GoSense Air User manual

GoSense introduces students and educators to sensors, big data, computer science,
environmental sensing, and various fields of engineering through a series of sensor
kits designed for use in real-world projects.
1. GoSense Air Kit Contents and Unit Features
2. GoSense Air System Performance Attributes
3. Important Getting Started Considerations
4. Connecting GoSense Air to a Computer
5. Description of Menu Options with PC Connection
6. Setting up Number of Samples and Sample Display
7. Setting Date, Time, and UTC Offset
8. Setting Location
GoSense Air User's Guide V1.0

9. Recording Data
10. Downloading Data
11. Data File Name & Fields Description
12. Troubleshooting
Appendix 1 - Charging Batteries
Appendix 2 - Installing Arduino on PC
Appendix 3 - Installing and Removing Micro SD Card
Appendix 4 - GoSense Air v101 Temperature and Air Quality Stability and Temperature Offset

The GoSense Air Kit comes shipped with the contents listed in Table 1 and are shown below:
Table 1 - GoSense Air Kit Contents
List
Item Name Description Quantity
GoSense Air Unit Device to measure and record
temperature, humidity,
luminance, UV, gas
1
Micro SD Card 32GB data storage card 1
Micro SD Card
Adapter
Adapter for loading data from
Micro SD card onto PC
1
USB Cable Cable to connect GoSense Air Unit
to a computer
1

AA Charger Charging unit for AA rechargeable
batteries
1
AA Batteries AA batteries for powering
GoSense Air unit
1
Charger Cable USB cable for connecting battery
charger to a USB port for power
1
Lesson 1 of 16
1. GoSense Air Kit Contents and Unit Features

GoSense Air Unit Features
Main Enclosure – for protecting the internal electronics
Sensor Enclosure - for protecting sensors.
On/O Switch – turns the unit on and o. A USB cable will power the unit on when
connected to a PC even if the switch is o.
Power Indicator – Green LED light turns on when the unit is powered
Air Vents – Allows fresh air to contact the temperature/humidity sensor and assure
accurate readings

Light Sensitive Protective Window – a circular clear lens allows light to enter so UV
index values can be obtained
Micro SD Card/Slot – allows for data readings to be recorded and downloaded later
USB Port – allows for the user to connect to a PC (computer?) to change parameters
and observe live data readings
Record Button – This button is pressed to start recording and pressed again to stop
recording. A red LED will be visible during recording
Battery Compartment – Houses the two rechargeable AA batteries

Lesson 2 of 16
2. GoSense Air System Performance Attributes
Run Time: up to 20 hours with 2000mAh batteries provided
Storage Capacity: 32GB with Micro SD card (number of samples stored varies with
sample rate)
Humidity Sensor: range: 20-80%, accuracy ±2% relative humidity
Temperature Sensor: range -40 to +257, accuracy ±0.36 degrees Fahrenheit

UV Sensor: peak spectral response between 300 and 350 nanometers (nm)
Gas Sensor: gas-sensitive element test concentration range: 10 to 1000 parts per
million (ppm)

Instructions in this User’s Guide assume the user is operating with a PC with USB ports as
well as an SD card reader and running Windows 10 with Microsoft Excel installed. 
Arduino IDE is the recommended software for connecting to the GoSense Air unit for
configuration or observing live data readings.
A micro SD card will be used in the GoSense unit to record data and so the user may need an
adapter to be able to read the card with a PC.
The air quality sensor is intended for indoor use but may be used outdoors.
Verify that the Micro SD card is installed in the unit (see Appendix 3 - Installing and
Removing Micro SD Card).
Set the date, time, UTC oset, and location to match your location upon first time use of the
GoSense Air unit. (see Section 7 - Setting Date, Time, and UTC Oset and Section 8-
Setting Location for instructions)
Charge the AA batteries fully before each use.
Lesson 3 of 16
3. Important Getting Started Considerations
GE N E R AL R E MI N DE R S B E F O R E U SE DU R I N G U SE
GE N E R AL R E MI N DE R S B E F O R E USE DUR IN G USE

Before the first use, the air quality sensor needs to be powered on and in record mode for 48
hours by plugging it into a computer or powered USB. This is the “burn-in” period. This
does not have to be a continuous 48 hours, and the sensor can be used during this time.
Sensor use under battery power counts toward the burn-in period. 
Power the unit and record for at least 30 minutes prior to each use to allow the gas sensor to
warm up and for readings to stabilize.
Do not insert or remove the Micro SD card while GoSense Air is powered. Turn the power
o and disconnect the USB cable when inserting or removing Micro SD Card. Failure to
follow this suggestion may lead to corrupt files or a damaged Micro SD Card.
Avoid blocking the air vent holes and the clear lens of the UV sensor to ensure accurate
readings. 
Do not expose the GoSense Air unit to rain or water. Doing so will cause equipment
malfunction.
Do not expose the GoSense Air Unit to direct sunlight for extended periods of time to avoid
damage to the unit.
If the USB cable is utilized, the switch can be left o as power from the PC will be provided.
Power up the unit and record data for at least 30 minutes prior to each use to allow the gas
sensor to warm up and for readings to stabilize. Readings will stabilize after the sensor has
heated up for approximately 30 minutes.
GE N E R AL R E MI N DE R S B E F O R E U SE DUR IN G USE

