# Humidity and Temperature Monitor with E-Ink Display ## Overview ![](https://cdn-learn.adafruit.com/assets/assets/000/070/824/medium800/temperature___humidity_laurel-272961_1920.jpg?1549495826 From Pixabay: Free for commercial use No attribution required) Depending on your climate (and HVAC system) dried herbs can go moldy. A big cause of mold is too high of humidity. That's the reasons for all those silica gel packets in items you get. If you store a lot of dried herbs or anything that requires a controlled humidity (and/or temperature) environment, this project can help by monitoring the temperature and humidity in a container and warn you if they go out of the desired range. In a previous guide: [Storage Humidity and Temperature Monitor](https://learn.adafruit.com/storage-humidity-and-temperature-monitor), we built a simple monitoring project. Specifically, for a small jar. It was really simple, using a Trinket M0 to drive it, a SI7021 breakout to take measurements, and a TPL5111 breakout to manage power. The onboard DotStar and a piezo buzzer were used to indicate status. The code was written in C. That was built in late 2017. Fast forward (at least it seems fast) to February 2019 (a bit over a year later) and it was time to revisit the design. The SI7021 is a reliable, robust sensor that the author as used in various projects. All we require is temperature and humidity measurements, and the I2C interface is simple to work with. We'll keep that. In place of a Trinket M0 we'll use a Feather M4 Express. That's a big jump in power, but this board is reasonably priced and is the author's go-to board for most projects. A huge advantage is the onboard battery charging circuit. This will allow the battery to be charged without having to disconnect and remove it. The Feather also has far more I/O pins than the Trinket. This makes possible the next change. With the Feather, we can do something better for status indication. It was decided to use an eInk display (which uses SPI and 5 digital I/O lines). The 1.54" square 3-color display was selected. An eInk display is a huge benefit on a device like this. It wakes up approximately every hour to take readings, update the display, and possibly raise an alarm. It's not powered the rest of the time. Using eInk provides a persistent display that remains "on" and informative all the time without requiring power. The downside of eInk is that screen refresh is a slow process. But when you only need to update every hour, that's not a problem. The previous project used the TPL5110 breakout which directly controls power to the circuit. Since the Feather has an enable pin to control power, the TPL5111 breakout is used in this version. We keep the piezo buzzer as an out-of-range signal, and add a pushbutton switch to provide input for cancelling the alarm as well as entering and exiting edit mode (we'll talk about that later). Finally, since the Feather M4 was selected, it was made a project goal to write the software in CircuitPython rather than C. ## Required Parts ### Adafruit Feather M4 Express - Featuring ATSAMD51 [Adafruit Feather M4 Express - Featuring ATSAMD51](https://www.adafruit.com/product/3857) It's what you've been waiting for, the Feather M4 Express featuring ATSAMD51. This Feather is fast like a swift, smart like an owl, strong like a ox-bird (it's half ox, half bird, OK?) This feather is powered by our new favorite chip, the **ATSAMD51J19** -  with... In Stock [Buy Now](https://www.adafruit.com/product/3857) [Related Guides to the Product](https://learn.adafruit.com/products/3857/guides) ![Angled shot of a Adafruit Feather M4 Express. ](https://cdn-shop.adafruit.com/640x480/3857-10.jpg) ### Adafruit TPL5111 Low Power Timer Breakout [Adafruit TPL5111 Low Power Timer Breakout](https://www.adafruit.com/product/3573) With some development boards, low power usage is an afterthought. Especially when price and usability are the main selling points. So what should you do when it's time to turn around and make that project of yours run on a battery or solar? Sure you _could_ try to hot-air... In Stock [Buy Now](https://www.adafruit.com/product/3573) [Related Guides to the Product](https://learn.adafruit.com/products/3573/guides) ![Angled shot of a TPL5111 Low Power Timer Breakout Board.](https://cdn-shop.adafruit.com/640x480/3573-04.jpg) ### Adafruit Si7021 Temperature & Humidity Sensor Breakout Board [Adafruit Si7021 Temperature & Humidity Sensor Breakout Board](https://www.adafruit.com/product/3251) It's summer and you're sweating and your hair's all frizzy and all you really want to know is why the weatherman said this morning that today's relative humidity would max out at a perfectly reasonable 42% when it feels more like 77%. Enter the  **Si7021 Temperature +...