Charter 07 · sense · programme assignment

Compost Core

Thermal Process Monitor

Measure the temperature gradient that shows compost activity.

Difficulty
★★☆
Prefix
cc
Zone
compost
Type
compost-node
Device
cc-01
Build time
8 hours

Mission

Build this

A protected thermistor probe on borrowed long leads, with an OLED trend and mechanical gauge.

One kit, one team repository.

Borrowed parts are labelled below and have a fallback. The assigned device ID is fixed; sensing and behaviour decisions remain yours.

Bill of materials

Parts

SourcePartFallback
● kitThermistor and resistor
● kitOLED
○ fablabLong insulated leads and probe housingMeasure at the accessible compost surface and label the limitation

Disconnect USB before rewiring. Motors, the relay, and the servo need appropriate power and a shared ground. Never drive an actuator from the ESP32 3V3 pin.

Assembly

Build in evidence-producing steps

  1. Prove the connection first. Flash the unmodified first-message example with this charter’s zone, device type, and device ID.

    done when: cc-01 is alive on the developer view.

  2. Bench-test one input. Read the sensor or control in Serial Monitor before publishing or moving an actuator.

    done when: repeated physical conditions produce repeatable raw readings.

  3. Publish one registered measurement. Use the exact measurement and unit below.

    done when: the reading appears without a reject.

  4. Add the physical response. Keep spine.loop() running and avoid blocking delays.

    done when: repeated movement does not interrupt publishing or reset the board.

  5. Run the investigation. Collect the planned trials before tuning the final logic.

    done when: the build log contains observations, method, and a limitation.

Contract

Your topics

TopicUnitSuggested interval
garden/compost/compost-node/cc-01/temperaturecelsius5 min
garden/compost/compost-node/cc-01/statusenumon change

Read another team

garden/outdoor-1/frost-node/fs-01/temperature

Physical behaviour

Alive

Sweep a needle across team-defined cold, active, and hot zones.

Your call: Define the status zones from evidence rather than decorative labels.

Engineering evidence

Compare compost temperature with ambient temperature and probe depth.

  1. Calibrate the thermistor before enclosing it.
  2. Record exact probe depth and ambient reading.
  3. Test whether the compost–ambient difference persists.

If you are fast: Detect and explain the start of a cooling trend.

Acceptance

Ready when all six are true

  • The registered device is alive and publishing its required topics.
  • The reject feed is clear after the final firmware starts.
  • The device reads at least one declared cross-team topic.
  • A physical output responds to real data without blocking MQTT.
  • The build log contains method, evidence, uncertainty, and a known limitation.
  • The enclosure exposes no unsafe wiring and the device ID can be scanned.

Backbone now

Live status

Updates from the same public event stream

Checking cc-01…