Automatic Garden Watering System
Summary
TLDREste video muestra cómo construir un sistema de riego automatizado y alimentado por energía solar para un jardín. El creador describe dos sistemas diferentes que desarrolló, incluyendo detalles sobre los componentes utilizados y las mejoras realizadas en el diseño desde su primera versión. A través de pruebas y ajustes, se explica cómo se logra un sistema sencillo y eficiente que puede adaptarse a diferentes necesidades de riego. Además, se abordan temas como la selección de sensores, la programación en Python y la importancia de la eficiencia energética para garantizar el buen funcionamiento del sistema.
Takeaways
- 🌱 La automatización del riego diario puede ahorrar tiempo y esfuerzo a largo plazo.
- 🔧 Construir un sistema de riego automatizado es posible con microcontroladores como Arduino, ESP, Raspberry Pi Pico, entre otros.
- 💧 La elección entre utilizar una bomba o una válvula electromagnética depende de las necesidades específicas del sistema de riego.
- 🔌 Para sistemas off-grid, se requiere una batería, panel solar y un cargador, aunque no es necesaria una solución óptima como un cargador con MPPT.
- 💦 Un sensor de nivel de agua es esencial para asegurar que el sistema de riego tenga agua disponible y proteger la bomba.
- 🌿 La adición de sensores como los de humedad del suelo, temperatura del aire, humedad del aire y otros, puede mejorar la eficiencia del sistema de riego.
- 🔍 Realizar pruebas y ajustes en el sistema es crucial para garantizar su funcionamiento adecuado y fiabilidad.
- 🛠 La creación de un diseño en papel o una CAD ayuda a visualizar y planificar el proyecto antes de comenzar.
- 🔋 La gestión de la energía es importante; se debe asegurar que el consumo de energía no supere la capacidad de carga del sistema solar.
- 🔄 La inclusión de características como la capacidad de expansiones y la posibilidad de controlar diferentes partes del jardín agregan flexibilidad al sistema.
- 🎥 Documentar y compartir el proceso de creación y las pruebas en plataformas como YouTube puede ser una forma efectiva de difusión y aprendizaje.
Q & A
¿Por qué es importante automatizar el riego de un jardín en el siglo 21?
-La automatización del riego es importante en el siglo 21 porque puede ahorrar tiempo y esfuerzo, permitiendo un manejo más eficiente del agua y la vegetación. Además, con la tecnología actual, es posible crear sistemas sostenibles y ecológicos que aprovechan energía solar y controles inteligentes para optimizar el riego y contribuir a la preservación del medio ambiente.
¿Qué tipos de microcontroladores se pueden utilizar para construir un sistema de riego automatizado?
-Se pueden utilizar varios tipos de microcontroladores para construir un sistema de riego automatizado, como Arduino, ESP, Raspberry Pi Pico y otros similares. Estos dispositivos tienen pines de entrada y salida que se pueden programar para controlar diferentes aspectos del sistema de riego.
¿Cuál es la diferencia entre utilizar una bomba y un válvula electromagnética en el sistema de riego?
-La bomba y el válvula electromagnética son dos opciones para la parte de riego del sistema. La bomba consume un poco más de corriente y se puede instalar en cualquier lugar con solo un pequeño depósito de agua, mientras que el válvula electromagnética es más fácil de conectar y más pequeña, aunque un relé puede encender una potencia más alta si es necesario.
¿Qué elementos son necesarios para construir un sistema de riego sencillo y básico?
-Para construir un sistema de riego sencillo y básico, se necesita un microcontrolador, un sensor de nivel de agua para verificar si hay agua en el depósito, y un sistema de energía como una batería, panel solar y un cargador. Estos elementos permiten que el sistema funcione de manera autónoma y sin conexión a una fuente de energía externa.
¿Qué tipos de sensores se pueden añadir al sistema de riego para mejorar su funcionamiento?
-Se pueden añadir varios tipos de sensores al sistema de riego para mejorar su funcionamiento, como sensores de humedad del suelo, temperatura del aire, temperatura del suelo, luz solar, humedad del aire, lluvia y incluso composición del aire. Estos sensores permiten al sistema adaptarse y responder a las condiciones ambientales para un riego más eficiente y preciso.
