ANAVI's Open Source Extractor Helps Keep Solder Fumes in Check
Defeat solder smoke on the cheap.
Breathing solder smoke (or flux) can be hazardous to your health, and just like spray painting, it's best to have some kind of airflow to dissipate those fumes. ANAVI Technology has designed a small smoke absorber to help capture those solder fumes and is certified by the Open Source Hardware Association (OSHWA) with UID BG000060.
ANAVI describes their Fume Extractor as "an open source smart solder smoke absorber that's driven by a Wi-Fi development board with an ESP8266, an 80 mm fan, and a replaceable carbon filter."
The Fume Extractor is outfitted with a Tensilica L106 32-bit processor (ESP8266), Wi-Fi 802.11 b/g/n, and an 80mm 5V DC 0.25A with a replaceable carbon filter. It packs an MQ-135 for monitoring air quality but can use any other 5V MQ analog gas sensor. The Fume Extractor also has dedicated slots for a mini OLED I2C display, up to three additional I2C sensor modules, UART pins for flashing custom firmware, and a button.
The ANAVI Fume Extractor works with the MQTT protocol as well, which allows it to support most open source home automation tools, including Home Assistant, OpenHAB, and ioBroker. Considering it features Wi-Fi capabilities, it can even be used with additional sensors — temperature, motion, and humidity, which can then be accessed for remote monitoring. What's more, it can be paired with rechargeable battery packs for soldering on the go.
The ANAVI Fume Extractor is currently being crowdfunded on Crowd Supply, with pledges starting at $49 and up. As mentioned earlier, the device comes in kit form, which offers the Fume Extractor PCB, 5V DC/DC 80mm fan, acrylic enclosure, a pair of replaceable filters, 0.96-inch OLED display, and a USB-to-serial debug cable.