** In Stock [Buy Now](https://www.adafruit.com/product/3251) [Related Guides to the Product](https://learn.adafruit.com/products/3251/guides) ![Angled shot of black, rectangular temperature and humidity sensor breakout.](https://cdn-shop.adafruit.com/640x480/3251-05.jpg) ### Lithium Ion Polymer Battery - 3.7v 1200mAh [Lithium Ion Polymer Battery - 3.7v 1200mAh](https://www.adafruit.com/product/258) Lithium-ion polymer (also known as 'lipo' or 'lipoly') batteries are thin, light, and powerful. The output ranges from 4.2V when completely charged to 3.7V. This battery has a capacity of 1200mAh for a total of about 4.5 Wh. If you need a larger battery, In Stock [Buy Now](https://www.adafruit.com/product/258) [Related Guides to the Product](https://learn.adafruit.com/products/258/guides) ![Lithium Ion Polymer Battery 3.7v 1200mAh with JST 2-PH connector](https://cdn-shop.adafruit.com/640x480/258-02.jpg) ### Piezo Buzzer [Piezo Buzzer](https://www.adafruit.com/product/160) Piezo buzzers are used for making beeps, tones and alerts. This one is petite but loud! Drive it with 3-30V peak-to-peak square wave. To use, connect one pin to ground (either one) and the other pin to a square wave out from a timer or microcontroller. For the loudest tones, stay around 4 KHz,... In Stock [Buy Now](https://www.adafruit.com/product/160) [Related Guides to the Product](https://learn.adafruit.com/products/160/guides) ![Bread-board friendly Piezo Buzzer](https://cdn-shop.adafruit.com/640x480/160-01.jpg) You'll need your choice of SPST momentary pushbutton switch. The one below is a lovely option for breadboarding. ### Metal Ball Tactile Button (6mm) x 10 pack [Metal Ball Tactile Button (6mm) x 10 pack](https://www.adafruit.com/product/3347) Add some steely elegance to your project with these **Metal Ball Tactile Buttons**. They've got a nice industrial shine to them along with a light blue underbelly. Not only do they look good, but they're also good if you have an actuator that will be pressing the... In Stock [Buy Now](https://www.adafruit.com/product/3347) [Related Guides to the Product](https://learn.adafruit.com/products/3347/guides) ![Angled closeup of single 6mm metal ball tactile button.](https://cdn-shop.adafruit.com/640x480/3347-00.jpg) ### Part: Resistor quantity: 1 120K 1/4w resistor [Resistor](https://www.digikey.ca/product-detail/en/stackpole-electronics-inc/CF14JT120K/CF14JT120KCT-ND/1830401) ### Part: Capacitor quantity: 1 100nF (aka 0.1uF) capacitor [Capacitor](https://www.adafruit.com/product/753) ### Part: Prototyping perf-board quantity: 1 An assortment of perfboard for prototyping [Prototyping perf-board](https://www.amazon.com/ELEGOO-Prototype-Soldering-Compatible-Arduino/dp/B072Z7Y19F) - [Next Page](https://learn.adafruit.com/humidity-and-temperature-monitor-redux-e-ink-display/hardware.md) ## Featured Products ### Adafruit Feather M4 Express - Featuring ATSAMD51 [Adafruit Feather M4 Express - Featuring ATSAMD51](https://www.adafruit.com/product/3857) It's what you've been waiting for, the Feather M4 Express featuring ATSAMD51. This Feather is fast like a swift, smart like an owl, strong like a ox-bird (it's half ox, half bird, OK?) This feather is powered by our new favorite chip, the **ATSAMD51J19** -  with... In Stock [Buy Now](https://www.adafruit.com/product/3857) [Related Guides to the Product](https://learn.adafruit.com/products/3857/guides) ### Adafruit 1.54" 152x152 Tri-Color eInk / ePaper Display with SRAM [Adafruit 1.54" 152x152 Tri-Color eInk / ePaper Display with SRAM](https://www.adafruit.com/product/3625) Easy e-paper finally comes to microcontrollers, with this breakout that's designed to make it a breeze to add a tri-color eInk display. Chances are you've seen one of those new-fangled 'e-readers' like the Kindle or Nook. They have gigantic electronic paper 'static'... No Longer Stocked [Buy Now](https://www.adafruit.com/product/3625) [Related Guides to the Product](https://learn.adafruit.com/products/3625/guides) ### Adafruit TPL5111 Low Power Timer Breakout [Adafruit TPL5111 Low Power Timer Breakout](https://www.adafruit.com/product/3573) With some development boards, low power usage is an afterthought. Especially when price and usability are the main selling points. So what should you do when it's time to turn around and make that project of yours run on a battery or solar? Sure you _could_ try to hot-air... In Stock [Buy Now](https://www.adafruit.com/product/3573) [Related Guides to the Product](https://learn.adafruit.com/products/3573/guides) ### Adafruit Si7021 Temperature & Humidity Sensor Breakout Board [Adafruit Si7021 Temperature & Humidity Sensor Breakout Board](https://www.adafruit.com/product/3251) It's summer and you're sweating and your hair's all frizzy and all you really want to know is why the weatherman said this morning that today's relative humidity would max out at a perfectly reasonable 42% when it feels more like 77%. Enter the  **Si7021 Temperature +...