New! Yocto-Spectral & Yocto-Spectral-C

By Tiago, in New stuff and Measures, june 13,2025.

Some years ago, we were tempted to develop a color sensor based on a simple RGB sensor chip, but the results didn't convince us. Today, we present the Yocto-Spectral and its USB Type-C version, the Yocto-Spectral-C, modules which can measure the light spectrum over 13 channels. Thanks to these measures, they can estimate RGB, HSL, XYZ, and OkLab values, and thus estimate the color seen by the sensor.

Monitoring a solar thermal system

By mvuilleu, in Measures, DIY and Internet of Things, june 06,2025.

If you've ever discussed photovoltaic solar panels with a proud owner, they will certainly have proudly shown you on their cell phone how much electricity they produce every day. With thermal solar panels, on the other hand, remote control is less widespread, as control systems are generally more primitive. So let's take a look at how you can add a simple monitoring system to your domestic water heating system, which could maybe save you a few hundred kWh a year...

Detecting whether an appliance is currently working

By martinm, in DIY and Measures, may 02,2025.

A customer asked us how to detect whether a washing machine is working or not. The first idea that comes to mind is to measure its consumption with a Yocto-Watt, but there are ways of doing things more subtly for less money.

Improved humidity-sensitive ventilation

By mvuilleu, in Internet of Things and Measures, february 03,2025.

A few weeks ago, we showed you how to monitor the operation of humidity-sensitive ventilation (type B) with Home Assistant. We left off with the observation that, in some cases, the mechanical humidity-sensitive setting is not ideal. So let's take a look at how a little home automation, used wisely, can improve the system's energy performance.

Humidity-sensitive ventilation and Home Assistant

By mvuilleu, in Measures and Internet of Things, january 10,2025.

When insulating a house as part of an energy-efficiency renovation, it's essential to provide ventilation to evacuate any moisture that might accumulate inside. Since it's generally not possible to install a double-flow ventilation system after the fact, the recommended method is to use humidity-sensitive ventilation, which selectively ventilates the rooms that need it most. But does it really work? Let's find out with Yoctopuce modules and the Home Assistant home automation platform.