Are My Documents Safe in the Root Cellar at

There is a large cellar where I could store unused items and documents, but the catch is the humidity there. It is a root cellar near a small brook and the humidity varies between 75% up to 90%.

Archived material should never be exposed to humidity greater than 65%, therefore I have to isolate all documents in boxes from the air of the cellar. But are this boxes safe? Do they keep the humidity away from the documents – even for years?

To have a look into the box environment, I need a data logger. It would be simple to buy one, but much more fun to build one. So a new project is born: I call it the β€œData Logger” project.

There are a few phases to realise this project:

  • Prototype (done)
  • Simple Version (in work)
  • Deluxe Version with Display and Case

Are My Documents Safe in the Root Cellar at

The Prototype

For the prototype I used a large solderlessΒ breadboard from 3M. There I actually just tested the components for the simple version, especially if the protocols are working and if I can use them in the way intended. I will keep this section short and explain everything in detail in the next section. Just to remind you, I tested everything on a breadboard before I soldered the components to a stripboard.

Parts of The Simple Version

The simple version should be a data logger which automatically starts logging temperature and humidity values it it is powered on. Using a small switch, I can select between logging, reading and erase. In the reading mode, the logger will send all logged values to the serial interface.

Because I need quick results, I will build the whole device using components from Adafruit. Here a list of components I will use for the simple version of the data logger:

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