Best Sensors and Microcontrollers for Automated Farm Irrigation System with Server Control

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#1 21662044 05 May 2012 13:54

Varoluu Prens Varoluu Prens

Anonymous

Post #1
21662044 05 May 2012 13:54

Hi There;
I am a Computer Engineer and my land is aggrieved from aridity. I decided to create an electronic system that measure the humidity of the ground, and communicate with a server. Main logic behind the frame is, water will be used in a maximum productiveness and irritation will be done in an automatic manner.
What kind of components can be used there and how can I investigate in this project?
Thanks in advance.
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#2 21662045 05 May 2012 22:38

Krishna Prayaga Krishna Prayaga

Anonymous

Post #2
21662045 05 May 2012 22:38

Hi

Good Idea,

But I think here the hurdle is how do you measure the amount of water contained in the soil or as you put it "humidity" in the soil.

I found this cool webpage, check it out, once you have the sensor figured out the rest is rather straightforward after that,

to get a good estimate of humidity over say an acre of land, say you have 30-35 sensors placed at strategic positions, you can have a micro like a PIC read the resistance, you can have the sensor as the lower leg of a voltage divider with the upper leg on board the micro. (lets call this board a daughter board)

You can have a mother board controlling the irrigation system and the the daughter boards talk to mother board over I2C/CAN or whichever protocol you are familiar with.

Now the mother board would have data from all the sensors, the s/w can then calculate an average value and then make a determination whether to turn on the irrigation system or not -> for this what you can do is have a small reservoir of a defined capacity (this can have a typical flush type actuating mechanism to cut off the water source when the reservoir is full), this would be driven by a small water pump which feeds a series of pipes running all over the farm.

Just my 2 cents worth
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#3 21662046 05 May 2012 22:38

Krishna Prayaga Krishna Prayaga

Anonymous

Post #3
21662046 05 May 2012 22:38

http://www.cheapvegetablegardener.com/2009/03/how-to-make-cheap-soil-moisture-sensor.html
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#4 21662047 06 May 2012 01:56

Thomas Lepik Thomas Lepik

Anonymous

Post #4
21662047 06 May 2012 01:56

Hi,

There are many examples on the web but I suggest to start with the AVR GardenBot (http://gardenbot.org) project and adjust it to your needs. The blog/instructables are well written and informative and it seems the forum groups together quite a few people with similar interests and projects thus a decent help/advice should be available once needed as well.

Good luck!
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#5 21662048 06 May 2012 05:48

Varoluu Prens Varoluu Prens

Anonymous

Post #5
21662048 06 May 2012 05:48

Thank you very much Krishna Prayaga. I will try your solution.
If I will be successful and make mass production, just contact me, I would like to be a shareholder with you
#6 21662049 06 May 2012 05:48

Varoluu Prens Varoluu Prens

Anonymous

Post #6
21662049 06 May 2012 05:48

Thank you Thomas Lepik.
#7 21662050 06 May 2012 11:56

Steve Lawson Steve Lawson

Anonymous

Post #7
21662050 06 May 2012 11:56

Here's an off-the-wall suggestion: how about asking the plants, themselves? Sound nuts? Here are a few possible ways of determining from the plant when it is time to water:

1. Measure the electrical resistance of a plant in the field
2. Galvanic response...see if there is some sort of electrical signature or rhythm that changes when the plant needs water.
3. Monitor the intensity of reflected green light
4. See if there is a connection between IR reflectivity and "aridity".
5. Tension -- measure the bending resistance of a stem or leaf, etc.
6. Measure CO2 production.
7. Measure O2 production.
8. Measure ratio of CO2 to O2 production.

These are just ideas I pulled out of my assiduous imagination, so I vouch for none of this. Just thought I would stir the pot
#8 21662051 08 May 2012 11:08

Varoluu Prens Varoluu Prens

Anonymous

Post #8
21662051 08 May 2012 11:08

No they are not stiring the pot, asking the plants are the one million dollar question
Since I am not the electrical engineer, I do not sure the possibility of the things you have said.
I plan to create this system only for wheats, but If I am accomplish to do the things you've said, It will a great discovery. It will be a portable system, and it can be applied for every plants, and beyond this, it can be sold for every country that suffer from aridity, especially Arab countries.
But on the other hand, I am worry about increased complexity. Increasing the complexity means problem
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Topic summary

The discussion focuses on designing an automated farm irrigation system that measures soil moisture and communicates with a server to optimize water usage. Key components suggested include soil moisture sensors that measure soil resistance, arranged strategically across the land (e.g., 30-35 sensors per acre). These sensors can be integrated into a voltage divider circuit connected to microcontrollers such as PIC or AVR. A hierarchical control system is proposed, with daughter boards reading sensor data and communicating via protocols like I2C or CAN to a mother board that manages irrigation decisions based on averaged sensor readings. The AVR GardenBot project is recommended as a practical starting point for development, offering well-documented examples and community support. Alternative innovative sensing methods discussed include measuring plant electrical resistance, galvanic responses, reflectivity in green or infrared spectra, stem bending resistance, and gas production ratios (CO2/O2) to infer plant water needs. While these novel approaches could enhance precision, they may increase system complexity. The goal is to create a scalable, portable system applicable to various crops and arid regions, with potential for commercial deployment.
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Best Sensors and Microcontrollers for Automated Farm Irrigation System with Server Control

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Topic summary