¿Qué problemas se encontraron al probar el sensor de humedad del suelo casero?
-Al probar el sensor de humedad del suelo casero, se encontraron problemas para obtener lecturas estables y confiables. A veces funcionaba bien, pero a menudo los valores eran inconsistentes, lo que indicaba que el sensor no era completamente confiable en su funcionamiento.
¿Cómo se diseñó y fabricó el PCB para el sistema de riego?
-El PCB se diseñó en Fusion 360, utilizando sus herramientas de diseño de PCB incorporadas. Después, se maquinó en una máquina CNC modificada y se ensambló con los componentes necesarios. Esto permitió una gran práctica antes de maquinar un PCB más grande para la siguiente generación del sistema de riego.
¿Qué se hizo para garantizar que el sistema de riego estuviera bien sellado y防水?
-Para asegurarse de que el sistema de riego estuviera bien sellado y防水, se utilizó un contenedor de 2 litros que podía alojar fácilmente la batería y los componentes electrónicos. Se agregaron glands de cable para asegurar que todo estuviera sellado y防止 el agua entrar en el contenedor.
¿Cómo se llevó a cabo la prueba del sistema de riego en el jardín?
-El sistema de riego se probó en el jardín de la casa del padre del creador, quien es el principal cuidador del jardín. Se realizó una prueba durante 10 a 12 días, durante la cual se ajustó el programa y se supervisó el funcionamiento del sistema para asegurarse de que funcionara correctamente.
¿Qué se aprendió del experimento de 48 horas y cómo se utilizaron los datos recolectados?
-El experimento de 48 horas permitió recolectar datos sobre las lecturas de temperatura, humedad del suelo, luz solar y voltaje de la batería. Estos datos se utilizaron para crear gráficos y analizar el rendimiento del sistema de riego, revelando la alta consumo de corriente y la necesidad de optimizar el sistema para asegurar que pudiera recargarse incluso en días nublados.
¿Qué se hizo para solucionar el problema de consumo de energía y mejorar el sistema de riego?
-Para solucionar el problema de consumo de energía, se eliminó los LEDs innecesarios y se redujo el número de sensores. También se cambió al microcontrolador Raspberry Pi Pico y se programó en Python para mejorar la eficiencia del sistema. Además, se añadió un diseño de circuito impreso personalizado (DIY PCB) que resultó ser más confiable y fácil de ensamblar que el diseño anterior.
Outlines
🌱 Creación de un sistema de riego automatizado y alimentado por energía solar
En este primer párrafo, se discute la idea de construir un sistema de riego automatizado para un jardín, que se alimenta a través de energía solar. El narrador describe sus experiencias previas con un sistema similar, y cómo decidió crear un sistema más simplificado y eficiente. Se mencionan los componentes clave del sistema, como un microcontrolador, un sensor de nivel de agua, y la opción de utilizar un bombín o una válvula electromagnética para el riego. Además, se habla sobre la adición de elementos como un panel solar, un botón de enchufe y un sistema de energía almacenada, destacando la importancia de la eficiencia energética y la selección adecuada de sensores para monitorear el entorno.
🔧 Desafíos y pruebas en la implementación del sistema de riego
Este párrafo aborda los desafíos experimentados durante la implementación del sistema de riego. El narrador comparte sus dificultades con el sensor de humedad del suelo, que a menudo proporciona lecturas inestables. A pesar de los obstáculos, el narrador decide continuar con el proyecto, planeando ajustar y mejorar el sistema en el futuro. Se discuten las pruebas de diferentes tipos de sensores, como los sensores de temperatura y humedad, y la posibilidad de enviar datos a la nube o almacenarlos en una tarjeta SD. El narrador también describe el proceso de ensamblaje y prueba del sistema, incluyendo la creación de un esquema circuital y la preparación de un prototipo en una placa de circuito impreso (PCB).
🌤️ Resultados y ajustes del sistema de riego automatizado
En el tercer párrafo, el narrador presenta los resultados de una prueba del sistema de riego automatizado, incluyendo datos recolectados sobre la luz solar, temperatura y humedad del suelo. Aunque el sistema se muestra funcional, se identifica un consumo de energía elevado, lo que podría causar problemas si se presentan días nublados consecutivos. El narrador describe su enfoque para reducir el consumo de energía y mejorar la eficiencia del sistema, como la eliminación de LEDs innecesarios y la implementación de un circuito de riego más sencillo basado en el tiempo. Además, se menciona el uso de un Raspberry Pi Pico en lugar de un Arduino, permitiendo programar en Python, y el proceso de diseño y fabricación de una PCB personalizada.
