As described in Ray Ozzie's blog post, Soul of a New Machine, the Airnote was born as a part of a global volunteer response to the Fukushima nuclear disaster. It is a self-contained, cellular-connected air quality monitoring device, designed to be rapidly and broadly deployed. The Airnote can be easily installed within minutes; with no software setup required.

Functional Description

The Airnote continuously monitors local atmospheric conditions. The device shows the current Air Quality Index (AQI) on its display and periodically uploads detailed atmospheric data including temperature, humidity, pressure, and detailed particulate counts to the cloud.

Historical data from your Airnote, as well as any device in the Airnote community is available by scanning the QR code printed on the device.

Features

• Deploy and Forget. Airnote is compact, wireless, portable, and autonomous.
• Self Configuring. Automatically connects over cellular to the Notehub cloud service.

• Low Power Consumption. Optimized to provide long, unattended operation using a lithium-ion capacitor, recharged by a solar panel. Airnote samples and uploads less often as the capacitor's charge drops (see Power Modes).
• Connected. Automatically connects to LTE Cat-1 bis cellular service in over 135 countries using its built-in SIM. Its Notecard also supports WiFi.

• Atmospheric Monitoring. Samples particulate counts, temperature, humidity, and barometric pressure.
• Rugged. Designed for long-term outdoor use.
• Compact. At 90mm x 88mm x 126mm, it can be installed almost anywhere.
• Position Aware. Reports both GPS and cell tower positions to the backend cloud service.
• Automatic Firmware Updates. Updates are performed over-the-air, so it's always up-to-date, with zero hassle.

Package Configuration

Airnote Enclosure

Designed with the outdoors in mind, the Airnote's rugged construction allows it to remain outdoors, indefinitely, in almost all conditions.

View in Store

Hardware Composition

The Airnote is composed of five key components:

• Notecard - Midband Global - NOTE-MBGLW
• Notecarrier A
• Sensor Board
• Solar Hat
• Capacitor: (4x) Lithium Ion 250F 3.8V -10% +30%

Power Information

Power Modes

Airnote picks a power mode from its supply voltage, and the mode sets how often it takes a reading and uploads its data. These are the defaults:

For each reading, Airnote powers on the particle sensor, waits 45 seconds for it to stabilize, and then averages its samples over the next 60 seconds. While plugged into USB, Airnote keeps the sensor powered, samples for 10 minutes per reading, and stays connected to Notehub. The first reading after Airnote powers on uploads immediately.

What do I do if the capacitor dies?

Airnote's capacitor is capable of powering the unit for weeks of normal operation. If the rear display of airnote is blank for more than 15 seconds after turning on the power switch, you can either wait for the sun to recharge the capacitor or follow this procedure to power the unit and recharge the capacitor via USB:

1. Remove the two screws on the bottom of the Airnote with a Phillips screwdriver.
2. Remove the bottom cover.
3. Attach a USB cable to the port near the front of the unit.
4. The Airnote will power up and the capacitor will begin charging.
5. If you wish to leave the USB cable permanently attached, you can break off the tab covering the USB Access Port in the corner of the bottom case and feed the USB cable through this port when you reinstall the bottom cover.
6. To reinstall the bottom cover:
   1. Position the bottom cover tabs above the rib along the back wall of the unit.
   2. Pivot the cover on these tabs until the tab on the front of the bottom cover snaps into the front of the top case.
   3. Reinstall the two screws on the bottom of Airnote.

Voltage can be monitored via the cloud service. To see it on the display, place Airnote on a flat surface with its solar panel facing down. A + next to the voltage means the capacitor is charging, and LOBAT appears below 3.1V. The capacitor may also be charged via internal USB charging port and a USB cable may be threaded through the access slot in bottom cover.

Operation Instructions

Installation

You can deploy Airnote anywhere there's cellular service and direct sunlight by following these simple steps, or visit https://start.airnote.live for detailed instructions.

