Matthias-Wandel

Matthias-Wandel / Pico-femtofarad

Public

Relative measurements of very low capacitances using timing on digital I/O lines using Pi Pico PIO state machines

19
3
100% credibility
Found Apr 16, 2026 at 19 stars -- GitGems finds repos before they trend. Get early access to the next one.
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AI Analysis
Python
AI Summary

A hobbyist project with code for a Raspberry Pi Pico that measures tiny capacitance changes to detect proximity, objects between plates, or movement using simple electrodes and live graphing.

How It Works

1
👀 Discover the Sensor Trick

You stumble upon a fun video showing how a tiny board detects your hand nearby or objects moving by using simple metal pieces.

2
🛒 Gather Your Supplies

Pick up a small maker board, some wires, and foil or plates to act as touch sensors.

3
🔌 Connect the Pieces

Attach the wires and sensors to spots on the board so it can feel tiny electric changes.

4
📥 Add the Magic Instructions

Copy the ready-made program onto your board with a simple file transfer.

5
▶️ Start the Show

Power it up, and a live graph appears on your screen, ready to dance with changes.

6
🤲 Test with Your Hand

Wave your hand near the sensor or move objects between plates, and watch the graph spike excitingly.

🎉 Sense the Invisible

You now have a super-sensitive detector that spots proximity or hidden objects, perfect for fun projects like floor sensors or slide trackers!

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AI-Generated Review

What is Pico-femtofarad?

Pico-femtofarad lets you measure tiny capacitance changes—down to tens of femtofarads—using a Raspberry Pi Pico's GPIO pins. It handles both absolute measurements to ground (like detecting human proximity to an electrode) and relative measurements between two pins (spotting objects like a glass of water between plates). Written in MicroPython with Pi Pico PIO state machines, it outputs real-time ASCII graphs to the console for monitoring capacitances in custom sensors.

Why is it gaining traction?

It stands out for sub-femtofarad sensitivity without extra hardware, outperforming basic RC timing in cheap setups. Developers dig the practical demos: proximity sensing through floors, dielectric detection on ramps, or sliding plate experiments for relative measurements. The console graphing and kick-mode toggling for differential readings make capacitance tweaks immediately visible, hooking experimenters fast.

Who should use this?

Hardware hackers prototyping touchless interfaces or proximity alarms on Pi Pico. Embedded devs needing relative capacitance measurements for object sorting, like distinguishing full vs empty containers. Makers tinkering with floor sensors or caliper-like position trackers where absolute vs relative measurements matter.

Verdict

Grab it if you're deep into Pi Pico sensing—it's a clever niche tool with solid real-world proofs despite 19 stars and 1.0% credibility score signaling early maturity and thin docs. Test locally before production; lacks polish but sparks ideas for custom capacitive projects.

(178 words)

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