DHT11 and Pulse sensor incompatibility?

Question

I am working on an IoT project to send data acquired from DHT11 and PulseSensor to a website. I can send the data properly when I use each of sensors alone but when I write a wrapper to use both sensors simultaneously, DHT11 returns check-sum error. PulseSensor uses interrupt based on TIMER2 , whenever I remove interruptSetup(); from setup block the problem is solved but obviously the PulseSensor does not work in this case. I searched inside the DHT11 library, as far as I could understand it does not use any Timer or interrupt to make a conflict with PulseSensor requirements. This project use to serial port to communicate with PC for debugging and another one to communicate with ESP8266. Please help me in finding a solution for this problem. Or guide me to websites that Arduino gurus track more :)

#include <SoftwareSerial.h>
#include <stdlib.h>
#include <dht.h>


dht DHT;
//DHT11 PIN
#define DHT11_PIN 5
// LED 
int ledPin = 13;

// Heart_Sensor_Variables
int pulsePin = 0;                 // Pulse Sensor purple wire connected to analog pin 0
int blinkPin = 10;                // pin to blink led at each beat

// Volatile Variables, used in the interrupt service routine!
volatile int BPM;                   // int that holds raw Analog in 0. updated every 2mS
volatile int Signal;                // holds the incoming raw data
volatile int IBI = 600;             // int that holds the time interval between beats! Must be seeded! 
volatile boolean Pulse = false;     // "True" when User's live heartbeat is detected. "False" when not a "live beat". 
volatile boolean QS = false;        // becomes true when Arduoino finds a beat.

//ISR variables
volatile int rate[10];                    // array to hold last ten IBI values
volatile unsigned long sampleCounter = 0;          // used to determine pulse timing
volatile unsigned long lastBeatTime = 0;           // used to find IBI
volatile int P =512;                      // used to find peak in pulse wave, seeded
volatile int T = 512;                     // used to find trough in pulse wave, seeded
volatile int thresh = 525;                // used to find instant moment of heart beat, seeded
volatile int amp = 100;                   // used to hold amplitude of pulse waveform, seeded
volatile boolean firstBeat = true;        // used to seed rate array so we startup with reasonable BPM
volatile boolean secondBeat = false;      // used to seed rate array so we startup with reasonable BPM

//function Prototypes
void interruptSetup(void);

//Thingspeak API key
String apiKey = "REMOVED FOR SECURITY REASONS";

// connect 11 to TX of Serial USB
// connect 12 to RX of serial USB
SoftwareSerial ser(11, 12); // RX, TX

// this runs once
void setup() {                
  // initialize the digital pin as an output.
  pinMode(ledPin, OUTPUT);  


  // enable debug serial
  Serial.begin(57600); 
  // enable software serial
  ser.begin(57600);
  // reset ESP8266
  Serial.println("AT+RST");

  // sets up to read Pulse Sensor signal every 2mS           
   interruptSetup();  
}


// the loop 
void loop() {
  // blink LED on board
  digitalWrite(ledPin, HIGH);   
  delay(200);               
  digitalWrite(ledPin, LOW);

//Read DH11 Data
  int chk = DHT.read11(DHT11_PIN);

// DISPLAY DATA
switch(chk) {
  case 0: ser.println("OK"); break;
  case -1: ser.println("Checksum error!"); break;
}

  ser.print(DHT.humidity, 1);
  ser.print(",\t");
  ser.println(DHT.temperature, 1);


if (QS == true){     // A Heartbeat Was Found
  ser.println("BPM and IBI have been Determined");
  ser.println(BPM, 1);
  ser.println(IBI, 1);

                       // BPM and IBI have been Determined
                       // Quantified Self "QS" true when arduino finds a heartbeat
        digitalWrite(blinkPin,HIGH);     // Blink LED, we got a beat. 

        QS = false;                      // reset the Quantified Self flag for next time    
  }

  // TCP connection
  String cmd = "AT+CIPSTART=\"TCP\",\"";
  cmd += "184.106.153.149"; // api.thingspeak.com
  cmd += "\",80";
  Serial.println(cmd);
  delay(1000);

  if(Serial.find("Error")){
    ser.println("AT+CIPSTART error");
    return;
  }

  // prepare GET string
  String getStr = "GET /update?api_key=";
  getStr += apiKey;
  getStr +="&field1=";
  getStr += String(DHT.humidity);
  getStr +="&field2=";
  getStr += String(DHT.temperature);
  getStr +="&field3=";
  getStr += String(BPM);
  getStr +="&field4=";
  getStr += String(IBI);
  getStr += "\r\n\r\n";

  // send data length
  cmd = "AT+CIPSEND=";
  cmd += String(getStr.length());
  Serial.println(cmd);
 delay(500);
  if(Serial.find(">")){
    Serial.print(getStr);
  }
  else{
    Serial.println("AT+CIPCLOSE");
    // alert user
    ser.println("AT+CIPCLOSE");
  }

  // thingspeak needs 15 sec delay between updates
  delay(16000);
}


void interruptSetup(){     
  // Initializes Timer2 to throw an interrupt every 2mS.
  TCCR2A = 0x02;     // DISABLE PWM ON DIGITAL PINS 3 AND 11, AND GO INTO CTC MODE
  TCCR2B = 0x06;     // DON'T FORCE COMPARE, 256 PRESCALER 
  OCR2A = 0X7C;      // SET THE TOP OF THE COUNT TO 124 FOR 500Hz SAMPLE RATE
  TIMSK2 = 0x02;     // ENABLE INTERRUPT ON MATCH BETWEEN TIMER2 AND OCR2A
  sei();             // MAKE SURE GLOBAL INTERRUPTS ARE ENABLED      
} 

