals, universities/colleges, etc)

Agriculture - Imagine smart water troughs/feed/silo bins for livestock for real-time alerts on levels, etc

Parking/Object detection - Imagine an easy to deploy object and distance sensor system for all sorts of different use-cases

Fun Stuff - How quickly are your tomato plants growing? How high your cat can jump? Guess your height? etc.

How mcThings platform works:

The mcThings platform includes 2 main components: mcModules and mcGateways. A powered and connected mcGateway creates the mcAir network (up to 200m range under optimal conditions) and bridges the information between the mcModules (within range) to and from the Internet. Using the IDE (mcStudio) and mcScript (ultra-low power programming language - a subset of VB.NET) allows you to wirelessly connect, debug and program modules with your customized scripts.

Note: You also require an mcDongle to complete firmware updates on the modules/devices and gateways! We recommend looking at the mcModule120 Dev kit which includes everything you need to get going!

How the mcThings platform works!

Connecting the ultrasonic sensor to the mcModule120

Just like our other project, we soldered the ultrasonic sensor to the mcModule120

Connecting the US-100 to the mcModule120

Setting up the enclosure and installing the device

We found a nice enclosure that included an opening for easy battery changes. We started with using step bits to drill two holes into the enclosure for the ultrasonic sensor:

Because the enclosure had the opening for the battery pack, we decided to connect a 2 x AA battery holder to the mcModule120. This way we can power the device using AA batteries and increase the life of the device dramatically!

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We then inserted the ultrasonic sensor into the holes we drilled and installed the rest of the electronics into the enclosure:

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We then put some batteries in, closed up the case:

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And done!

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Programming the mcModule120

You can use the code that is listed at the bottom of this project (you'll need to also use the sensor library in your programming as well). Depending on where you want to direct the information, you'll need to modify the code and also your gateway configuration. For help, check out the other ultrasonic example we put together.

Visualizing the data

Because you can send the information to almost any IoT cloud application, you have the option to visualize or store the data based on your preference. mcThings works with many awesome partners that you can check out OR use a different application that can accept MQTT.

How long will this last?

Depending on how often you ask the device to measure distance will determine how long the device will last. In this case, measuring every 30 seconds and relaying that to a cloud application, the device should last at least 8 years on 2 x AA batteries!

Thanks for reading!

We'd love to hear your ideas for other use-cases for this type of device! Please become a member of our hub here on Hackster to stay up-to-date with new projects! We've got plenty more to come.

Code

Define PinMode Pin4 As DigitalOutput Alias sensorPower

Class US100 
    
    Const UART_BAUDRATE As Integer = 9600
    Const DISTANCE_COMMAND As Byte = 0x55
    
    Private _uartDev As Uart
    Private _txPin As Pin
    Private _rxPin As Pin
    Private _buf As ListOfByte
    
    Public Sub New(tx As Pin, rx As Pin)
        Disable()
        _txPin = tx
        _rxPin = rx
        _buf = New ListOfByte()
    End Sub
    
    Public Function GetDistance() As Integer
        _uartDev = Uart.Create(UART_BAUDRATE, _txPin, _rxPin)
        _buf.Clear()
        Enable()
        Thread.Sleep(800000)
        _uartDev.Write(DISTANCE_COMMAND) 'Command to request distance
        If Not WaitForResponse() Then
            _uartDev.Close()
            Disable()
            Return Nothing
        Else
            _uartDev.Close()
            Disable()
            'calculate and return distance
            Return _buf(0) * 256 + _buf(1)
        End If
    End Function
    
    Private Function WaitForResponse() As Boolean
        Dim try As Integer = 3000
        While (try > 0)
            If _buf.Count>= 2 Then
                Return True
            End If
            try -= 1
            Thread.Sleep(1000)
        End While
        Return False
    End Function 
    
    Public Sub Receive()
        Dim chr As Integer = _uartDev.Read()
        While chr >= 0
            _buf.AddByte(chr.ToByte)
            chr = _uartDev.Read()
        End While
    End Sub
    
    Public Sub Enable()
        sensorPower = True
    End Sub
    
    Public Sub Disable()
        sensorPower = False
    End Sub
    
End Class

    Shared usSensor As US100
    
    Shared Event Boot()
        usSensor = New US100(Pin.Pin2, Pin.Pin1)
    End Event
    
    Shared Event DistanceMeasurement() RaiseEvent Every 30 Seconds
        ' Create distance JSON object
        
        Dim distance As Integer = usSensor.GetDistance()
        Dim payload As Json = New Json  
        payload.Add("mmDistance", distance) ' distance in mm
        
      
        'Remove in final design (only used for debug)
        Dim payloadString As String = payload.ToString()
        Dim stringlength As Integer = payloadString.Length()
        
       
        
        Lplan.Publish(topic, payload.ToListOfByte)
        
        
        
    End Event
    
    Shared Event Uart0Receive()
        usSensor.Receive()
    End Event
    
End Class

Credits

mcThings

17 projects • 70 followers

Use mcThings to quickly & easily create, test and deploy IoT solutions for industrial, business/commercial and individual needs!

Wireless Handheld IoT Ultrasonic Distance Sensor