Soil Solutions

Overview

• For our project, we will be designing a method of watering various plants autonomously. We will do this by using a raspberry pi to monitor the moisture level in the soil and determine how much water should be added to the plants. This will be done with a moisture level sensor designed for the arduino but that should work with the pi as well (we will need an analog to digital convertor for this). If water must be added, the mechanical component will be turned on and water the plant until a sufficient level of moisture is detected by our moisture sensor in the soil. For the mechanical component of the project, we will have a shower head/dripper head attached to the water source. The water source will hang directly above the plants and water it from that position. We will also be using the raspberry pi to create a web based application for our system that will record logs of amount of water used, when water was used and current moisture level.

Team Members

• Matt Wilson and Sean Rogers

Objectives

1. We would like to make a system that is both cost and water efficient.
2. We would like to build on our understanding of coding and learn new techniques that will be useful to us as engineers.
3. We want this system be compact enough so that it would be easy to install.
4. Make a system that would be secure from any kind outsider.
5. Overall make everything run smoothly and give ourselves plenty of time to test out our project.

Challenges

• Learning how to design a web based app with the raspberry pi.
• Learning how to code in python and interfacing with the pi.
• Designing a mechanical component that does not take up too much space.
• Using the time we have efficiently and not digging ourselves into a hole.

Gantt Chart

Budget

(Still finalizing)

• FC-28-D Soil Moisture Sensor - $11.04
• 3Pk 2.5" Terra Cotta Pot - $8.49
• NEMA 17 Stepper Motor 20 oz-in - $8.49 (Unsure)
• ADC for Raspberry Pi - $6.49
• Total - $34.51