A turned on gas stove detector

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Hi everyone!

I am in the process of building a gas detector and have compiled a list of items that I think I need to get started. However, I would really appreciate you’ll have a look at my list and tell me if these items are sufficient or if there’s anything else I should be adding to the list.

With the aim of remotely monitoring the gas stove, I also plan to integrate a WiFi module into my gas detector. This way, I can receive real-time gas sensor readings and determine if the stove is turned on or not from a remote location but I’m not sure which one to use.

Here’s my list of items so far:

I would also love to hear any recommendations you may have on the items mentioned above or if there’s anything else I should be taking into consideration while building my gas detector.

Thank you in advance for your help and advice!

Best regards,
Eric

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Hi Eric, welcome to the forum!

Those seem like good choices part-wise, but if you want to integrate WiFi later, I’d ditch the Arduino and go for the cheaper, more powerful, easier-to-use Pico W:

You’ll also need some current limiting resistors, there are handy calculators on picking the right ones:

I like SparkFun’s resistor kit as it labels each value and is easy to store:

You’ll also need to use a voltage divider for that gas sensor, as it needs a 5V supply and can output as much as 5V depending on gas concentration. More on voltage dividers here:
https://learn.sparkfun.com/tutorials/voltage-dividers/all

I know it seems like you should instead go for a 5V microcontroller, but if you’re already got a breadboard and resistors, it’s trivial to drop the voltage down to Pico level (3.3V)

Lemme know if you need anything clarified!

EDIT: Excellent words by Bob below, I got caught up in the part choices and forgot that yes, safety devices like these already exist, and cost as much as they do because you do not need to worry “will my code still be running when it counts” and many more questions. In other words, don’t depend on or try to market the device your making.

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Hi All
Be a bit (read “very”) careful here detecting and alarming combustible gases. Whatever you do needs to be intrinsically safe or you will finish up blowing your kitchen through the wall.

With this in mind I think a commercial product purpose designed and built for the job would be safest.

Gas ovens are usually OK as there is a device to detect the flame and if no ignition the gas shuts off.
Cheers Bob.

PS: An aquaintance just down the street from me almost blew the front out of his house a few years ago playing with a gas heater that he didn’t know too much about.

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