The Nano Logger Kit

An Arduino Nano (right) plugs into the logging shield (left). The shield includes a clock and a microSD card.

One of the things Arduinos are really good at is recording data from sensors. Inexpensive sensors can measure such things as temperature, humidity, barometric pressure, light levels, sound levels, motion, and many more. The simplest Arduinos are missing two things that make this process viable: a clock and an SD card. I found a product on ebay which adds these two things to an Arduino Nano without requiring soldering. 

I bought a few of these data logging shields and this spring posted a few research notes at Public Lab about using them to record environmental data. It turns out to be a really convenient way to try different sensors in different configurations. Although the device is power hungry and doesn't last more than a few days on small batteries, it is great for handheld sensor data collection or for long term monitoring where mains power is available. 

These parts are included in the Nano Logger Kit. There is no soldering required -- just snap it all together and it starts logging barometric pressure and temperature data.

Because no soldering is required, you can quickly swap out sensors, hook up multiple sensors (with an optional hub), or switch from battery to mains power. This seemed like something others might want to try, so I ordered several of each of the components required to make a working logger. These are available as kits for $29. The Arduino Nano in the kit is preprogrammed to start logging data from the included barometric and temperature sensor. Just snap the parts together and it will start saving data to the microSD card.

If you order a Nano Data Logger, you can also add extra sensors to your order. That product page also has a neat little LCD monitor which will display the sensor data in real time while it is being logged to SD card. Some research notes at Public Lab show how to use the LCD display.

Sensors (right) can be attached to the logger without soldering.