Yet Another Plant Watering System

thingiverse

This system can take care of multiple plant pots, with four being the standard. It does this by regulating the soil/root balls at an individually adjustable level. This is achieved through the pumping of water from a reservoir into each flower pot. If the reservoir runs dry, the operation will halt to protect the pumps and alert you to refill it via a LED light. Benefits of using this system include: - Two watering modes that can be switched on the fly - Adjustable moisture parameters that can be changed without needing to reprogram the system - Real-time monitoring of the water reservoir, which will stop the pumps and notify the user when empty - Protection against critical failures in the sensor-pump feedback loop - Sensors are only engaged when necessary, minimizing degradation The photos used may appear varied due to sample images from both a two-pot and four-pot system. After one year of use: - The YL-69 sensor remains functional (see image). It works reliably for plants kept relatively dry. For very moist conditions, some adjustments with the flush option are necessary. - The water reservoir sensor has been upgraded to adhesive copper strips (see image), which have performed well and are easier to use than metal rods. Before starting to build this device: - You should have a basic understanding of electronic device construction and know how to handle a soldering iron safely. Updated 2019/04/26: - In rare cases, the probe in the pot may disconnect from the system. The YL-38 comparator will default to "dry" state, causing an endless pump cycle. To mitigate this issue, Rev.2 of the software checks against the flush runtime (default 60 seconds) of the pump. If exceeded, the system stops operation and the red LED flashes fast to alert you to a problem. You should then inspect the system physically and reset it. Shopping list: - Power supply, 12V https://www.amazon.com/dp/B01GD4ZQRS https://www.amazon.de/dp/B01DIPM8XU - Arduino Nano https://www.amazon.com/dp/B00NLAMS9C https://www.amazon.de/dp/B07KS2YX64 - Prototype board, male and female headers, and screw terminals https://www.amazon.com/dp/B07CK3RCKS https://www.amazon.de/dp/B0728HZHTR - Small switches (1 for test mode, optional) https://www.amazon.com/dp/B071F4RDHY https://www.amazon.de/dp/B007QAJLDE - Transistors and resistors to drive pumps https://www.amazon.de/dp/B014UVI8DU https://www.amazon.de/dp/B00AZUEJRU https://www.amazon.de/dp/B007GP4IIM - Red LED and resistor https://www.amazon.de/dp/B01N2RH7UA - Aquarium water pumps (one per plant pot) https://www.amazon.com/dp/B00JWJIC0K https://www.amazon.de/dp/B06XBXZFTL/ - Flexible hose/tubing https://www.amazon.com/dp/B000E62TCC https://www.amazon.de/dp/B06XFNT4WG - Panel socket and plug (if necessary) https://www.amazon.com/dp/B0753DSZ7V https://www.amazon.de/dp/B07PN6SZYT - Screws (2mm & 3mm)