2 layers65 × 64 mm
2 layers37.4 × 54.6 mm
AirAware
evanloi/air-awareAirAware is a portable air quality monitor built with an ESP32-C3 and PMS5003 to measure particulate matter and support hands-on air quality education.
- Size
- 37.4 × 54.6 mm
- Copper layers
- 2
- Thickness
- 1.6 mm
- Parts
- 16
- Nets
- 22
- Pads
- 57
- Tracks, vias
- 169, 29
- Pours
- 1
- Routed
- Yes
- KiCad
- KiCad 9.0 (file 20241229)
- Created
- 14 Oct 2026
- Updated
- 14 Oct 2026
Overview
AirAware is an open-source printed circuit board by evanloi, from the evanloi/air-aware repository on GitHub, published under the MIT licence. It is a 2-layer board of 37.4 × 54.6 mm with 16 parts on 22 nets, routed with 169 tracks and 29 vias.
It is built around the PMS5003. Its parts include 5 capacitors, 3 resistors, 3 connectors, 1 IC and 1 switch. It belongs with the sensors and measurement boards and the ESP32 and RISC-V boards of this library.
Main components
1README
README.mdAirAware
AirAware is a portable particulate matter monitor designed to make air quality visible and understandable. The device measures airborne particles using a Plantower PMS5003 sensor and displays the results through a simple interface powered by an ESP32-C3.
The project combines PCB design, embedded programming, environmental sensing, and classroom education.
Project started: July 2026
Overview
AirAware was built around a simple question:
What does the air around us actually contain?
Most people cannot see changes in particulate matter concentration as they happen. AirAware provides a portable way to measure those changes and display them in a format that is easy to understand.
The current device measures particulate matter and displays:
- Particle count
- PM2.5 concentration
- A visual air-quality indicator
The interface uses a simple facial indicator to help younger students interpret changes in particle concentration without needing to understand every measurement immediately.
Hardware
The current AirAware device uses:
- ESP32-C3 SuperMini
- Plantower PMS5003 particulate matter sensor
- 2.0-inch 320 × 240 ST7789 display
- 3.7 V lithium-polymer battery
- Pololu S13V15F5 5 V boost regulator
- Custom 2-layer PCB
How It Works
The PMS5003 pulls air through its sensing chamber and measures suspended particulate matter.
The sensor sends measurement data to the ESP32-C3 through UART.
The ESP32-C3 processes the sensor readings and updates the ST7789 display with the current particle measurements and visual indicator.
Basic data flow:
PMS5003 ↓ UART communication ↓ ESP32-C3 ↓ Data processing ↓ ST7789 display
Display
The interface was designed to stay simple enough for classroom use.
The main screen emphasizes particle count while also showing PM2.5 concentration.
A facial indicator changes based on the measured particle level:
🙂 Lower particle concentration
😐 Moderate particle concentration
☹ Higher particle concentration
The device also includes a startup screen while the PMS5003 completes its initial warm-up period.
Educational Use
AirAware was designed as both an engineering project and an educational tool.
Students use the devices in small groups to:
- Observe real-time particulate matter measurements
- Compare measurements from different environments
- Test how activities affect airborne particles
- Record experimental data
- Calculate averages
- Compare results between groups
- Discuss possible sources of particulate matter
The goal is to connect environmental science with measurements students collect themselves.
firmware
Contains the code running on the ESP32-C3.
hardware/kicad
Contains the editable KiCad project files:
- Schematic
- PCB layout
- KiCad project
hardware/production
Contains files used to manufacture the PCB, including Gerber and drill files.
Parts
16| Qty | Value | Footprint | References |
|---|---|---|---|
| 3 | 100nF | Capacitor_SMD:C_0805_2012Metric_Pad1.18x1.45mm_HandSolder | C1, C3, C5 |
| 2 | 100k | Resistor_SMD:R_0805_2012Metric_Pad1.20x1.40mm_HandSolder | R1, R2 |
| 1 | 10k | Resistor_SMD:R_0805_2012Metric_Pad1.20x1.40mm_HandSolder | R3 |
| 1 | 10uF 10V | Capacitor_SMD:C_1206_3216Metric_Pad1.33x1.80mm_HandSolder | C4 |
| 1 | 220uF 10V | Capacitor_THT:CP_Radial_D5.0mm_P2.00mm | C2 |
| 1 | ESP32-C3_SUPERMINI_TH | ESP32-C3_SUPERMINI_TH:MODULE_ESP32-C3_SUPERMINI_TH | U1 |
| 1 | GND TEST | TestPoint:TestPoint_Loop_D2.50mm_Drill1.0mm | TP1 |
| 1 | LiPo Battery | Connector_JST:JST_PH_B2B-PH-K_1x02_P2.00mm_Vertical | J1 |
| 1 | MountingHole | MountingHole:MountingHole_2.2mm_M2 | H2 |
| 1 | PMS5003 | Connector_Molex:Molex_PicoBlade_53048-0810_1x08_P1.25mm_Horizontal | J2 |
| 1 | POWER | Button_Switch_THT:SW_CW_GPTS203211B | SW1 |
| 1 | Pololu S13V15F5 | Connector_PinHeader_2.54mm:PinHeader_1x03_P2.54mm_Vertical | M1 |
| 1 | SKU 17344 | Connector_JST:JST_PH_S8B-PH-K_1x08_P2.00mm_Horizontal | J3 |
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Questions
How big is the AirAware PCB?
It measures 37.4 × 54.6 mm and has 2 copper layers, 1.6 mm thick.
What parts does the AirAware use?
16 parts, built around the PMS5003. The full list of its parts is on this page, with links to each part's symbol and footprint where PCBKit's library has them.
Where can I download the AirAware KiCad files?
From the evanloi/air-aware repository on GitHub, at the commit this page was made from: the board is hardware/kicad/AirAware.kicad_pcb.kicad_pcb and its schematic hardware/kicad/AirAware.kicad_sch.kicad_sch. PCBKit opens the board in the browser, with nothing to install.
Can I use the AirAware design in my own project?
Its repository publishes it under the MIT licence: you may reuse it on that licence's terms (keep the author's notice, and for a copyleft licence share your changes alike).