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Idea: Remote controlled automatic plant watering

D

Deleted73907

Guest
Hi there,

The garden season is one month away or so, and I have been working on my project the last couple of weeks. That kind of stuff that one can do without having actual plants.

1. I tried to develop or to reverse engineer some of the hardware components I am using, in order to cut overall costs and to get a better understanding of the subject-matter I am dealing with. Here you can see a reverse engineered moisture sensor (next to a China sensor), and a small and super cheap camera module.

IMG_20210207_132019.jpg

2. I code almost daily, in order to get a bunch of somewhat reliable bug-free programms which whom I can carry out long term tests in the summer. I've published and I will publish some of this code on github, for the case someone want to take a look at it
(I am not sure if it is okay to post a github link here, if it is against forum policies please remove)

3. There is also the idea to create a tailored app, instead of using the SSH shell and python. I didn't do much about this idea so far, beside installing the development tools on my laptop and create some loose contacts to colleagues from my workplace with some actual coding experience. I need more time budget for especially this I guess.

4. And there is also my blog, where I post articles related to this project occasionally. Right now, these articles are the only ones getting some traffic (according to google analytics). I hope these numbers will increase with the beginning of spring.

That's all for February. Thanks for reading.
 
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alexkuzmov

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Hi there,

The garden season is one month away or so, and I have been working on my project the last couple of weeks. That kind of stuff that one can do without having actual plants.

1. I tried to develop or to reverse engineer some of the hardware components I am using, in order to cut overall costs and to get a better understanding of the subject-matter I am dealing with. Here you can see a reverse engineered moisture sensor (next to a China sensor), and a small and super cheap camera module.

View attachment 36686

2. I code almost daily, in order to get a bunch of somewhat reliable bug-free programms which whom I can carry out long term tests in the summer. I've published and I will publish some of this code on github, for the case someone want to take a look at it
(I am not sure if it is okay to post a github link here, if it is against forum policies please remove)

3. There is also the idea to create a tailored app, instead of using the SSH shell and python. I didn't do much about this idea so far, beside installing the development tools on my laptop and create some loose contacts to colleagues from my workplace with some actual coding experience. I need more time budget for especially this I guess.

4. And there is also my blog, where I post articles related to this project occasionally. Right now, these articles are the only ones getting some traffic (according to google analytics). I hope these numbers will increase with the beginning of spring.

That's all for February. Thanks for reading.
Hey man,
very nice that you are still persuing this idea.
Can you share the blog so we check out the posts?
 
D

Deleted73907

Guest
Further mini-project within the project: simple soil-moisture measurement.
Just scroll down to the two videos at the bottom, then you get an idea about the function of this little device :):

Practical Engineering 3: Bodenfeuchte-Kontrollsystem mit dem RasPi Pico (deutsch)

So, I am looking forward to the start of the gardening season since it gets warmer now in Germany :).

But I still have not much clue where to go with this project tbh.

Maybe selling individual third-party components (sensors etc.) thru an affiliate program, if there is a measurable (google analytics) interest. Or selling parts which I developed myself (if I can wade thru the tons of regulations and specifications regarding selling self-developed electronics). All after carrying out a proper test phase this summer and further improvements, of course.

Or doing something like doctoring up my YouTube channel etc.. Btw. it's interesting how much views videos about consumer electronics get. Some have >100k clicks, though only a few weeks old. e.g.:

raspberry pi pico - YouTube
 
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D

Deleted73907

Guest
I want to make a short update of this thread. I was not really active in this community recently, sorry for that.

Lately I haven't been doing much in terms of practical work, but I promoted this project on a few other platforms, like on hackaday.io and on my own website.

I am offering quite different kinds of articles on my website, and monitor the google analytics data on a frequent basis to get an idea about what people are interested in. A sort of tendency is visible here:

Travel, self-development, photo-projects, sport/fitness: meh
Electronics, SW-development, DIY: Give me more

This is not very surprising I guess, and I think this just confirms once more that HW and SW related stuff (even if it is just rather average material) is in high demand while other topics get mostly ignored (unless you produce something really groundbreaking and spectacular, I am not able to do that).

