NearSens is a contactless short-range distance sensing project.
This is not meant to be just another quick module-based build.
The goal is to create a proper mixed-signal distance sensor with:
- a practical form factor
- a 5 V supply
- a target range of about 10 to 50 cm
- very low average power consumption
- and a design that stays as simple and low-cost as possible
This repository is meant to be both:
- a technical workspace 🛠️
- a public proof of work 📚
NearSens is a standalone contactless distance measurement device focused on close-range sensing.
The main idea is to bring together:
- sensing
- analog and digital signal handling
- simple embedded control
- direct visual output
into one compact and understandable system.
I do not just want to build something that works.
I want to build it in a way that is technically honest, clearly documented, and genuinely worth sharing in public.
The current goals of NearSens are:
- contactless distance sensing
- useful operation in the 10-50 cm range
- 5 V power supply
- very low average power consumption
- low component cost
- practical and readable standalone output
- simple but serious hardware architecture
- clear public documentation of the development process, so you and other people can understand it, learn from it, and even build their own version at home!
NearSens is not being developed as a generic Arduino-style demo.
It is being built as a mixed-signal hardware project, where the sensing path, control logic, measurement handling, and output method are treated as parts of one coherent system.
Just as important, I want to show the project publicly in a way that reflects real work, not just the final polished result. That includes:
- design decisions
- revisions
- measurements
- trade-offs
- experiments
- mistakes and fixes
- final presentation
That matters to me because I want this repository to be useful in two ways:
- as real technical documentation
- as a portfolio piece that shows the full process, not just the end result
This project uses my own versioning system:
X.Y.Z
-
X , main version
A finished major version where everything that was supposed to work is working. -
Y , subversion
Not fully finished, but stable and solid for the current stage. Not everything is done yet, but the parts that should work already work and do not crash. -
Z , sub-subversion
The latest saved change inside a version or subversion. This is basically a raw progress marker, so there is a good chance that something that should work still does not work yet. 🧪