Help us teach the world programming, circuits and gardening

My name is Akin Yildiz. I am an inventor/entrepreneur. Just over two years ago I started an online plants & electronics research project, the Plant Doctor - Plant Care Instruments.


I have recently launched a small scale crowdfunding campaign to bring more awareness to the overall project. We offer DIY kits that teach you how to program, build circuits and garden. open source hardware + software, our latest design; www.instructables.com/id/Pot2/ I would like to mention here that without Blynk our ogranization wouldn’t be nearly where it is today. Thank you all for everything you do.!!

I would truly appreciate it if you could take a look at the campaign and hopefully support & share with friends and family who are interested in plants & electronics; https://igg.me/at/smartplants/

love & peace
akin,

2 Likes

how often does the moisture sensor need replacing due to corrosion? is the sensor powered on 24/7?

hello Dave, great question
.
corrosion of the water sensor is an issue, but there are ways around it. best approach is to check for water level only 2 times/day instead of every 5 seconds. it will corrode only while electricity is going thru. and plants won’t die instantly as soon as they are thirsty. so even checking the water level once a day is still enough. this would make it last much longer. +6 months probably.
.
Luckily the sensor we are using is only 60cents and very easy to replace. you just slide the old one out and the new one in.

i cant work out in the code where you turn the sensor’s electricity off?

my code is definitely not adjusted for this suggestion yet. currently i’m uploading data every 5 seconds, which is really often. my programming skills are not the best, total beginner here. i still need to put the board to deep sleep mode in between uploads, any help would be appreciated.!

so the sensor is drawing current 24/7/365?

i was thinking to use a relay to turn power on and off? it will save battery and improve lifespan of the sensor.

i am using ESP8266 though, with a Mega it might be another way?

my moisture strips have just arrived and I’m just experimenting now, but really thinking about it as my sensors will not be in a pot, but out in the field!

yes its currently on all the time… relay will solve the problem but it takes too much space for the pot2 project.
.
however with what you are trying to do, it should work just fine. if you decide to use the $4 nodemcu board, then you can insert many sensors with their own nodemcus all over your garden, solar powered, talking with each other and turning on/off pumps etc wireless, controlling another one inside the house where the pumps are.
.
have you seen this; https://www.facebook.com/theplantdoctor2014/photos/a.708258789250963.1073741833.697947106948798/995550127188493/?type=3&theater

In regard to switching the sensor on and off, I just connect the power input for the sensor to a digital output and set it to HIGH when I need to read it.

As for the actual sensor itself, I did the following modifications:

  1. Find 2 carbon rods at least 50mm long
  2. File a point on one side by putting it in a drill
  3. File a groove in the center on the opposite side that is the same width as the sensor
  4. Insert sensor probes into the grooves, they should fit nice and tight so the carbon rods can become an extension of the original probes.
  5. I then coated the Whole sensor and the connector with an epoxy resin, making sure to cover the edges of the circuit board. The rod is left clean but any exposed circuit board(original probe) needs to be coated

So far I have had mine in operation for 3 months updating every 15 seconds with no signs of corrosion so far.