Build watering system for house plants. In part one of this video series, we will create a sensor that measures soil moisture, ambient temperature and light.
All source files are open-source open-hardware and available at GitHub: https://github.com/SasaKaranovic/HousePlantMonitoringSystem
Can we buy that sensor? I have been trying to figure this same thing out and so far I love what your saying. Very interested in the next two parts to this system.
Thanks Carmen! At the moment I’m not selling these. However, I’m making everything open-source and open-hardware. My hope is that enough people will be able to make their own, and maybe PCB shops like PCBWay, SeeedStudio or other will decide to offer cheap “clones” online. π
Finally, a superior design to the landfill-bound junk pushed out by the usual suspects in the far east. Destruction of the device due to electrolysis will be your first headache on the long-term usage (my experience) however I have not tested out the usual advice of switching off the device between reads to extend their lives.
Most people, like me, will use this device outside in raised beds, “veg trugs” and the like, as well as “Earthtainer” like systems – as these are the easiest to ignore π
I like what you’ve done. Good work.
Hey Percy! Thank you for your kind words. I started designing this system for my own use with potted plants that sit on a window “shelf” but I see there is interest to use this project with different setups. With that said, at some point I might release additional variations of the sensors (WiFi, battery powered, solar cell etc.). But I have to first finish the initial version of the system, upgrades will follow after. π
p.s. After Googling “veg trugs” and “Earthtainer”, this is somewhat similar to what I have for my potted plants. So hopefully this system provides a drop-in solution for people using them. π
Your sensor traces excitation circuit has a DC component, which will in the long term cause corrossion. Better add a series capacitor maybe.
Hi Nacho! Thank you for the suggestion. In the final state I plan on turning everything off between readings, so hopefully that slows down any unwanted side effects. π
Hello, thank you very much, that’s very cool and interesting ! I might try to replicate your project for fun and to start learning. Have you made improvments so far ? Could you tell us more about the durability after thoses years ? Is it still all working ?
Again thank you π
Hey!
That’s great, let me know how it goes!
It’s still working and for me it has been pretty much “set and forget” experience so far.
Hi Sasa,
I found your project through a link on an Arduino forum and find it to be exactly what I’ve been looking for, although I would need to scale it up. Our living room, AKA Nanny’s Oasis, has well over 20 plants, ranging from strawberries, to tropical and succulents/cacti.
I am new to the world of Raspberry Pi, Arduino, and now I2C, so please excuse my lack of knowledge (although I am picking things up). The main question I have is how to source the manufacturing of the sensors and other components? A second question is how to understand and utilize the GitHub files.
Thank you for any advice you can offer.
Tracy Steele
Hey Tracy,
You can use the files in the GitHub repository to order/make printed circuit boards (PCB) or have them assembled for you (PCBA).
Then you will need to load the firmware onto those boards (using a in-circuit programmer) and then connect/configure everything.
It might look too complicated at first but it’s not really that hard and if you want to learn how to make your own system, it’s a great “exercise”.
If you haven’t already, maybe watch all three videos to get the general idea and then you can use this project as a starting point to build your own version.
Thank you for that bit of information. I’ve watched the videos several times and have picked up things I previously missed. Can you explain the NC Drill and Pick Place files? I did learn that the Gerber zipped file for the sensor was a simple upload to a fab site, likewise for the BOM. I’m assuming that the remaining Gerbers just need to be zipped themselves? Do you have a recommended method of loading the firmware or is a special tool required?
The manufacturing package basically tells the board shop how to make the PCB or PCBA. PCB is the bare board (no components) and PCBA is PCB + Assembly of components.
If your manufacturing package includes Bill of material (BOM) (which tells the board shop which components you want on the board) and Pick and Place file (which tells the board shop ‘where’ on the board those components should be placed), then the board shop can make the PCBA for you.
Depending on the microcontroller used on the PCBA you might need a specialized tool (programmer) for loading the firmware. For example sensor board uses STM/ARM microcontroller so you would need ARM programmer (ie ST-Link, J-Link etc), the actuator board uses Atmel/Microchip ATTiny chip for which you need AVR programmer (ie. one of many AVR programmer variants or PicKIT). Then the central unit uses ESP32 which has a built in bootloader, so you can load the firmware over USB.
Also expect that the board shop might come back with questions; for example if certain component is out of stock or no longer manufactured, they would expect you to provide/approve alternate.
Depending on which PCB shop you go for, you can also expect ‘annoying’ situation where they might flag your design as “not manufacturable” because your BoM/Pick-and-Place file is not “formatted properly”, usually because they have a very rigid ordering system that requires very specific column names and order.
(To me) This is ‘exciting’ and interesting process, especially if you want to learn (and actually go through it). But if you are just looking for the finished product, then it can be very frustrating and overwhelming…
For this reason I always order extra boards so I can share them with people when they want to replicate my projects.
But I have already sent all the extra PCBAs that I had laying around… :\
Apologies for the delayed response, I’ve been wrapped up in forming an S Corp to assume ownership of my daughter’s retail flower shop. And, with that, the possibility of a larger scale system.
Thank you for the thorough explanation, it helped immensely. Have you made any progress on a WiFi version? Obviously, in a retail setting, wiring will definitely lead to problems.
Hey Tracy,
WiFi version of the soil sensor? WiFi would drain the battery too much and you would have to charge “relatively often”. So taking the sensor out and then sticking it back into the soil could damage the plant roots or taking just the battery out and then putting it back… It’s not going to be fun if you have a lot of plants.
Probably a better solution is to stick with the wires instead of WiFi. From my experience you probably want to have wires for reliability and robustness of system like this. In terms of maintenance and reliability, my money would be on a wired system. Now you might want to change the connector to something smaller and easier to “tuck away” and maybe the communication protocol should be somethin more robust/industrial. But I would definitely stick to the wired option. π
Feel free to email me if you have any questions or need help.
Hi, Im a beginner and have just found out about this project and I really like it and the in-depth information you provide. Im looking to follow in your footsteps and Im starting to pick out components.
Have you noticed clones of this sensor being out there in the market yet? Or do you have any other recommendations of sensors that youve seen throughout the years since youve made your initial setup?
Hey Josef! There is really nothing special about the sensor since it uses a very basic principle. You can use the manufacturing files to build this exact one, modify them or build your own or get whatever is available off the shelf. Whatever works for you, that’s probably the best option. π