Bmp280 - Taking measurements

The BMP280 has Two measuring modes: Normal and Forced.

Normal mode

Normal mode continuously cycles between an (active) measurement period and an (inactive) standby period, whose time is defined by t_standby. To set the board into normal mode, call bmp280.startNormalConversion() and bmp.setTimeStandby() in setup(). To take a measurement, first create 3 float variables and then call bmp280.getMeasurements().

void setup(){

    //...

    bmp280.startNormalConversion();
    bmp280.setTimeStandby(TIME_STANDBY_2000MS);
}

void loop(){
    //Variables for storing measurement data
    float temperature, pressure, altitude;

    // Check if the data is ready
    if (bmp280.getMeasurements(temperature, pressure, altitude))
    {
        // Print the results.
        Serial.print(temperature);
        Serial.print(F("*C   "));
        Serial.print(pressure);
        Serial.print(F("hPa   "));
        Serial.print(altitude);
        Serial.println(F("m"));
    }
}

[IMAGE PLACEHOLDER - Serial monitor output]

bmp280.startNormalConversion();

Starts continuous measurement in NORMAL MODE

bmp280.setTimeStandby()

Sets the time interval between measurements

Function parameters:

Type	Name	Description
TimeStandby	timeStandby	Enum for time standby bit field in the configurator register

ℹ️

All available values: TIME_STANDBY_05MS, TIME_STANDBY_62MS, TIME_STANDBY_125MS, TIME_STANDBY_250MS, TIME_STANDBY_500MS, TIME_STANDBY_1000MS, TIME_STANDBY_2000MS, TIME_STANDBY_4000MS

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Forced mode

In forced mode, a single measurement is performed according to selected measurement options. When the measurement is finished, the sensor returnt to sleep mode and the measurement can be obtained from the data registers. For the next measurement, forced mode needs to be selected again. To perform an forced measurement, call bmp280.startForcedConversion() in loop().

void loop(){
    // Variables for storing measurement data.
    float temperature, pressure, altitude;

    // Make a request for new measurement!
    bmp280.startForcedConversion();

    // Check if the measurement is complete.
    if (bmp280.getMeasurements(temperature, pressure, altitude))
    {
        Serial.print(temperature);
        Serial.print(F("*C   "));
        Serial.print(pressure);
        Serial.print(F("hPa   "));
        Serial.print(altitude);
        Serial.println(F("m"));
    }
}

[IMAGE PLACEHOLDER - serial monitor output]

bmp280.startForcedConversion()

Forces a single measurement