1. Charge your Airnote overnight by removing the back panel and plugging in a USB cable.
2. Turn on Airnote using the power switch on the bottom.
3. Deploy your Airnote by mounting it on the outside of a window with plenty of sunlight, and airflow around the mesh on the underside of Airnote.

4. Watch as Airnote's built-in display shows the current Air Quality Index (AQI) at your location. You can choose to show PM1.0, PM2.5, or PM10 instead from your Airnote's settings.

5. Scan the QR code with a mobile phone to customize your Airnote and see your personal air quality dashboard.
6. Visit https://airnote.live to view graphs of your historical fine particulate matter, temperature, barometric pressure, and humidity readings.

Self Testing Sequence

When the Airnote is powered on, it will cycle through the following screens:

• After a few seconds, a Hi message will appear that indicates the device is initializing.

• After 2.5 seconds, the screen will display Airnote's firmware version as a three-digit number (for example, 713 for version 7.1.3) while it configures its Notecard. If that fails, the screen will display no and then Hi again, and Airnote will retry.

• After approximately 10 seconds, the screen will update with a visual self-test of the "LOBAT" warning and number segments. This is a visual check ONLY. If any of these items does not appear on the display, then there is a failure in the LCD screen.

  

• After 5 seconds, the screen will display the Notecard voltage in Volts:

  

• After 1 second, the screen will display the sensor board BME280 temperature in degrees Celsius:

  

• After 1 second, the screen will display the sensor board BME280 relative humidity in %RH:

  

• After 1 second, the screen will display the sensor board BME280 air pressure in kPa:

  

• Airnote will then wait for 5 frames from the Plantower air particle sensor. If they take longer than 2.5 seconds to arrive, the screen will count down from 5, with each decrement corresponding to a frame received. The Airnote will report a sensor error if it does not receive 5 frames within 60 seconds.

  

• Once all the tests have passed, the Airnote will display the unique identifier for the device. This is the same ID printed on the QR code and can be used in case the sticker is damaged or removed.

• The word Go is displayed to indicate that all tests have passed, and the Airnote will then enter its normal operational mode.

• Finally, the Airnote will take its first reading. While the particle sensor warms up and samples, the screen will display a number that counts up as frames arrive from the sensor. Until Airnote has connected to Notehub and received the current time, the screen may also display CL, and a blinking + means the radio is on. When the reading completes, about two minutes later (or about 10 minutes later while plugged into USB), the screen will display the current AQI.

Sensor Capability

Air Quality/Device Metrics Collected

Each reading includes:

• Particulate matter (PM1.0, PM2.5, and PM10) in µg/m³, both at standard atmosphere and with the sensor's CF=1 factory calibration
• Relative standard deviation of each PM value across the reading's samples
• Count of particles larger than 0.3, 0.5, 1.0, 2.5, 5.0, and 10µm in diameter per 100cm³
• US EPA Air Quality Index (AQI) and AQI category, calculated from PM2.5
• Samples collected for particulate count values, and how long sampling took (in seconds)
• Relative Humidity (%RH)
• Absolute barometric pressure (Pa)
• Air temperature (°C)
• Motion events since last report
• Capacitor voltage (V) and power mode
• Capacitor charging state
• Energy used during the reading, and since the previous reading (mAh)

Sensor Information

• Plantower PMS7003M
• Bosch BME280

Specifications

Cellular Coverage

View Notecard Coverage Table

Electrical Characteristics

DC Characteristics

Absolute Maximum Ratings

Ordering Information

Please visit the Airnote product page for ordering information.

Design Files

Open source hardware designs for the Airnote are maintained in the note-hardware GitHub repository.

Terms and Conditions

Visit Blues Hardware Terms & Conditions.

Revision History

Contact Information

For other questions about the Airnote, visit the Blues Forum.

Blues Inc.
https://blues.com
50 Dunham Ridge Suite 1650
Beverly, MA 01915
support@blues.com