# Overview

The **Riffle** is a collection of designs that take an open source approach to water monitoring, with the intent of making gathering water information easier and more accessible. It is part of Public Lab's [Open Water Project](https://publiclab.org/wiki/open-water). 

For an overview of the design philosophy behind the Riffle, see [this wiki page](https://publiclab.org/wiki/riffle_design_philosophy). 

Public Lab has supported development of an [Arduino](https://www.arduino.cc)-compatible [Riffle version - a datalogger enclosed in a water bottle](https://github.com/OpenWaterProject/riffle_328).  This is great, because the Arduino community is huge, and lots of knowledge and troubleshooting resources are now applicable to the Riffle project. (The first **Riffle** design was an [ARM-based datalogger board enclosed in PVC](https://github.com/bgamari/riffle))

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# Water Monitor Designs

By now, several instrument designs have been constructed around the **Riffle**, some of which of are described in an array of Github repositories:

- [Openwaterproject](https://github.com/OpenWaterProject) -- the main organization on github
- [riffle_328](https://github.com/OpenWaterProject/riffle_328) -- hardware designs, instructions and software for getting started with the Riffle_328 datalogger
- [riffle_328-conductivity](https://github.com/OpenWaterProject/riffle_328-conductivity) -- Design considerations around conductivity
- [riffle_328-depth](https://github.com/OpenWaterProject/riffle_328-depth) -- Depth measurement circuit prototype
- [riffle_328-turbidity](https://github.com/OpenWaterProject/riffle_328-turbidity) -- Turbidity sensor prototype
- [riffle_328-thermistor](https://github.com/OpenWaterProject/riffle_328-thermistor) -- Connecting a thermistor to a Riffle
- [riffle_328-i2c](https://github.com/OpenWaterProject/riffle_328-i2c) -- Connecting i2c sensors to a Riffle
- [riffle_328-one-wire](https://github.com/OpenWaterProject/riffle_328-one-wire) -- Connecting one-wire sensors to a Riffle

# Sensor Designs

We've started to summarize some of the approaches to sensing water parameters like conductivity and turbidity:

- [Sensing conductivity](https://publiclab.org/wiki/conductivity_sensing)
- [Sensing turbidity](https://publiclab.org/wiki/turbidity_sensing)

# Activity grid

Here are some activities the Public Lab community has conducted using the Riffle

[activities:riffle]


# Project Status

2016: A small order of Riffle_328 boards arrived late April 2016, and were sent to Public Lab community members as a way of testing the design and informing further development. 

Projects using this riffle can be found at https://publiclab.org/tag/riffle and https://publiclab.org/tag/riffle-beta

2017: The Riffle is currently available for pre-order until March 17.

# How to get a Riffle Datalogger

Order the Riffle from the [Public Lab Store](http://store.publiclab.org/collections/water-monitoring) by March 17th.

The Riffle is open source, so additionally, anyone can take the designs above to a PCB fabricator and have one made, or investigate other dataloggers.

# Riffle Alternatives

The following dataloggers also have a real time clock and log to a micro SD card as the Riffle does. All of them are based on Arduino and will run more or less the same sketches. These are all open source hardware.

1. [EnviroDIY Mayfly Logger](https://envirodiy.org/mayfly/). Designed at the Stroud Water Research Center and commercially available through Amazon but currently out of stock (as of Feb 2017).
2. [Adafruit Feather M0](https://www.adafruit.com/products/2772) and [Adalogger FeatherWing RTC + SD Add-on](https://www.adafruit.com/products/2922). These are two commercial products which snap together.
3. [Cave Pearl Project logger](https://hackaday.io/project/6961-the-cave-pearl-project). Ed Mallon's design for a DIY data logger made from very inexpensive clone components (Arduino Pro Mini, SD card board, RTC board). Requires soldering and care.



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## Questions

[questions:riffle]

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Since the Riffle is Arduino-compatible, here are also some Q&A for Arduinos in general:

[questions:arduino]