Project · draft
Acoustic Biodiversity Recorder (Scheduled Dawn Chorus Logger)
- advanced
- 14-18 hours
Records birds, frogs and insects on a schedule so a campus or village can track how biodiversity changes over seasons (target 15.5).
Safety notes
- Privacy: microphones can capture people talking. Place it away from paths and homes, put up a small notice, and delete recordings containing voices.
- 18650 cells: use protected cells, set any boost/buck output with a multimeter before connecting the board, never short the cell, and do not leave charging unattended.
- In forests or protected areas, get permission from the forest department first; do not disturb nests or roosts.
Draft and unofficial, not affiliated with Fab Academy or the United Nations. Check prices, GST and parts before you buy.
Summary
Strap it to a tree for a week: it wakes at dawn and dusk, records a few minutes each time, and sleeps. Back at the lab, look through spectrograms to identify species and compare sites.
What it teaches
Capture I2S audio and write WAV files to microSD on a schedule (dawn and dusk), budget power across days with deep sleep, design a weatherproof printed housing with an acoustic port, and analyse recordings with free tools such as spectrograms and BirdNET.
Topics it touches, in Fab Academy-style terms:
- Input devices
- Embedded programming
- Electronics production
- 3D scanning and printing
- System integration
Parts list
Parts cost
Some parts are not priced yet, so there's no total.
6 required parts are marked not priced yet below. Where a price is known it is shown per part, GST-inclusive as the seller listed it on 24 Oct 2026, with the GST rate unverified. Shipping is not included.
| Part | Qty | Unit | Price, GST-incl. as listed | Line cost | GST | Source |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Seeed Studio XIAO ESP32C3 Wi-Fi & BLE Development Boardxiao-esp32c3 | 1 | pcs | ₹734 | ₹734 | GST unverified, typically 18% | Robocrazeread 24 Oct 2026 |
| INMP441 I2S MEMS microphone moduleinmp441-i2s-mic | 1 | pcs | not priced yet | not priced yet | GST unverified | no seller yet |
| microSD card SPI breakout module (3.3 V compatible)microsd-spi-module | 1 | pcs | not priced yet | not priced yet | GST unverified | no seller yet |
| microSD card, 16 GBmicrosd-16gb | 1 | pcs | not priced yet | not priced yet | GST unverified | no seller yet |
| 18650 2200mAh 3.7v Cylinder Rechargeable Li-Ion Battery (Any Colour)battery-18650-2200mahProtected cell to XIAO BAT pads | 1 | pcs | ₹137 | ₹137 | GST unverified, typically 18% | Robocrazeread 24 Oct 2026 |
| Single 18650 battery holder with leadsholder-18650-1cell | 1 | pcs | not priced yet | not priced yet | GST unverified | no seller yet |
| 40x1 Pin 2.54mm Pitch Male Berg Stripheader-male-40x1 | 1 | pcs | ₹8 | ₹8 | GST unverified, typically 18% | Robocrazeread 24 Oct 2026 |
| Male to Female Jumper Wires (20cm) (20pcs)jumpers-f2m-20cm-20Pack: pack of 20 male-female 20cm | 1 | set | ₹28 | ₹28 | GST unverified, typically 18% | Robocrazeread 24 Oct 2026 |
| PETG 3D printer filament, 1.75 mm, 1 kgfilament-petg-1kgHousing | 1 | pcs | not priced yet | not priced yet | GST unverified | no seller yet |
| PG7 nylon cable glandcable-gland-pg7 | 1 | pcs | not priced yet | not priced yet | GST unverified | no seller yet |
| Part | Qty | Unit | Price, GST-incl. as listed | Line cost | GST | Source |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Type C USB Cable (1 metre)cable-usb-c-1mSkip if you already have a data-capable USB-C cable | 1 | pcs | ₹65 | ₹65 | GST unverified, typically 18% | Robocrazeread 24 Oct 2026 |
| Optional extras total, GST-inclusive as listed by the seller | ₹65 | |||||
The Part column links to the shared catalogue. Units are pcs, m, g, sheet or set, and a "set" is the seller's pack, as noted per part.
Tools you will need
- 3D printer (PETG)
- Soldering iron
- Laptop with Audacity/Sonic Visualiser or BirdNET
Build notes
Step-by-step build notes have not been written yet for this draft. The summary, the topics above and the parts list are what exists so far.
How to buy
There is no online checkout. To buy or import these parts, email info@curiosta.com and say what you need. The button opens your own email app with a draft; nothing is sent until you send it.
Prices on this site are third-party seller listings, not a Curiosta quote. Ask by email for availability, price and GST.