🌼 Finalización y pruebas finales del sistema de riego solar
Este último párrafo cubre la finalización del sistema de riego y sus pruebas finales. El narrador relata su experiencia instalando el sistema en el jardín de su padre, detallando el proceso de ensamblaje y las mejoras hechas para asegurar que el sistema sea resistente al agua y funcione correctamente. Se describen los resultados de una prueba de 10 a 12 días, donde el sistema demostró ser confiable y eficiente, manteniendo un buen nivel de energía en la batería y proporcionando riego adecuado a las plantas. El narrador concluye expresando su satisfacción con el proyecto y animando a los espectadores a construir su propio sistema de riego automatizado.
Mindmap
Keywords
💡sistema de riego automatizado
💡microcontrolador
💡sensor de humedad del suelo
💡energía solar
💡bateria
💡pump
💡PCB
💡programación
💡sensores adicionales
💡sistema off-grid
💡diseño y fabricación DIY
Highlights
The speaker discusses the idea of building an automated, solar-powered watering system for a garden.
Two completely different systems for watering the garden were built during the making of the video.
A microcontroller, such as Arduino, ESP, Raspberry Pi Pico, or similar, is used as the backbone of the system.
The watering part can be realized with either a pump or an electromagnetic valve.
A relay or a MOSFET is necessary to control powerful elements like a pump or a valve.
An off-grid system requires the addition of a battery, solar panel, and charger.
A water level sensor is used to check the water reservoir's level and protect the pump.
Sensors can be added to detect various environmental factors like air temperature, ground temperature, and sunlight.
The speaker built their own resistive soil moisture sensor but found it challenging and unreliable.
The speaker's GitHub repository contains all the creations made during the project.
Designing on paper and using Fusion 360 for the enclosure and PCB design were integral parts of the design process.
The speaker experimented with a CNC machine to machine a small PCB and aluminum rods.
After facing issues with a prep board and soldering, the speaker moved to a Raspberry Pi Pico and Python for programming.
The final system is simple, reliable, and executes watering based on time with visual feedback through LEDs.
The system was tested for 10-12 days and found to be working fine with the battery maintaining a near full charge even on cloudy days.
The speaker plans to expand the system for a larger garden and test its performance further.
Transcripts
watering the garden takes just a few
minutes every day but if you had all the
dab you will spend about two days per
year just on watering but it's 21st
century so why not to build an automated
solar powered watering system for this
garden and here is my system actually
while making this video i built two
completely different systems for
watering the garden i wasn't quite happy
with the first one but i use it to make
really cool graphs so i built this
simplified one that works really well in
this video i will show you how i build
both systems and how you can build them
too
i built a similar but much smaller
system four years ago let's just say
that it wasn't the best project ever
compared to the new one but it's nice to
look back reflect and see progress in my
making and designing skills
let's start with an overview of parts
and options you have when building such
a system a microcontroller a board with
input and output pins that we can
program that can be any kind of arduino
esp raspberry pi pico or something
similar there are two ways to realize
the watering part you can use a pump or
an electromagnetic valve controlling
both is very similar pump is consuming a
bit more current but you can install it
wherever you want with just a small
reservoir you don't need running water i
decided to go with a pump it's powered
with 12 volts and can pump 700 liters of
water per hour anything similar should
work fine with microcontrollers we can
only control small elements to control
something more powerful like a pump or a
valve we need a relay or a mosfet i use
both while working on this project
mosfet is easier to connect and
significantly smaller but the relay can
switch higher power if you want to have
an off-grid system you will have to add
a battery solar panel and a charger this
charger doesn't have mppt so it is not
the most optimal choice but should work
fine if you don't need an upgrade
solution you can use a normal 12-volt
power supply the water level sensor will
check if there is still water in the
reservoir and protect the pump and
honestly that's it for a very simple
system a system that is dumb because it
cannot detect its environment but you
can easily change that with sensors the
most obvious sensor you can add is a
soil moisture sensor there are two types
a resistive sensor with exposed pads
that corrode after some time and a
capacitive sensor that based on my
research should last longer i thought it
would be fun to build my own resistive
sensor let me tell you that it wasn't
fun but more about that later of course
you can measure anything else you want
with appropriate sensors like air
temperature ground temperature sunlight
