Testing
I' was working on testing of my wearable design and in the process of testing I've broke my key component in the project - the heartbeat sensor. One of the LED legs lost contact,
Recovery Attempt
I've tried to solder the led leg back, but I was not able to fix it.
Logistics Challenge
This sensor was sourced from China. I have still an outstanding order from the beginning of February for a similar sensor. it was no possible for me to get a replacement part in time to finish this challenge.
New Hopes
As challenge was extended I've try to come up with an alternative design. I have several green LEDs and photo resistors.So I put together for a quick test.
But the resulting signal contained to much noise, so I was not able to detect any heartbeat from its signal.
And this is what I was getting with the real heartbeat sensor while it was working.,
So the alternative design is too simplistic and is not a viable option.
Summary
Some lessons learned from it:
- The mechanical side of wearable design is very important. It should withstand wear and tear.
- There is no simple replacements for a quality sensor.