Project HomeSeismograph is a low-cost Arduino-based seismic vibration detector designed to monitor vibrations and display real-time signal changes on an OLED screen. The project was developed as a school research and engineering project for the RKNP competition among NIS schools.
The system uses an MPU6050 accelerometer/gyroscope to detect vibration, an OLED display to visualize live signal data, and a buzzer + LED to alert when vibration exceeds a selected threshold.
Authors: Islam Yekiya and Nurtas Nazarbayev
School: Nazarbayev Intellectual School of Physics and Mathematics in Shymkent
The main goal of this project was to create a compact home seismograph prototype that can:
- detect physical vibrations using an MPU6050 sensor;
- calculate the vibration intensity from acceleration data;
- show the live signal on a 0.96-inch OLED display;
- activate a buzzer and red LED when vibration exceeds the threshold;
- be tested in real-world vibration conditions, including railway vibration from a safe distance.
MPU6050 sensor
↓
Arduino reads X, Y, Z acceleration
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Arduino calculates vibration intensity
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OLED displays live graph and magnitude value
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If magnitude >= threshold:
LED turns on + buzzer alarm starts
The displayed value is not an official earthquake magnitude scale. It is a relative vibration index calculated from MPU6050 acceleration changes. This made the prototype suitable for comparing vibration levels during demonstrations and field testing.
The first prototype used an Arduino Nano, MPU6050, OLED display, buzzer, LED, and a resistor. This version was built on a perfboard and used for early testing of the sensor logic and display output.
The second prototype was redesigned using an Arduino Uno with an Arduino Sensor Shield. The shield made the wiring cleaner and more reliable for exhibition and competition use. The main components remained the same: OLED display, MPU6050, buzzer, and LED.
The device was tested near a railway area from approximately 2 meters away to observe how passing trains affect vibration readings. The test helped demonstrate that the device can detect real environmental vibration sources, not only manually generated shaking.
Safety note: the test was performed from a distance and should not be repeated near active railway tracks without proper adult supervision and safety clearance.
For the project presentation, we also built a small moving house model to demonstrate how the HomeSeismograph reacts to vibration.
The model helped explain the working principle visually: when the house shakes, the MPU6050 sensor detects acceleration changes, the OLED displays the vibration signal, and the buzzer/LED alert system is activated if the vibration level exceeds the threshold.
Moving house model used during the project presentation to simulate vibration and demonstrate the seismograph response.
The project was presented at the RKNP competition among NIS schools.
| Stage | Location | Result |
|---|---|---|
| School/inter-school selection | Shymkent | Advanced to the next stage |
| City/intercity stage | Karaganda | 2nd place |
| Republican stage | Aktobe | Participated, no prize place |
The project received 2nd place at the Karaganda stage and qualified for the republican stage in Aktobe.
For the republican stage in Aktobe, the project was presented with a full research stand explaining the problem, hardware, circuit, algorithm, testing process, and results.
| Component | Purpose |
|---|---|
| Arduino Nano | Main controller for Prototype 1 |
| Arduino Uno | Main controller for Prototype 2 |
| Arduino Sensor Shield | Cleaner wiring and easier connection for Prototype 2 |
| MPU6050 accelerometer/gyroscope | Detects vibration and acceleration changes |
| 0.96-inch I2C OLED display | Displays live vibration graph and value |
| Buzzer | Sound alert when threshold is exceeded |
| Red LED | Visual alert indicator |
| Resistor | Current limiting for LED |
| Power switch | Turns the prototype on/off |
Both the OLED display and MPU6050 use the I2C bus.
| Module | Arduino Nano / Uno pin |
|---|---|
| OLED VCC | 5V |
| OLED GND | GND |
| OLED SDA | A4 / SDA |
| OLED SCL | A5 / SCL |
| MPU6050 VCC | 5V |
| MPU6050 GND | GND |
| MPU6050 SDA | A4 / SDA |
| MPU6050 SCL | A5 / SCL |
| Buzzer + | D11 |
| Buzzer - | GND |
| LED + | D12 through resistor |
| LED - | GND |
Pin numbers can be changed in the Arduino code if your wiring is different.
The Arduino sketch is located here:
code/HomeSeismograph/HomeSeismograph.ino
Required Arduino libraries:
Adafruit MPU6050Adafruit Unified SensorAdafruit SSD1306Adafruit GFX Library
Install them through Arduino IDE → Library Manager.
A demo video can be added here:
[Watch the demo video](PASTE_YOUR_VIDEO_LINK_HERE)Recommended: upload the video to YouTube and place the link above. For GitHub, it is better to avoid uploading very large video files directly to the repository.
Project-HomeSeismograph-with-Arduino/
├── README.md
├── code/
│ └── HomeSeismograph/
│ └── HomeSeismograph.ino
├── docs/
│ ├── wiring.md
│ └── competition-history.md
├── images/
│ ├── prototype-1/
│ ├── prototype-2/
│ ├── testing/
│ ├── achievements/
│ ├── exhibition-stand/
│ └── poster-preparation/
├── media/
│ └── README.md
└── LICENSE
Possible next steps for improving the project:
- add an SD card module for long-term vibration logging;
- add a real-time clock module for timestamped measurements;
- add Wi-Fi/Bluetooth data transfer;
- build a stronger enclosure;
- improve calibration and filtering;
- compare sensor readings with professional seismograph data.
This project is released under the MIT License. See LICENSE for details.