Low-Cost Instrumentation Development Using Independent, Self Contained Microcontrollers
Abstract
This thesis describes the development and testing of low-cost geophysical and field
instrumentation using microcontrollers. While open-source microcontroller boards have
traditionally been developed for hobbyists and artists, the quality of modern electronics and
associated sensors has opened a significant number of opportunities for their use in the collection
of research-quality data. During my master studies, I have designed, programmed, tested and
implemented microcontroller-based systems to digitize an analog electromagnetic instrument,
implement a sensor array for field monitoring of physical/chemical properties of water, develop
seismic sensor arrays for both active and passive sensing of vibrations, and construct a lab-scale
electrical resistivity tomographer. For all these developments, I considered the capabilities of
different boards, shields, and sensors, including microcontroller and ADC sampling rates and
resolution, sensor sensitivity, microcontroller-sensor communications, and data formatting and
storage. The results of my studies are a suite of tools that can be deployed both in the field and in
the laboratory for both educational and research purposes. Following the spirit of the open
source community, this thesis documents the step-by-step process for the selection of all
components, the programs used for controlling the boards and sensors, and discusses the
limitations of the developed systems. I hope that my efforts will help in engaging a much larger
community in near-surface geophysical education and research activities.
Subject
instrumentation
microcontrollers
geophysics
geological engineering