Frugal infrasound: Low-cost, low-power, low-weight, and low-effort

It is possible to acquire high fidelity array infrasound data at low cost. Recording infrasound economically requires sensors and acquisition systems that are inexpensive to buy or build, and efficient to transport, power, deploy, and maintain. A variety of engineering tools and design practices can help scientists economize on cost and effort from design to data collection. The design and prototyping process is streamlined by clearly defining design priorities and intended applications, selecting user-friendly components, libraries, and platforms, and using free CAD software and low-volume manufacturers for printed circuit boards. Custom enclosures built with 3-D printing and off-the-shelf watertight boxes facilitate production of sensor packages at any production scale. The cost and effort of fieldwork can be reduced by designing for portability (to reduce cost of transport and the number of field assistants needed), ease of use (facilitating use by new field assistants), and low power (to make power systems simpler, more portable, and requiring fewer maintenance visits). We describe how all of these frugal practices were implemented in the Gem infrasound logger and how they helped support new infrasound practitioners and applications that would be impractical with other infrasound systems.