air humidity rain and even air
composition to lock everything you might
want to use an sd card or you can send
it to the cloud via wi-fi does it make
any sense to add all these sensors and
lock the data on the sd card probably
not but after watching a video from
practical engineering about arduino
garden controller i realized i just want
to make cool graphs too
everything i created while making this
project you can find on my github and
there is a link to my github in the
description i also wanted to say huge
thanks to all of my patreon supporters
because thanks to their support i was
able to buy all the parts for this
project and experiment with different
components if you would like to support
my work you can find the link to my
patreon in the description
as always i started with designing it on
a paper and that's the easiest way for
me to find the shape and look that i
like then i moved to fusion 360 to
design both the enclosure and a tiny pcb
i wanted to try out fusion's built in
pcb design tools it works basically like
eagle and is easy to use but i still
prefer kitkat huge advantage was that
it's super easy to get a free model of
the pcb and design an enclosure
i wanted to machine the pcb on my own
with a slightly modded 200 cnc machine
machining a small pcb like this was a
great practice before machining a much
larger pcb for my next generation of the
watering system
rods were made out of aluminum which
would help with the corrosion but it can
still oxidize so still a capacitive
sensor is a better choice
my dad probably watered all the tomatoes
on the balcony in the morning so they're
all wet and i cannot detect any
difference after watering them
fortunately i am an expert at drying the
plants and i should have some dry plants
in my room
and now
watering
during tests i found that it seems to
work better when the top part of the
sensor is isolated so that it only
detects the moisture on the bottom i use
tape for that on one sensor and
shrinkable sleeves on the other
i conducted many many tests to check if
this sensor works and to eventually
improve it i tried halting the values
logging them on the serial port and
watering different flowers around my
house the sensor sometimes worked fine
but very often the readings were
unreliable and it was really really hard
to get a stable reading
the plan at this point was just to move
on with this project and figure out
later if it really works
it's a good idea to test your solar
setup too measure the current that is
charging the battery and check the
voltages
combining different modules and sensors
in a nice clean way is never an easy
task helping yourself with a simple cad
design is a smart workaround and after
testing the temperature sensors on a
breadboard with just one resistor it's
time to move this thing
on a prep board i've never used a prep
board before
but i hope it will be easy it really
wasn't easy it was even hard soldering a
pcb is completely different compared to
soldering a prep board it's cool that
you can do it really quickly without
designing anything on a computer but i
think i still prefer to design my own
pcbs
i printed the labels and taped them to
the top of the board to know how to
connect everything later
here is a simplified schematic you can
also find all the pin definitions in the
top of the code if you are going to
build something similar you will most
likely have to modify something anyway
here is a great example by using a power
supply with current limit is a good idea
i connected this circuit to the battery
and soon saw a lot of smoke fortunately
it turned out that it was just cables
and all the components are fine i wanted
to measure the battery and solar panel
voltages but it looks like connecting
the minus from the solar panel to the
gnd of the circuit creates a short after
getting rid of this connection
everything was fine
i wanted to do an overnight test and
eventually the test lasted 48 hours i
was able to make some plots out of the
collected data and here you can see my
temperature pod versus the temperature
pot from the vault from alpha for my
city with the pump turned off the
current consumption was pretty high at
over 80 milliamperes that was caused by
multiple leds that are honestly not
really needed when building a system
like this you have to keep in mind how
much power is it going to consume and if
it will be able to recharge even on a
cloudy day instead of 3d printing a box
that would be hard to waterproof i
bought a 2 liter food container that
could easily accommodate both the
battery and electronics adding cable
glands was a nice touch to make sure
that everything is waterproof does
balcony test before installing it in my
small garden it's actually my dad's
garden as he mostly takes care of that i
am just helping here and the best way i
could help was to automate the watering
let's just check the current one more
time and it's fine 84 milliamperes
as a reservoir i use this plastic barrel
this kind of barrels are usually used to
store chemicals inside but this one is
clean and was never used i got it for
free so why not use it for this project
i drill a few holes for the cables and
the plastic tube and it was basically
ready it's 150 liters so should be
