Reference design for a robust electrochemical carbon monoxide detector.
Carbon monoxide is a dangerous gas that can be lethal for humans or animals. Therefore, gas sensors are extremely important to monitor dangerous levels of CO gas in enclosed spaces. Sophisticated gas sensor systems are being used in medical diagnostics, manufacturing processes, photo-voltaic systems, refineries, vehicles, homes and waste-water treatment systems to make these areas safer. So, if you plan to design a carbon monoxide sensor, then the CO sensor from Zilog is a simple and cost effective design that you can make.
The Carbon monoxide (CO) detector reference design from Zilog is based on electrochemical-cell sensor technology making it more robust than any other CO detector.  It is based on a Zilog’s Z8 Encore XP microcontroller (MCU) and the Sixth Sense ECO-Sure (2e) CO sensor. The on-chip integrated hardware of the MCU minimizes the board space with very few external components. The MCU implements a power management routine to conserve power.  The reference design measures the level of CO and translate it into voltages and are fed to the integrated Sigma-Delta Analog-to-Digital Converter (ADC).
The module can also have an optional MaxStream 900 MHz RF module is aimed at wireless networking and monitoring applications. This unit runs on three AA size batteries and has a blinking LED indicator to indicate that the detector is active and with little modification the design can be run using rechargeable Li-Ion batteries.
This reference design has been tested by Zilog. The company has also provided additional resources. You can find additional data about the reference design on the company’s website.
To read more about this specific reference design click here.