** In Stock [Buy Now](https://www.adafruit.com/product/3251) [Related Guides to the Product](https://learn.adafruit.com/products/3251/guides) ### Lithium Ion Polymer Battery - 3.7v 1200mAh [Lithium Ion Polymer Battery - 3.7v 1200mAh](https://www.adafruit.com/product/258) Lithium-ion polymer (also known as 'lipo' or 'lipoly') batteries are thin, light, and powerful. The output ranges from 4.2V when completely charged to 3.7V. This battery has a capacity of 1200mAh for a total of about 4.5 Wh. If you need a larger battery, In Stock [Buy Now](https://www.adafruit.com/product/258) [Related Guides to the Product](https://learn.adafruit.com/products/258/guides) ### Piezo Buzzer [Piezo Buzzer](https://www.adafruit.com/product/160) Piezo buzzers are used for making beeps, tones and alerts. This one is petite but loud! Drive it with 3-30V peak-to-peak square wave. To use, connect one pin to ground (either one) and the other pin to a square wave out from a timer or microcontroller. For the loudest tones, stay around 4 KHz,... In Stock [Buy Now](https://www.adafruit.com/product/160) [Related Guides to the Product](https://learn.adafruit.com/products/160/guides) ### Metal Ball Tactile Button (6mm) x 10 pack [Metal Ball Tactile Button (6mm) x 10 pack](https://www.adafruit.com/product/3347) Add some steely elegance to your project with these **Metal Ball Tactile Buttons**. They've got a nice industrial shine to them along with a light blue underbelly. Not only do they look good, but they're also good if you have an actuator that will be pressing the... In Stock [Buy Now](https://www.adafruit.com/product/3347) [Related Guides to the Product](https://learn.adafruit.com/products/3347/guides) ### 0.1uF ceramic capacitors - 10 pack [0.1uF ceramic capacitors - 10 pack](https://www.adafruit.com/product/753) As any engineer will tell you, 0.1uF ceramic capacitors are the magic fairy dust of electronics - sprinkle them over your circuit schematics for good luck! But seriously, a 0.1uF capacitor right next to the VCC pin of your chips will improve stability by filtering out power supply spikes and... In Stock [Buy Now](https://www.adafruit.com/product/753) [Related Guides to the Product](https://learn.adafruit.com/products/753/guides) ## Related Guides - [Adafruit Si7021 Temperature + Humidity Sensor](https://learn.adafruit.com/adafruit-si7021-temperature-plus-humidity-sensor.md) - [Adafruit Feather M4 Express](https://learn.adafruit.com/adafruit-feather-m4-express-atsamd51.md) - [MIDI Solenoid Drum Kit](https://learn.adafruit.com/midi-solenoid-drum-kit.md) - [IoT Air Quality Sensor with Adafruit IO](https://learn.adafruit.com/diy-air-quality-monitor.md) - [Daily Cheer Automaton](https://learn.adafruit.com/daily-cheer-automaton.md) - [Glitter Positioning System](https://learn.adafruit.com/glitter-positioning-system.md) - [Esenciales para CircuitPython](https://learn.adafruit.com/esenciales-para-circuitpython.md) - [TVA Pruning Baton from Loki](https://learn.adafruit.com/tva-pruning-baton-from-loki.md) - [Multi-Sensor IoT Environmental Sensor Box With CircuitPython](https://learn.adafruit.com/remote-iot-environmental-sensor.md) - [Light Up Prop with Prop-Maker](https://learn.adafruit.com/prop-maker-light-wand.md) - [Using Python on Windows 10](https://learn.adafruit.com/using-python-on-windows-10.md) - [Adafruit TPL5111 Reset Enable Timer Breakout](https://learn.adafruit.com/adafruit-tpl5111-reset-enable-timer-breakout.md) - [RGB Matrix Slot Machine](https://learn.adafruit.com/rgb-matrix-slot-machine.md) - [CircuitPython 101: Basic Builtin Data Structures](https://learn.adafruit.com/basic-datastructures-in-circuitpython.md) - [Alternative languages for programming the SAMD51 boards](https://learn.adafruit.com/alternative-languages-for-programming-samd-boards.md) - [MakeCode Arcade with SAMD51 M4](https://learn.adafruit.com/makecode-arcade-with-samd51-m4.md)