Modular embedded sensor acquisition and communications platform designed for multi-sensor monitoring, signal processing, and remote telemetry.
Project Status: Active Development
SensorHub is an ongoing embedded systems project focused on designing a centralized platform capable of acquiring data from multiple industrial sensors, processing and validating those measurements, and providing a foundation for local and remote monitoring.
The project covers the complete embedded-system design process, including requirements analysis, sensor research, system architecture, power design, custom hardware, firmware development, communications planning, error handling, and system integration.
SensorHub is being developed as a modular platform for interfacing with several different sensor types through a single embedded system.
The current design includes research and interface planning for measurements such as:
- Voltage, current, and electrical power
- Hydrogen pressure
- Oxygen pressure
- Water pressure
The system is designed around a custom embedded controller with dedicated sensor interfaces, power circuitry, communications, and fault-handling capabilities.
- System requirements and initial architecture
- Sensor research and comparison
- Sensor interface planning
- Electrical measurement research
- Power-system design
- Error-handling architecture
- Complete KiCad schematic
- Component and BOM planning
- Firmware architecture
- Communications architecture research
- PCB design and refinement
- Embedded firmware implementation
- Sensor interface implementation
- Hardware validation planning
- Communications implementation
- PCB fabrication and assembly
- Hardware bring-up
- Sensor integration
- Calibration
- Communications testing
- Full-system integration
- Long-term reliability testing
SensorHub separates the system into several functional layers:
Sensors
│
▼
Signal Conditioning
│
▼
Sensor Interfaces
│
▼
Embedded Controller
│
┌───────┼────────┐
│ │ │
▼ ▼ ▼
Acquisition Control Diagnostics
│ │ │
└───────┼────────┘
│
▼
Communications Layer
│
▼
Remote / Local System
The architecture is intended to keep sensor acquisition, processing, communications, and system diagnostics logically separated as the project grows.
The SensorHub electronics are designed as a custom PCB using KiCad.
The complete schematic has been developed and includes the circuitry required to connect the controller with the different sensing, power, and supporting subsystems.
Hardware development includes:
- Microcontroller circuitry
- Sensor interfaces
- Analog measurement circuitry
- Power distribution
- Supporting power circuitry
- Protection and fault handling
- Communication interfaces
- Programming/debug interfaces
- Supporting passive components
The KiCad design files are located under:
BUILD/Hardware/
Complete SensorHub hardware schematic designed in KiCad, including power, sensor interfaces, processing, and communication subsystems.
The embedded firmware is currently under development.
The firmware architecture is intended to handle:
- Hardware initialization
- Sensor acquisition
- ADC measurements
- Measurement filtering
- Sensor calibration
- Data conversion
- Fault detection
- Error handling
- Communications
- System monitoring
Firmware development is located under:
BUILD/Firmware/
The current MPLAB X project is maintained inside this directory.
Sensor selection is treated as part of the engineering process rather than as an isolated hardware decision.
Research currently covers:
Electrical Measurement
│
├── Voltage
├── Current
└── Power
Pressure Measurement
│
├── Hydrogen
├── Oxygen
└── Water
Candidate sensors are evaluated according to the requirements of the complete system, including expected measurement range, electrical interface, integration requirements, and cost.
Research and sensor information are maintained under:
BASIS/STIHEION/
SensorHub is being designed with remote connectivity and system integration in mind.
Communication architecture and configuration methods are being investigated as part of the project, including network provisioning and communication between the embedded controller and external systems.
One design consideration is how network configuration should be performed without unnecessarily complicating the embedded hardware.
Potential approaches include configuration through a host utility and local configuration interfaces.
Communications remain under active development.
Fault handling is considered at the system-design level rather than being added only after implementation.
The architecture includes planning for detection and handling of abnormal conditions involving:
- Sensor readings
- Communication failures
- Power conditions
- Invalid measurements
- Hardware faults
- System state
The corresponding design documentation is maintained under:
BASIS/SCHEMA/
SensorHub uses a project structure intended to separate knowledge, requirements, architecture, engineering decisions, implementation, and experimental records.
The naming convention is intentionally retained throughout the repository.
SensorHub/
│
├── BASIS/
│ │
│ ├── GNOSIS/
│ │ └── Reference knowledge, datasheets,
│ │ constants and formulas
│ │
│ ├── KANON/
│ │ └── Requirements and design rules
│ │
│ ├── SCHEMA/
│ │ └── System architecture and design
│ │
│ ├── STIHEION/
│ │ └── Sensor and component research
│ │
│ └── THEMA/
│ └── Engineering issues and design decisions
│
├── BUILD/
│ ├── Hardware/
│ │ └── KiCad hardware design
│ │
│ └── Firmware/
│ └── Embedded firmware
│
├── DOCS/
│ └── Project documentation
│
├── LOGS/
│ └── Development history
│
└── REPORTS/
└── Engineering reports and analysis
BASIS contains the engineering foundation of the project.
The internal organization intentionally separates different types of design information:
GNOSIS — accumulated technical knowledge and reference material.
KANON — requirements, constraints, and rules governing the design.
SCHEMA — system architecture, hardware structure, power design, firmware planning, and error-handling design.
STIHEION — sensor and component research.
THEMA — unresolved engineering questions, investigations, and design decisions.
This structure allows engineering decisions to remain traceable as SensorHub develops.
SensorHub maintains engineering information alongside the implementation itself.
Documentation currently includes:
- System architecture
- Hardware architecture
- Firmware planning
- Power design
- Error-handling design
- Sensor research
- Component comparisons
- Conversion formulas
- Engineering issues
- Development logs
- Next-step planning
- BOM information
This documentation records not only the final design decisions but also the reasoning and investigation that led to them.
Development progress is recorded under:
LOGS/
The logs document the progression from initial system organization and sensor research through hardware and firmware architecture and circuit design.
Keeping these records provides a history of how the system evolved rather than documenting only the final implementation.
SensorHub is being developed around several principles:
- Separate hardware, firmware, and system-level concerns
- Define requirements before implementation
- Treat sensor selection as an engineering decision
- Design fault handling into the architecture
- Keep engineering decisions documented
- Maintain modular sensor interfaces
- Design hardware and firmware together
- Validate individual subsystems before full-system integration
- Preserve development history and design reasoning
- C
- MPLAB X
- Embedded firmware development
- ADC acquisition
- Sensor interfacing
- Hardware debugging
- KiCad
- Schematic capture
- PCB design
- Analog sensor interfaces
- Power-system design
- Component selection
- BOM development
- Sensor characterization
- Requirements analysis
- System architecture
- Error-handling design
- Communications planning
- Engineering documentation
Requirements
│
▼
Sensor Research
│
▼
System Architecture
│
▼
Hardware Architecture
│
▼
Complete Schematic ✓
│
▼
PCB Design ← Current development
│
▼
Firmware Implementation
│
▼
PCB Fabrication
│
▼
Hardware Bring-Up
│
▼
Sensor Integration
│
▼
Calibration
│
▼
Communications
│
▼
System Validation
The roadmap will evolve as hardware and firmware development progresses.
SensorHub is actively under development.
The current repository represents both the implementation and the engineering process behind the system. Hardware architecture and the complete schematic have been developed, while PCB, firmware, sensor integration, and system validation continue to progress.
As development continues, this repository will be updated with hardware revisions, firmware, test results, calibration data, and system documentation.
Theodoros Bogiatzis
Computer Science
Hunter College, CUNY