// THIS IS THE TIMER 2 INTERRUPT SERVICE ROUTINE. 
// Timer 2 makes sure that we take a reading every 2 miliseconds
ISR(TIMER2_COMPA_vect){                         // triggered when Timer2 counts to 124
  cli();                                      // disable interrupts while we do this
  Signal = analogRead(pulsePin);              // read the Pulse Sensor 
  sampleCounter += 2;                         // keep track of the time in mS with this variable
  int N = sampleCounter - lastBeatTime;       // monitor the time since the last beat to avoid noise

    //  find the peak and trough of the pulse wave
  if(Signal < thresh && N > (IBI/5)*3){       // avoid dichrotic noise by waiting 3/5 of last IBI
    if (Signal < T){                        // T is the trough
      T = Signal;                         // keep track of lowest point in pulse wave 
    }
  }

  if(Signal > thresh && Signal > P){          // thresh condition helps avoid noise
    P = Signal;                             // P is the peak
  }                                        // keep track of highest point in pulse wave

  //  NOW IT'S TIME TO LOOK FOR THE HEART BEAT
  // signal surges up in value every time there is a pulse
  if (N > 250){                                   // avoid high frequency noise
    if ( (Signal > thresh) && (Pulse == false) && (N > (IBI/5)*3) ){        
      Pulse = true;                               // set the Pulse flag when we think there is a pulse
      digitalWrite(blinkPin,HIGH);                // turn on pin 13 LED
      IBI = sampleCounter - lastBeatTime;         // measure time between beats in mS
      lastBeatTime = sampleCounter;               // keep track of time for next pulse

      if(secondBeat){                        // if this is the second beat, if secondBeat == TRUE
        secondBeat = false;                  // clear secondBeat flag
        for(int i=0; i<=9; i++){             // seed the running total to get a realisitic BPM at startup
          rate[i] = IBI;                      
        }
      }

      if(firstBeat){                         // if it's the first time we found a beat, if firstBeat == TRUE
        firstBeat = false;                   // clear firstBeat flag
        secondBeat = true;                   // set the second beat flag
        sei();                               // enable interrupts again
        return;                              // IBI value is unreliable so discard it
      }   


      // keep a running total of the last 10 IBI values
      word runningTotal = 0;                  // clear the runningTotal variable    

      for(int i=0; i<=8; i++){                // shift data in the rate array
        rate[i] = rate[i+1];                  // and drop the oldest IBI value 
        runningTotal += rate[i];              // add up the 9 oldest IBI values
      }

      rate[9] = IBI;                          // add the latest IBI to the rate array
      runningTotal += rate[9];                // add the latest IBI to runningTotal
      runningTotal /= 10;                     // average the last 10 IBI values 
      BPM = 60000/runningTotal;               // how many beats can fit into a minute? that's BPM!
      QS = true;                              // set Quantified Self flag 
      // QS FLAG IS NOT CLEARED INSIDE THIS ISR
    }                       
  }

  if (Signal < thresh && Pulse == true){   // when the values are going down, the beat is over
   digitalWrite(blinkPin,LOW);            // turn off pin 13 LED
    Pulse = false;                         // reset the Pulse flag so we can do it again
    amp = P - T;                           // get amplitude of the pulse wave
    thresh = amp/2 + T;                    // set thresh at 50% of the amplitude
    P = thresh;                            // reset these for next time
    T = thresh;
  }

  if (N > 2500){                           // if 2.5 seconds go by without a beat
    thresh = 512;                          // set thresh default
    P = 512;                               // set P default
    T = 512;                               // set T default
    lastBeatTime = sampleCounter;          // bring the lastBeatTime up to date        
    firstBeat = true;                      // set these to avoid noise
    secondBeat = false;                    // when we get the heartbeat back
  }

  sei();                                   // enable interrupts when youre done!
}// end isr

Answer 1

The DHT requires some precise timing on its one-wire interface e.g. a >40us HIGH pulse == 1, while a <40us HIGH pulse == 0. Your DHT library doesnt use interrupts directly but it does use micros() which is based on regular interrupts, which are disabled automatically when you are within the TIMER2 ISR (no need for your explicit cli() and sei(), by the way). If you waste too much time in your ISR, you'll miss bits/pulses on the DHT line and obtain incorrect data, hence your checksum error.

The simplest solution I can think of is to disable the TIMER2 interrupt before the read11() call and enable it again after. I dont have much experience with AVR interrupts but I think this small change should do it:

#define TIM2_EN() (TIMSK2 = 0x02)
#define TIM2_DIS() (TIMSK2 = 0x00)

// your code as usual

void loop(){
  // ...as before...

  TIM2_DIS(); //Enable TIMER2 Interrupt

  //Read DH11 Data
  int chk = DHT.read11(DHT11_PIN);

  TIM2_EN(); //Disable TIMER2 Interrupt

 //...as before...
}

// your code as before

Answer 2

// THIS IS THE TIMER 2 INTERRUPT SERVICE ROUTINE. 
// Timer 2 makes sure that we take a reading every 2 miliseconds
ISR(TIMER2_COMPA_vect){                         // triggered when Timer2 counts to 124
  cli();                                      // disable interrupts while we do this
  Signal = analogRead(pulsePin);              // read the Pulse Sensor

Interrupts are automatically disabled in an ISR.

Don't do lengthy things in an ISR (like analogRead). That takes 104 µs when an ISR should take only a few µs.