Cost-Effective Wireless Microcontroller for Internet Connectivity of Open-Source Chemical Devices

This paper presents a system for remote monitoring of turbidity data that can detect light intensity and temperature using a microcontroller and the Internet of Things. The system comprises a light dependent resistor and infrared temperature sensor interfaced with an ESP-12E microcontroller, a programmable data acquisition platform; together these enable remote real-time monitoring of turbidity data applicable to chemical education. This system will allow educators and students to monitor chemical experiments in real-time through a web browser. Changes in turbidity and signal processing associated with a light dependent resistor are stored locally on the microcontroller and transmitted wirelessly via a WiFi-based connection to a cloud-based server. The light intensity signals are displayed on the system through an organic light-emitting diode and subsequently uploaded to a cloud-based server. A web-based signal processing MATLAB program plots the uploaded signals available as real-time streams to authorized subscribers over standard browsers.