enough for a small garden
my soil moisture sensors weren't working
reliably so i added one more
conditioning decode to water the garden
for a short period of time every 24
hours
i bought online a very cheap irrigation
set and that was just a great way to
distribute the water under each plant
preparing everything beforehand sped up
the installation process but still i had
to improvise a few times like here i
used a rock and a wire to keep the water
level sensor on the bottom of the tank
it it took me like half a day to set
everything up to change the program to
make sure that it will work at least
somehow properly
and now i have to wait wait few days i
think like four or five maybe a week
and there you have the graphs the
vertical lines are labeled every 86
million milliseconds which is equal to
24 hours here you can see that the
moisture sensor doesn't work at all
those drops every 24 hours are caused by
the voltage drop on the battery when the
pump was turned on here we can see the
sunlight data and based on that
determine how cloudy each day was at the
end of the experiment we can see some
cloudy days and it is also visible in
the battery voltage data and lastly the
temperature plots the air temperature
actually wasn't the real air temperature
as i think the sun sometimes was able to
hit the sensor directly my
over-engineered system with a lot of
sensors was working great but with this
power consumption it would only take a
few more cloudy days before it runs out
of battery the soldering tli this could
easily solve the problem but honestly
right now i don't need all of these
sensors once the plots are ready and one
last thing i can just simply do better
than that this is not only a project for
me for my dad or for this garden this is
also a youtube video and i want it to be
a decent example of how to create such a
system and this mess of cables is just
not working in this case
this time i started with kicad schematic
while primarily working on a breadboard
prototype instead of arduino i chose
raspberry pi pico so that i can program
it in python the capacitive sensor that
i found unfortunately is not properly
designed and doesn't work with 3.3 volts
the pcb was once again machined on this
chip cnc machine the result was great
but i intentionally used speaker traces
to maximize my chances of success
i probed the wool pcb with chili pepper
that's why the result is perfect and
here i am draining the holes which is
the easiest part of the process i wanted
to experiment with this pcb and using a
toner transfer method i added a legend
on top of the board the result was okay
some small pieces of paper stick to the
board and it was hard to remove them but
we have a really nice readable legend on
top it took me quite a few minutes to
place everything as perfect as it is
here so let's appreciate this shot for
at least a few more seconds
even this diy pcb without the solder
mask is much much easier to solder than
the private board
soldering was an easy part and so was
programming since i already had
everything planned in my head also pico
is programmed in python and python well
it's just the best programming language
ever everything worked so well that i
was able to go from the idea to a
working programmed pcb in less than 24
hours in total of course there was still
the cut design to do and i had to fit it
in the box and the testing but i have to
admit that the testing procedure was
very limited it was just a fraction of
what i did with the previous system
because i felt that this one without the
unnecessary sensors and breadboard
cables is just a lot more reliable
watering will be executed based on time
to do set with buttons and it will be
displayed with the leds there is two of
everything on the pcb so you can run two
completely separate systems for
different parts of your garden the
system was ready i packed everything and
i was ready to head to the garden and
then a terrible rain hit
it wasn't a big deal for me i decided to
go anyway and finally finish the project
checking on my system after
10 days 12 days already
it is still working we have the light
on the sensor
here is the other sensor
and it's also working fine
and here is the
box with the solar panel
and here we should have water
yeah
the water tank is almost empty
[Applause]
waiting just one day was definitely
worth it because today we have a perfect
weather i want to connect this solar
panel to the piece of wood and then put
this piece of wood in the ground
and then the box will be here in the
bottom just to make it look nice and
clean and then in the next few days i
will test how the system performs on a
bit bigger garden
it's been a week since i turned on the
system and it is working fine without
any problems so far the battery voltage
is 14 volts so even on cloud today the
battery is almost fully charged all the
plants are fine and now i just need to
expand this system for dual garden if
you have any questions leave them in the
comments and you can find all the useful
links in the description i hope you will
build such a system and enjoy it as much
as i did thank you very much for
watching happy making bye
you
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