Open Ocean-C

Arduino
PCB
Open Source
Hardware
Instrumentation
Spring 2025

This project aimed to design a low-cost inductive conductivity sensor to measure ocean salinity. It is intended for deployment in low-income coastal communities to support daily fishing activities and track glacial melt patterns. The core technology used is an inductive sensor, where inductors function as a transformer to detect conductivity without direct contact with water. The Adafruit Feather nRF52840 microprocessor was chosen for its low power consumption and Bluetooth capability, making it suitable for remote sensing. A communication interface was implemented to serve as a bridge between the microprocessor and a computer for data transfer and analysis. Key accomplishments include achieving a cost-effective design, long battery life, and successful waterproofing of the device for marine environments. The device also functioned properly within the correct temperature and pressure ranges. However, one of the main challenges faced was improving the sensor’s accuracy. Future work will focus on enhancing measurement precision and calibration to ensure reliable data collection in diverse oceanic conditions.

1 Lifts 

Artifacts

Name Description
Project Poster The poster that will be used at the Expo for this project.   Download
Project Document The complete documentation for this project.   Download
Executive Summary The updated executive summary for this project.   Download
Project summary video The video of a summary of what our project was about   Link
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