MAX30102: Heart rate monitor and oximeter for Arduino

In the times in which we live thanks to the very accessible technology that we have, controlling our health thanks to a watch or another device is something that has already become essential. Electronic devices or gadgets like the MAX30102 achieve this and that is why we are going to talk about MAX30102: Heart rate monitor and oximeter for Arduino. A sensor that incorporates functions to monitor your health such as a heart rate monitor and oximeter, and all of this integrated with a processor like Arduino. 

The MAX30102 are single-chip pulse and oxygen sensors developed by Maxim Integrated. They use photoplethysmography (PPG) technology to measure the variations you will have in the volume of blood within your blood vessels and thus translate the information into visual data for you, such as heart rate or blood oxygen saturation. (SpO2).

How does it work and what is the MAX30102?

 

As we introduced in the title and previous paragraphs, the MAX30102: Heart rate monitor and oximeter for Arduino is a sensor for this same brand. Thanks to it you will monitor different aspects of your health. It is on the other hand a compact and very efficient sensor, making it one of the most chosen options for different devices such as wearables. It also makes it especially good for these devices since it is low-power, which is why it is a perfect option for microcontrollers that are based on Arduino.

This sensor It works through the light that passes through the skin, thus measuring the amount of light reflected or scattered by changes in the volume of your blood.. If you have ever turned an Apple Watch or any other smart watch, you will see that they have an LED light, some red in others green, they also contain an infrared, and added to this a photodetector that will be, as we told you , which measures the light reflected by your skin.

As you already know, it has mainly two functions:

• Heart rate monitor: To carry out this measurement, the MAX30102: Heart rate monitor and oximeter for Arduino will use its LED sensor. As you run or do that exercise or simply due to heart problems, your heart needs to pump more blood, the volume in your blood vessels will change and in this way, thanks to the LED sensor, it will detect the reflected red light. The photodetector will capture all these variations while the microcontroller will understand and translate the data in order to offer you calculations of your beats per minute, or in other words, the BMP.
• Blood oxygen saturation meter: Also known as SpO2, blood oxygen saturation is another of those things that our MAX30102: Heart Rate Monitor and Oximeter for Arduino will do. The infrared LED will measure oxygenated and non-oxygenated hemoglobin since they absorb different amounts of light. This sensor will detect the level of absorption and thereby translate it into blood oxygen level data.

MAX30102: Heart rate monitor and oximeter for Arduino is a sensor required always be on the skin, whether it's your wrist or fingers to do all of the above. In addition to this, it requires a double supply of 1.8V for its logic part and 3v3 for the meter LEDs. It is very common for this sensor to be used in OLED screens. And yet with all this, we can tell you that the MAX30102 is low cost.

How to integrate the MAX30102 into Arduino? Sensor price?

 

To operate the MAX30102: Heart rate monitor and oximeter on Arduino you will not have to make an extremely large expense, on the contrary. Its cost is around €1,65 in the online stores which we have taken a look at. In any case and as we have been informed by our technology experts, We recommend that you avoid buying the green modules since they have a manufacturing defect and sometimes fail.

 

For integrate the MAX30102 into Arduino You will only have to have the following:

• Arduino (Uno, Nano, etc.)
• Sensor MAX30102
• Connection cables
• Breadboard (optional)
• MAX30102 library for Arduino

The connections necessary to operate the MAX30102: Heart rate monitor and oximeter for Arduino are as follows:

1. VCC: Connect the VCC pin of the MAX30102 to the 3.3V pin of the Arduino.
2. GND: Connect the GND pin of the MAX30102 to the GND pin of the Arduino.
3. SCL: Connect the SCL pin of the MAX30102 to the A5 (SCL) pin of the Arduino.
4. SDA: Connect the SDA pin of the MAX30102 to the A4 (SDA) pin of the Arduino.

And finally to make it work you will have to upload code to Arduino. To do this, we advise you to first install the MAX30102 library. You will find it easily in the brand's own library manager using this nomenclature. «SparkFun MAX3010x Pulse and Proximity Sensor Library». The code that you must load to start it is the one we leave you below. With it you will get it to start reading heart rate and blood oxygen measurement. MAX30102: Heart rate monitor and oximeter for Arduino requires a code that you can easily find on the Internet, you will just have to copy it.

#include
#include “MAX30105.h”
#include “heartRate.h”

MAX30105 particleSensor;

void setup() {
Serial.begin(115200);
if (!particleSensor.begin(Wire, I2C_SPEED_FAST)) {
Serial.println("Sensor not found. Check connections.");
while (1);
}
particleSensor.setup(); // Configure the sensor with default settings
particleSensor.setPulseAmplitudeRed(0x0A); // Set the intensity of the red LED
particleSensor.setPulseAmplitudeIR(0x0A); // Set the intensity of the infrared LED
}

void loop() {
long irValue = particleSensor.getIR(); // Get the infrared reading
if (checkForBeat(irValue)) {
float beatsPerMinute = 60 / (millis() – particleSensor.getLastBeat()) * 1000;
Serial.print(«BPM: «);
Serial.println(beatsPerMinute);
}

Serial.print(«IR Value: «);
Serial.println(irValue);

delay(100);
}

In any case, You should never leave your health solely in the hands of a sensor as it would be irresponsible.. If you suffer from any heart or oxygen problem, it is recommended that you go to your family doctor or emergency room to check and they will advise you as experts on what is the most optimal way to control your health. Maybe all this is very complicated and you want a device with everything already integrated, that's why we leave you the famous alternative to smartwatches, smart ring: the best gadget for health. We hope that this article about MAX30102: Heart rate monitor and oximeter for Arduino has been helpful to you.