Plantduino Greenhouse UPDATE 7/9/11: The AC power fed relay has been replaced with a DC battery fed relay system as shown in step 10. UPDATE: We have been selected as finalists in the microcontroller contest! Thank you for voting and rating. Thank you also for all the feedback on the safety of out relay system. We hope the new instructions are clear. We will be continually updating as we make progress on the new design. Hello Everyone! My name is Clover and I am in love with vascular plants and robots. This summer I wanted to combine my two loves of plant science and engineering. I have constructed an automated watering and temperature system. This is my first project using an Arduino so I am using wonderful articles from MAKE and Instructables as very helpful templates.
How To, soil moisture, water valve, light sensor How To This section has various tutorials on the different components you might need to build a garden monitoring system. The entire how-to section is organized by modules -- each kind of sensor gets its own module. The overall concept is that you will generally have a microcontroller (like Arduino) hooked up to sensors (like soil moisture) and actuators (like a water valve). Throughout these tutorials I use the term local circuit. The Modules Running wires to remote modules To connect the various remote modules (like the control panel or the garden station) to the brain, you will need to run wires -- some very long wires. Probably the cheapest option is to purchase a roll of 6-strand phone wire (see the parts page). These long-distance connections would be a perfect place for wireless connections. Expanding your GardenBot GardenBot is designed to be extensible. Let's say you want to add another soil moisture sensor so you can compare the two.
Green Roof Growers: How to Make a Two Bucket Sub-Irrigated Planter (SIP) This is a simple, easy-to-do project that will let you grow your own food wherever there’s enough sunlight--on your roof, balcony, back steps, driveway, or vacant lot next door. It doesn't take any special skill and the materials are all readily available. A diagram showing what's going on inside a SIP is here. Once you make one, it will produce beautiful food for years to come. Many of the photos here are from this second SIP run on the roof, and the pretty yellow pickle buckets are courtesy of Bruce's neighbor who drives for Chicago’s own Vienna Beef (Thanks, Rey! While these instructions are full of details, what you want (a healthy, productive plant) doesn't depend on following them exactly. If you've got hole saws it's far easier to cut the two big holes. View this quick video for a sense of how the whole thing comes together. While it's obviously sped up, it helps to see one done before you try it yourself. So now you're ready to make one. This is the fun part.
NEW! How To: V3.0 MAMA w/participatory instructions (beta) We are pleased to announce the V3.0 release of the windowfarms community’s latest windowfarm design, the V3.0, the Modular Airlift Multicolumn Array, or MAMA! quietereasier to set upmore elegant, but still do-able with all recycled water bottlesmore plants for less electrical input (up to 32 plants on one air pump if you do Rama’s double plant mod)modular, meaning you can supply proper nutrients to vegetative, fruiting, and flowering plants all in one system. No more airlift issues with the new tubes. And we have finally achieved some serious height!! If you are a total beginner and not the handiest person in town, we suggest you start with the Version 2.0 airlift system, or consider buying Windowfarm from our store. We decided to release this as a participatory web guide that captures ideas, questions, sketches, discussion, & issues for R&D-I-Y while you build.
HarvestGeek -- Brains for your Garden by Evolved Agriculture The local food movement has been steadily picking up momentum. Across the country small scale agriculture has been springing up in backyards and rooftops, basements and attics, abandoned warehouses and vacant lots. HarvestGeek is building a comprehensive set of resources for the Urban and not-so-urban Farmer. The Modern Farmer's Almanac. We've built a sophisticated, yet easy to use device that will help remove the guesswork for new farmers and provide automation and optimization features for those more experienced. The device is deployed in your farm or garden to monitor the key environmental conditions for improving your yield. HarvestGeek is your key to unlocking plant yield potential. Once configured HarvestGeek will automatically notify you based on the information being received from HarvestBot. For example, you can set the desired temperature range and turn on a fan should temperatures get too high, or off should they get too low. Capable of controlling 4 outlets remotely.