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Humidity Monitoring

Humidity monitoring is critical in various industrial applications, helping to prevent equipment failure, material degradation, and product spoilage. Excess humidity can lead to mold, bacterial growth, and corrosion, while overly dry conditions can damage sensitive materials and contribute to static electricity buildup.

Humidity Monitoring Methods with TPS Devices​

There are various ways to implement humidity monitoring with Tibbo Project System (TPS):

Use a Sensor Tibbit​

Tibbit #30

Measures: Air (ambient) humidity and temperature.

Sensor Tibbit #30 allows you to measure air humidity (and temperature) in the immediate vicinity of your TPS device. This Tibbit communicates via the I2C interface and requires Module Tibbit #00-3, which provides the I2C lines and power.

Schematic:

tbt30

Pros:

  • Integrated solution requiring no external cabling.
  • Measures both humidity and temperature.
  • Cost-effective.

Example:

Click here to see an example project that queries the Tibbit #30 every second and prints the measured humidity and temperature into the console.

tbt30

Use a Cable Probe (CP)​

CP#02

Measures: Air (ambient) humidity and temperature.

Tibbo Cable Probe CP#02 allows for measuring humidity (and temperature) at a distance from the TPS device. The probe is connected via I2C, requiring Module Tibbit #00-3 and a Connector Tibbit such as #20 or #21.

Schematic:

cableprobe

Pros:

  • Flexible placement for optimal readings.
  • The TPS unit can be hidden away.

Cons:

  • The distance between the probe and the TPS is limited to the cable's length of 100 cm (40").

Example:

Click here to see an example project that queries the cable probe every second and prints the measured humidity and temperature into the console.

CP#02

Use a Tibbo Modbus Sensor aka Bus Probe (BP)​

Tibbit #29

Measures: Air (ambient) humidity and temperature.

Tibbo Bus Probe BP#02 enables long-distance humidity (and temperature) measurement using the Modbus RTU protocol over RS485. This probe connects to a TPS device via Module Tibbit #05 and a terminal block Tibbit such as #20 or #21.

Schematic:

connecting_BP_to_TPS

Pros:

  • May be placed up to 50 m (160') from the TPS device.
  • Multiple Bus Probes can operate on a single RS485 bus.

Cons:

  • Slightly higher cost compared to sensor Tibbits or short-range cable probes.

Tutorial:

Click here to see a tutorial that demonstrates outputting BP sensor data to a web-based dashboard.

bp01

Use a Third-Party Modbus Sensor​

AppBlocks and TPS devices offer strong support for third-party Modbus equipment, so almost any RS485 Modbus device can be connected to a TPS unit. Use the Module Tibbit #02 or #05 for RS485 and the Connector Tibbit #20 (or #21) for terminal connections. You will also need to power your Modbus device. Tibbit #05 has a low-power +5V output, which is sufficient for our Bus Probes, but other Modbus devices may have different power requirements.

Schematic:

connecting_Modbus_to_TPS

For Modbus devices with power requirements higher than 5V, you may also supply your own power.

Pros:

  • Complete flexibility in choosing the Modbus humidity sensor.

Cons:

  • You will need to manually configure the sensor’s Modbus registers and data conversion within your AppBlocks application.

Tutorial:

Click here to learn how to work with slave Modbus devices in AppBlocks.

Use a Single-Wire Sensor​

Single Wire Sensor

Measures: Air (ambient) humidity and temperature.

Single-Wire sensors, such as DHT22, provide a cost-effective way to measure humidity (and temperature) over longer distances. These sensors connect to a TPS device through Tibbit #62, along with a Connector Tibbit such as #20 or #21.

Schematic:

singlewire

Pros:

  • Allows for long distances between the sensors and the TPS device.
  • Both humidity and temperature monitoring on a single wire.
  • Very attractive sensor pricing.

Cons:

  • One sensor per bus (not multi-drop), so the number of sensors that can be connected to a TPS device is limited.

Example:

Click here to see an example project that shows the simplicity of adding Single-Wire functionality with AppBlocks.

Tibbit 62

We also have a short video showing how fast setting up Single-Wire sensors with TPS and AppBlocks is.