GardenBot

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Basics

GardenBot is an open source, Arduino based soil monitoring system. It is designed to be a complete garden monitoring and automation system. In the current version of GardenBot (Beta), you can monitor the conditions in your garden and have charts to help you visualize those conditions. There is also a module to give you electronic control over your water source -- so you can turn the water on with the flip of a switch.

Gardenbot-2.jpg

Comment by Andrew Frueh, designer of GardenBot

"To help you understand the scope of GardenBot -- it is designed as a collection of modules with the specific intent of making the system extensible. This means that it is relatively easy to add extra sensors or water valves. My thinking being that GardenBot could be used in a wider variety of situations -- from the home garden to more agricultural applications. So I imagine it would integrate quite well (at least I hope it would ;-) . I am interested in putting GardenBot to the test wherever I can to make the system as robust and easy to use as possible. So please let me know your and Marcin's thoughts etc."

The Modules

The Brain

  • Arduino board
  • USB cable
  • jumper wires / lead wires
  • bread-board / proto-board
  • all parts for the local circuit for each of the modules
  • the GardenBot software package

Garden Station

howto: How-to gardenStation-waterBottle.png end result: Garden station.jpg

Soil Moisture Sensor

Soil Temperature Sensor

Light Level

Water Valve

Control Panel

Computer Module

Visual BOM

  • Arduino board (brain) from SparkFun

Arduino Duemilanove.jpg

Lm335.jpg

  • Note the LM335 has been replaced on Sparkfun by the TMP36:
 Voltage Input: 2.7 V to 5.5 VDC
 10 mV/°C scale factor
 ±2°C accuracy over temperature
 ±0.5°C linearity
 Operating Range: −40°C to +125°C

Tmp36.jpg

Photocell.jpg

  • resistors (various values)- buy a kit of resistors from SparkFun

Resistors.jpg

  • proto board - 1 in from SparkFun

Protoboard1.jpg

  • proto board - 2 in from SparkFun

Protoboard2.jpg

  • galvanized utility wire, 12 gauge from local hardware store

Utility wire.jpg

  • glue-lined heat-shrink tubing (various sizes)

300px

  • heat Shrink

Heatshrink.jpg

Orbit water valve.jpg

  • 5/8in ID hose from local hardware store

300px

  • threaded hose ends (often called "hose repair kit") from local hardware store

300px

  • metal hose clamps (screw adjustable) to fit over 5/8in from local hardware store

300px

  • 6-strand phone wire from local hardware store

300px

  • H-bridge motor controller IC for soil moisture circuit from SparkFun

300px

Internal Links

External Links