Interfacing BME280 Pressure Sensor with Arduino

Introduction

The BME280 pressure sensor is a versatile and accurate sensor that can be interfaced with an Arduino board to measure temperature, pressure, and humidity. This sensor can be used in a wide range of applications, including weather stations, indoor climate control systems, and even drones.

In this article, we will guide you through the process of interfacing the “BME280 Pressure Sensor” with an Arduino board, and show you how to use the sensor to measure temperature, pressure, and humidity.

What is BME280 Pressure Sensor?

The BME280 pressure sensor is a small, versatile, and accurate sensor that can measure temperature, pressure, and humidity. It is a popular choice for a wide range of applications, including weather stations, indoor climate control systems, and even drones.

Hardware Components

To interface an BME280 Pressure Sensor with Arduino, you’ll need the following hardware components to get started:

Components	Value	Qty
Arduino UNO	–	1
USB Cable Type A to B	–	1
DC Power for Arduino	–	1
Pressure Sensor	BME280	1
Jumper Wires	–	1

BME280 Pressure Sensor Pinout

Pin Name	Pin Description
VCC	Input supply voltage. The valid range is 1.71 V to 3.6 V. Connect this to the 3V3 pin of the Arduino
GND	Ground pin. Connect this to Arduino GND pin
SCL	I2C Clock line (Serial CLock)
SDA	I2C Data line (Serial DAta)

BME280 Pressure Sensor Circuit

Make connections according to the circuit diagram given below.

Wiring / Connections

Arduino	Pressure Sensor
5V	VCC
GND	GND
A4	SDA
A5	SCL

Installing Arduino IDE

First, you need to install Arduino IDE Software from its official website Arduino. Here is a simple step-by-step guide on “How to install Arduino IDE“.

Installing Libraries

Before you start uploading a code, download and unzip the following libraries at /Program Files(x86)/Arduino/Libraries (default), in order to use the sensor with the Arduino board. Here is a simple step-by-step guide on “How to Add Libraries in Arduino IDE“.

• Adafruit_Sensor.h
• Wire.h
• Adafruit_BME280.h

Code

Now copy the following code and upload it to Arduino IDE Software.

#include <Wire.h>
#include <Adafruit_Sensor.h>
#include <Adafruit_BME280.h>

/* If you know the sea level pressure, the accuracy improves a lot
#define SEALEVELPRESSURE_HPA (1013.25) */

Adafruit_BME280 bme;

void setup() {
	Serial.begin(9600);
/* assuming I2C address set is 0x76. If you are using 0x77, update 0x77 as the I2C address  */
	if (!bme.begin(0x76)) {
		Serial.println("No BME280 device found!");
		while (1);
	}
}

void loop() {

/* read all the parameters from the BME280 sensors via bme object created*/

	Serial.println("Temperature in deg C = ");
	Serial.print(bme.readTemperature());

	Serial.println("Pressure in hPa = ");
	Serial.print(bme.readPressure() / 100.0F);

	Serial.println("Altitude in m = ");
	Serial.print(bme.readAltitude(SEALEVELPRESSURE_HPA));

	Serial.println("Humidity in %RH = ");
	Serial.print(bme.readHumidity());

	Serial.println();
	delay(5000);
}

Code Explanation

This Arduino code is designed to interface the BME280 pressure sensor with the Arduino board. The code starts by including three libraries, namely Wire.h, Adafruit_Sensor.h, and Adafruit_BME280.h. These libraries are required to communicate with the BME280 sensor and extract its readings.

The code then initializes the Adafruit_BME280 object named bme and sets up the serial communication at a baud rate of 9600. The bme.begin(0x76) function is used to initialize the BME280 sensor with the I2C address 0x76.

In the loop function, the code reads and prints the temperature, pressure, altitude, and humidity values obtained from the BME280 sensor using the bme.readTemperature(), bme.readPressure(), bme.readAltitude(SEALEVELPRESSURE_HPA), and bme.readHumidity() functions respectively. These readings are then printed on the serial monitor, with a delay of 5 seconds between each reading.

The SEALEVELPRESSURE_HPA constant is commented out, but if you know the sea level pressure at your location, uncommenting this line and setting the correct sea level pressure value can improve the accuracy of the altitude readings.

Overall, this code allows you to quickly and easily interface the BME280 pressure sensor with your Arduino board and obtain accurate temperature, pressure, altitude, and humidity readings.

Applications

Here are some applications of the BME280 pressure sensor:

• Weather stations
• Indoor climate control systems
• Drones
• HVAC (heating, ventilation, and air conditioning) systems
• Air quality monitoring systems
• Altitude and navigation tracking devices
• Smart agriculture systems
• Automotive applications (e.g., tire pressure monitoring systems)
• Wearable fitness trackers
• Industrial automation and control systems.

Conclusion

Interfacing the BME280 pressure sensor with an Arduino board is a simple and effective way to measure temperature, pressure, and humidity in a wide range of applications.