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Show HN: We open-sourced our compost monitoring tech

(github.com)
236 points montycompostco | 5 comments | 21 Nov 24 01:30 UTC | HN request time: 1.146s | source

I'm from a compost tech startup (Monty Compost Co.) focused on making composting more efficient for households and industrial facilities. But our tech isn’t just for composting— it’s a versatile system that can be repurposed for a wide range of applications. So, we’ve made it open source for anyone to experiment with!

One of the exciting things about our open-source compost monitoring tech is its flexibility. You can connect it to platforms like Raspberry Pi, Arduino, or other single-board computers to expand its capabilities or integrate it into your own projects.

Our system includes sensors for: * Gas composition * Temperature * Moisture levels * Air pressure

All data can be exported as CSV files for analysis. While it’s originally built for monitoring compost, the hardware and data capabilities are versatile and could be repurposed for other applications (IoT, environmental monitoring, etc.)

Hacker’s Guide to Monty Tech: https://github.com/gtls64/MontyHome-Hackers-Guide

If you’re into data, sensors, or creative tech hacks, we’d love for you to check it out and let us know what you build!

1. 9dev ◴[21 Nov 24 08:13 UTC] No.42202172[source]▶
Ohh, interesting. I’ve long wanted to do an adjacent project, that is, creating a monitoring system for plants. Like, a single spike in the pot that measures soil composition, nutrient levels, moisture, wind speed, light exposure, humidity, etc. to give both plant care recommendations and optimise growth. Never got around doing it tho…

Do you have recommendations for buying sensors?

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2. greenie_beans ◴[21 Nov 24 11:59 UTC] No.42203446[source]▶
i did a hobby project like this for soil moisture. here's a messy repo that i made when i could barely code. it points to some capacitive sensor guides. https://github.com/smcalilly/sensor
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3. montycompostco ◴[22 Nov 24 01:07 UTC] No.42210283[source]▶
We use sensors from Bosch and Sensirion in our systems. They’re reliable and durable, even in tough environments like compost piles, where heat, moisture, and microbial activity can put tech to the test. Finding the right sensors took a lot of trial and error for us, especially since composting conditions are so unforgiving.

Let us know if you decide to pick up the project— we’d love to cheer you on or compare notes!

replies(1): >>42211379 #
4. 9dev ◴[22 Nov 24 05:16 UTC] No.42211374[source]▶
Neat. Thank you for sharing!
5. 9dev ◴[22 Nov 24 05:17 UTC] No.42211379[source]▶
That’s kind, thank you.