Sometimes a little ingenuity is all it takes to solve a potentially life-threatening problem—such is the case with Guido Burger's Raspberry Pi RP2040 CO2-detecting ring. This isn't Burger's first rodeo with RP2040, we previously covered his homemade Adafruit Feather RP2040 which he managed to assemble before the board officially released.
While precise details on the inner workings of the project have been kept under wraps, we can infer a few things from pictures provided so far. The ring is 3D-printed, features a CO2 sensor and uses an RP2040 to interpret sensor data and trigger LEDs on a NeoPixel ring.
Burger made it clear the NeoPixel LEDs are programmed to respond to specific triggers. He also linked to a Sensirion SCD4x CO2 sensor, the likely source of data used to change the LEDs.
Some of the best Raspberry Pi projects use custom SBCs and this one appears to have just that with a pinout similar to the QT Py RP2040. This board most likely serves as the center of the entire project and is held in place by the custom 3D printer enclosure which also secures the NeoPixel ring.
If you want to check out this project up close, visit the original thread on Twitter and be sure to follow Guido Burger for more updates on this clever RP2040 CO2-detecting NeoPixel Ring.
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Ash Hill is a contributing writer for Tom's Hardware with a wealth of experience in the hobby electronics, 3D printing and PCs. She manages the Pi projects of the month and much of our daily Raspberry Pi reporting while also finding the best coupons and deals on all tech.
