Portable Gas Detector

thingiverse

As Summer and BBQ season rapidly approach, I set out to create a simple, handheld device that can quickly detect small gas leaks when connecting LPG gas bottles. Initially, I thought this task would be quite challenging, but then I discovered the MQ range of sensors, which makes it easy to detect a wide variety of gases. The MQ range of sensors allows users to detect numerous gases, from alcohol to ozone, as shown in the sensor code chart. For this project, I chose the MQ-6 sensor specifically designed to detect LPG, but I've also made the circuit adaptable for other sensors. This flexibility enables users to easily modify it to detect different gases by using the corresponding sensor. For instance, if you want to detect hydrogen gas while charging batteries or identify CO2 leaks in your home bar system, you can simply use the MQ-8 or MG-811 sensors, which are tailored for those specific gases. While some sensors may require higher or lower heater voltages, the case and code will generally need minimal modification regardless of the sensor used. If this project sounds like a great fit for you, check out the instructions on how to build it at: https://diyodemag.com/projects/sniff_sniff