FOSDEM is the heartbeat of the global community around free & open source software! Yay!
FOSDEM is a virus superspreader event! Boo!
FOSDEM is both.
Air quality monitoring (CO2 etc.) is being brought to FOSDEM'26 by a spontaneous collaboration of individuals.
Join Link to heading
Devroom managers Link to heading
You can adopt a sensor for your devroom or track. Agree to secure it, feed it USB-C 5v power with your cables and return to me at the end of your track.
Stand owners Link to heading
You can adopt a sensor for your stand. But we need fewer sensors with stands as stands share large open spaces. Agree to secure it, feed it USB-C 5v power with your cables and return to me at the end of your track.
Any Visitor of FOSDEM Link to heading
You can buy sensors at cost at the end, to help me recover the hole in my pocket and get rid of this pile of expensive hardware.
The orders are still being made, but the cost per unit is expected to be around 50 EUR.
The more of you buy them (and the sooner you all tell), the more of them will be made for FOSDEM. As things stand now, very small portion of FOSDEM spaces will be covered.
Sponsor Link to heading
You can sponsor this initiative for any amount. (That would be the first time for me and I’d need to triple-check tax questions.)
This initiative is the kind of work which many people say they want to see happen.
This initiative takes extravagant amount of my personal money, time and effort, and there are still risks the hardware will arrive late, not ready for use or broken, or won’t calibrate correclty etc.
FOSDEM orga Link to heading
You can cram these monitors into FOSDEM API in this last moment.
Companion apps developers Link to heading
You can cram these monitors into your app in this last moment.
Contact details Link to heading
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- - https://autkin.net/2026/fosdem26-air/
- - https://fosstodon.org/@autkin
- - mailto:hello@autkin.net
- - mailto:andriy_utkin@fastmail.com
- - https://autkin.net/pgpkey.txt - OpenPGP key for email
- - @andrey.utkin:matrix.org (but rarely look at it on the go)
- - xmpp:andrey.utkin@decent.im
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Spendings Link to heading
To be expanded with details.
Spent Link to heading
| When | Where | What | How much in GBP | How much in USD | How much in EUR |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 2026-01-07 | JLCPCB | PCB Manufacturing and assembly of, 10 units | 354.47 | 478.14 | 408.51 |
| 2026-01-07 | AliExpress | 128x64 4-pin SSD1306 OLED displays, 10 units | 12.83 | 17.19 | 14.78 |
| Total | Total | Total | 367.30 | 492.14 | 423.30 |
Planned spendings Link to heading
- PCB & assembly, 30 units
- OLED displays, 30 units
- manufacturing of 40 cases, 3D printing & laser cutting (possibly supplied for free by others)
Cost breakdown Link to heading
First batch, 10 units Link to heading
Timeline Link to heading
November 2025 Link to heading
I came across the Wired artice (via Violet Blue) on how Kawaiicon (New Zealand’s hacker conference) addressed the issue of risk of airborne viruses transmission by deploying CO2 monitoring. Specifically, Oliver Seiler developed an original open hardware design, featuring a high end air sensor. This struck me as very proper move, and, second, very applicable to FOSDEM, which is so close to my heart. So as a common modern intelligentsia I posted on Mastodon that someone should do it and sat on my ass ever since.
2026 Link to heading
So after sitting on my ass until January 2026, I got shocked that nobody implemented my brilliant idea, and that I have to get moving and put my money, time and effort towards it, and immediately.
In many hours of obsessive consideration I was daunted by questions such as “how to source these high end sensors quickly, affordably and not be scammed with cheap replicas?”. In the end, I settled on the latest design by the same Oliver Seiler of Kawaiicon, which design was developed with assembly at once with the PCB manufacturing, at places such as JLCPCB. This should solve well the above question - JLCPCB just sources the components, including the sensor, at a very good price, and I don’t need to solder much stuff (just the display).
In parallel, I was working on cooperation with FOSDEM orga and devrooms and stands managers, who would actually keep an eye on the monitors and not let them “grow legs”. Early on, RichiH ruled out powering them from the video boxes. Then I ruled out buying power adapters and cables needed as ridiculously expensive and wasteful, and settled on calling for adopters to suppply power and cabling.
I emailed my call for action to devroom and stand managers mailgroups, where it sat for a couple of days blocked by spam filters, as was determined later :) Disappointed by lack of engagement and cooperation, I issued a small manufacturing order of just 10 units. Then I pinged FOSDEM orga which led to the email being passed through. A bunch of responses followed within hours.
Manufacturing is underway.
2026-01-10 15:39 UTC Link to heading
Drilling, please stand by.
2026-01-10 19:40 UTC Link to heading
Pattern plating, please stand by.
2026-01-10 20:45 UTC Link to heading
Solder Mask
