Closing the Data Gap on Black Carbon.
An open-source black carbon monitor for research institutions, environmental agencies, and NGOs. Validated against professional instruments — at a fraction of the cost.
Why Measure Black Carbon?
Black carbon (soot) poses serious health risks and contributes significantly to global warming (IPCC 20-year CO₂ equivalent factor of 2421). Yet, measurement sites remain scarce due to high costs.
bcMeter changes this — as a cost-effective, open-source platform for a global measurement network.
Real-Time Dashboard
Browser-Based Interface
Monitor measurements live from any device on your network — no cloud account, no subscription.
- Live BC, PM2.5, temperature, humidity
- Interactive charts with zoom and dual axes
- Export to CSV, SVG, or PNG
- 3-step setup wizard
Tested & Validated
Lab-Validated Performance
Validated against professional-grade black carbon monitors by independent labs, universities, and environmental agencies.
- Compared to MAAP, AE33, microAeth
- R² = 0.77–0.83 against reference instruments
- Published in peer-reviewed journals
Connectivity & IoT
Field-Ready Deployment
Deploy anywhere — from urban monitoring stations to remote field sites.
- WiFi with local web interface
- Optional 4G/LTE for remote sites
- Optional GPS for mobile sampling
- Optional PM2.5/PM10 sensor
Open Source – CC BY-NC 4.0
All design files, firmware, and schematics are freely available for private, educational, and research use. Build your own or contribute to the project.
Performance Validation
Co-location measurements against established professional black carbon monitors.
114h continuous co-location, Leipzig, Aug 2021. +20 min time offset correction applied to bcMeter (determined via cross-correlation). Hourly averages.
30h co-location with AE33 (MC174 station, BLUME network), Berlin, Jun 2021. No correction factor applied. Hourly averages.
Co-location at RIFS Potsdam, 13 Nov 2024 (bcMeter112 revision). OLS correction applied: BC_corr = 1.016 x BC_raw + 411 ng/m3. Required due to hardware revision with different baseline offset. 30-minute averages.
35h co-location with microAeth AE51, Berlin, Mar 2026. No correction factor applied. One AE51 outlier removed (instrument artifact). Hourly averages.
Independent Research & Validation
Hofman, J. et al. (2024): Portable Sensors for Dynamic Exposure Assessments in Urban Environments. Sensors, 24(17), 5653. Benchmarking by VITO and VMM — strong BC measurement performance (R² = 0.82-0.83). Read the full paper
Doldi, A. et al. (2025): Evaluating the performance of the low-cost black carbon sensor bcMeter. Gefahrstoffe — Reinhaltung der Luft, 85(1-2). Independent evaluation by University of Milano-Bicocca (R² = 0.77-0.79). View publication
Konrat, F. (2025): Evaluating the performance of low-cost BC sensors for air pollution measurements. Master Thesis, University of Potsdam / RIFS. 32-day collocation study — accuracy comparable to established low-cost BC sensors, newer revision outperformed microAeth AE51.
Downloads & Getting Started
2. Installation Steps
- Flash: Unzip file and use Balena Etcher to write
.imgto microSD. - Boot: Insert card, wait 2-3 mins. Device creates WiFi.
- Connect: Join WiFi
bcMeter(Pass:bcMeterbcMeter). - Setup: Go to
http://bcmeter.local. - Important: Trigger an update immediately after login to expand storage!
Development Log
March 2026
So the road to multiwavelength is long and rocky but there’s progress – there were many factors which forced me to do a complete redesign of hard- and software: bcMeter moved from Raspberry Pi to ESP32. This resolves CE/RED compliance and connectivity issues that limited the Pi version. Boots in seconds, OTA updates in under a minute. A more comprehensive update on that will follow.
December 2025
Numerous software bugs fixed in frontend and backend. Recommended: download the new image and do a fresh installation after backing up logs.
Multi-wavelength bcMeter release rescheduled — development focuses on 2-3 wavelengths for source apportionment with a new ADC over SPI (8 channels).
October 2024
bcMeter was part of the VMM CompAIR project which has now concluded.
May 2024
New Board Revision 2024.2 and 3D-printed case released — major updates in accuracy, usability, and interface.
November 2023
The VMM (Flanders Environment Agency) supports further development of bcMeter for improved accuracy and usability.
August 2021
First release of bcMeter. Thanks to DUH (Environmental Action Germany).