SparkFun Qwiic ENS160 - Python Package

The SparkFun Qwiic Air Quality Sensor ENS160 Module provides a simple and cost effective solution for adding Air Quality Sensor capabilities to your project. Implementing a SparkFun Qwiic I2C interface, these sensors can be rapidly added to any project with boards that are part of the SparkFun Qwiic ecosystem.

This repository implements a Python package for the SparkFun Qwiic ENS160. This package works with Python, MicroPython and CircuitPython.

Contents

• About
• Installation
• Supported Platforms
• Documentation
• Examples

About the Package

This python package enables the user to access the features of the ENS160 via a single Qwiic cable. This includes reading air quality index, reading total volatile organic compounds (TVOC), Reading CO2 Concentration and more. The capabilities of the ENS160 are each demonstrated in the included examples.

New to qwiic? Take a look at the entire SparkFun qwiic ecosystem.

Supported SparkFun Products

This Python package supports the following SparkFun qwiic products on Python, MicroPython and Circuit python.

• SparkFun Air Quality Sensor Sensor - ENS160
• SparkFun Environmental Combo Breakout - ENS160/BME280

Supported Platforms

Python	Platform	Boards
Python	Linux	Raspberry Pi , NVIDIA Jetson Orin Nano via the SparkFun Qwiic SHIM
MicroPython	Raspberry Pi - RP2, ESP32	SparkFun Pro Micro RP2350, SparkFun IoT RedBoard ESP32, SparkFun IoT RedBoard RP2350
CircuitPython	Raspberry Pi - RP2, ESP32	SparkFun Pro Micro RP2350, SparkFun IoT RedBoard ESP32, SparkFun IoT RedBoard RP2350

Note

The listed supported platforms and boards are the primary platform targets tested. It is fully expected that this package will work across a wide variety of Python enabled systems.

Installation

The first step to using this package is installing it on your system. The install method depends on the python platform. The following sections outline installation on Python, MicroPython and CircuitPython.

Python

PyPi Installation

The package is primarily installed using the pip3 command, downloading the package from the Python Index - "PyPi".

Note - the below instructions outline installation on a Linux-based (Raspberry Pi) system.

First, setup a virtual environment from a specific directory using venv:

python3 -m venv path/to/venv

You can pass any path as path/to/venv, just make sure you use the same one for all future steps. For more information on venv click here.

Next, install the qwiic package with:

path/to/venv/bin/pip3 install sparkfun-qwiic-ens160

Now you should be able to run any example or custom python scripts that have import qwiic_ens160 by running e.g.:

path/to/venv/bin/python3 example_script.py

MicroPython Installation

If not already installed, follow the instructions here to install mpremote on your computer.

Connect a device with MicroPython installed to your computer and then install the package directly to your device with mpremote mip.

mpremote mip install github:sparkfun/qwiic_ens160_py

If you would also like to install the examples for this repository, issue the following mip command as well:

mpremote mip install --target "" github:sparkfun/qwiic_ens160_py@examples

CircuitPython Installation

If not already installed, follow the instructions here to install CircUp on your computer.

Ensure that you have the latest version of the SparkFun Qwiic CircuitPython bundle.

circup bundle-add sparkfun/Qwiic_Py

Finally, connect a device with CircuitPython installed to your computer and then install the package directly to your device with circup.

circup install --py qwiic_ens160

If you would like to install any of the examples from this repository, issue the corresponding circup command from below. (NOTE: The below syntax assumes you are using CircUp on Windows. Linux and Mac will have different path seperators. See the CircUp "example" command documentation for more information)

circup example qwiic_ens160\qwiic_ens160_ex1_basic
circup example qwiic_ens160\qwiic_ens160_ex4_BME280_temp_rh_compensation
circup example qwiic_ens160\qwiic_ens160_ex6_burn_in
circup example qwiic_ens160\qwiic_ens160_ex7_raw_resistance

Example Use

Below is a quickstart program to print readings from the ENS160.

See the examples directory for more detailed use examples and examples/README.md for a summary of the available examples.

import qwiic_ens160
import sys
from time import sleep

def runExample():
	print("\nQwiic ENS160 Example 1 - Basic\n")

	myEns = qwiic_ens160.QwiicENS160()

	if myEns.is_connected() == False:
		print("The device isn't connected to the system. Please check your connection", \
			file=sys.stderr)
		return

	myEns.begin()

	myEns.set_operating_mode(myEns.kOpModeReset)

	sleep(0.1)

	myEns.set_operating_mode(myEns.kOpModeStandard)
	

	ensStatus = myEns.get_flags()
	print("Gas Sensor Status Flag (0 - Standard, 1 - Warm up, 2 - Initial Start Up): ", ensStatus)
	
	while True:
		if myEns.check_data_status():
			print("Air Quality Index (1-5) : ", myEns.get_aqi())
			print("Total Volatile Organic Compounds (ppb): ", myEns.get_tvoc())
			print("CO2 concentration (ppm): ", myEns.get_eco2())
			print("Gas Sensor Status Flag (0 - Standard, 1 - Warm up, 2 - Initial Start Up): ", myEns.get_flags())
			print("\n------------------------\n")
		
		sleep(0.2)


if __name__ == '__main__':
	try:
		runExample()
	except (KeyboardInterrupt, SystemExit) as exErr:
		print("\nEnding Example")
		sys.exit(0)