Connecting GoSense Air to a Computer
Lesson 4 of 16
4. Connecting GoSense Air to a Computer
Plug the small end of the USB cable into the GoSense unit in the slot marked “USB”
and the large end into the USB port of your computer. The cable has a USB A style
plug for the computer. If your computer has a dierent style USB port, an adapter
(not included) will be needed.
If you have administrative rights on your computer, you can allow access and
confirm any security or installation warnings.
If you do not have administrative rights, click the “Cancel” button on all Windows
Security Alert dialogs. The security dialogs may look dierent from the one shown.

If an Administrator credential dialog is displayed, click the “No” button or close. 
Since the IDE is only used to display the GoSense menu and configure the GoSense,
the security system should not block the operation.
The Arduino IDE may take a couple of minutes to start the first time.
If update notifications are displayed, you may close them by clicking the Xs in the
update’s notification at the bottom of the display or click the “Later” buttons.


Load the Arduino IDE.
Select the board and port. Do not select or keep the Raspberry Pi Pico selection.
Setting the board as Raspberry Pi Pico may allow code sketches to be accidentally
uploaded to the GoSense and overwrite the firmware rendering the GoSense
unusable.
Click on the board selector drop down list (Raspberry Pi Pico is shown in the
example above and must be changed).
Note: GoSense Air’s power switch does not need to be turned on or off since power is
provided via USB cable when connected to a PC.  

Click the "Select other board and port"option
The com port number may dier on your computer. Type uno in the Boards search
bar and select Arduino UNO.
Select the COM port for your GoSesne. If you are not sure which COM port the
GoSense is connected to you can unplug the GoSense and take note of the available
COM ports then re-plug the GoSense and a new port should be listed. 
Select that port and click the Ok button

DO NOT UPLOAD SKETCHES TO THE CONNECTED GoSense.
This will overwrite the firmware on the GoSense and it will
not be usable.
Click on “Tools” then select “Serial Monitor”.

                             Arduino IDE with serial monitor window open
Observe the bottom of the serial monitor window as shown and make sure the
following are set:
Autoscroll is checked
Show Timestamp is unchecked
Line ending setting is set to Newline
Baud rate set to 9600 baud
Click in the text box to access the menu option. When the cursor blinks, type “m”
and press enter. The menu options will populate in the serial monitor.

                                      Serial monitor with menu options displayed
If the GoSense Air USB connection is unplugged and reconnected after a Serial
Monitor instance is already opened, you will need to close out the current Serial
Monitor window and open a new one. The Arduino IDE does not need to be closed
out and reopened.

Below is a description of the menu options available. Note instructions on using the menu
features are presented in other sections of this user’s guide.
Lesson 5 of 16
5. Description of Menu Options with PC Connection
m – Prints the options menu. This is especially useful if the serial monitor window
opens and the menu options are not shown.  
b – Starts the recording process and shows live data values in the serial monitor
window. This performs the same action as pressing the pushbutton switch to start
recording.
s – Stops the recording process and live data readings will stop being shown as
well. This performs the same action as pressing the pushbutton switch to stop
recording. 
d – Changes the delay between each sample taken. This dictates the overall sample
rate of the system.
n – Set the total number of samples that the GoSense Air will take when the
recording process is started. The unit will stop recording once those numbers of
samples are recorded.  Set this value to zero to allow the system to run indefinitely
until the stop recording process is initiated using “s” or “b” options.
k – Changes location.  This is used in the data filename.
y – Updates the date, time and UTC oset as needed.
t - Set temperature oset. This is used when calibrating the temperature sensor.

v – View the current settings(sample rate, number of samples to be taken, date,
time, UTC oset, location).
Prior to changing settings, make sure the Micro SD card is inserted into the GoSense Air
according to Appendix 3 - Installing and Removing Micro SD Card.

To change number of samples setting:
Screenshot showing example number of samples update
Lesson 6 of 16
6. Setting up Number of Samples and Sample Display
Connect the GoSense Air to your PC following instructions in Section4 -
Connecting GoSense Air to a Computer.
With Serial Monitor open and cursor blinking, type “n” and press enter.
Type in the desired number of samples to be taken. Notice the number of samples
to take updated in the serial console as shown. If the value entered is not updated,
check that the Micro SD is inserted. If not, un-power the GoSense Air and insert
Micro SD Card according to Section4 - Connecting GoSense Air to a Computer and
repeat all steps.

To change sample delay: Type in the desired delay (in milliseconds) between samples. For
example, 2 seconds would equate to 2,000 milliseconds and 1.5 seconds would equate to
1,500 milliseconds. This value needs to be set to something positive. Default setting is
1,000 milliseconds (1 second).