A few days ago a PCB manufacturer who got a glimpse at my projects contacted me and asked whether I am interested in some kind of co-operation. He would supply me with free HW, and support me as far as possible conceiving further projects. So after one year passed by I think the work I put into (that wasn't that much, but anyway) is starting to pay off. Let's see how this further evolves.

Here the current status of my projects:




Thanks for reading.
 
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D

Deleted73907

Guest
I had further contact with the PCB manufacturer. Maybe interesting to share a snippet:

" (...) Thank you so much for the kind reply.
As for the second project, if you would like to make it further, I could definitely support.
And if possible, I think you can also share your projects on our community <website> for more people can know it and if others want to order your project, <company> will help to produce.

For doing so, many people can benefit from your project and you can also know the marketing potential.
Moreover, every time people place an order of your board, and <company> will donate 10% PCB cost to you for your contribution to Open Source Community. (...)"

Hm, regarding CENTS there seems to be indeed some potential in this (hope I got it right).

Entry level is high, skill is needed for creating well-designed HW plus proper SW (not everyone can do it).
There is and will always be a Need (most important) for (inexpensive and reliable) electronic devices which perform automation, measurement etc.
Can be automated resp. detached from Time, once HW/SW is created work is done for the most part.
Basically no problem to Scale it and to produce 1000 or more items in China.

Unfortunately I have not much Control since someone else is producing, selling and marketing.
Should not worry too much about this in the (still) early stage of an electronic project however.
 
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alexkuzmov

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I had further contact with the PCB manufacturer. Maybe interesting to share a snippet:

" (...) Thank you so much for the kind reply.
As for the second project, if you would like to make it further, I could definitely support.
And if possible, I think you can also share your projects on our community <website> for more people can know it and if others want to order your project, <company> will help to produce.

For doing so, many people can benefit from your project and you can also know the marketing potential.
Moreover, every time people place an order of your board, and <company> will donate 10% PCB cost to you for your contribution to Open Source Community. (...)"

Hm, regarding CENTS there seems to be indeed some potential in this (hope I got it right).

Entry level is high, skill is needed for creating well-designed HW plus proper SW (not everyone can do it).
There is and will always be a Need (most important) for (inexpensive and reliable) electronic devices which perform automation, measurement etc.
Can be automated resp. detached from Time, once HW/SW is created work is done for the most part.
Basically no problem to Scale it and to produce 1000 or more items in China.

Unfortunately I have not much Control since someone else is producing, selling and marketing.
Should not worry too much about this in the (still) early stage of an electronic project however.
Hey man, awesome job :)
Seeing the progress you`ve made and the direction you are going makes me think that someday I might end up using your device in my own garden :D

Would it be possible to address control through patent? Patent basics
 
D

Deleted73907

Guest
Hi there,

still working on my projects, yet I haven’t' built any new prototypes recently. Right now I am a little unsure where to proceed.

Irrigation systems are popular and there exists a certain interest in developing such kinds of devices, not much doubt about it.

This is just another tricky system that even got featured on this well-known builder blog:


I also did a little more research, to get impulses for new ideas which could improve future prototypes.

This resource I found very interesting: Applicability of Machine Learning Algorithms for Intelligent Farming (if someone likes to read excerpts of this text, please pm me for I have full access).

I have no knowledge about Machine Learning yet, but there might be some potential here even for not-so-extensive watering systems like mine.

Would love to hear some suggestions from people who have expertise on the subject-matter (my knowledge about HW exceeds vastly my knowledge about SW).
 

doster.zach

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Hi there,

still working on my projects, yet I haven’t' built any new prototypes recently. Right now I am a little unsure where to proceed.

Irrigation systems are popular and there exists a certain interest in developing such kinds of devices, not much doubt about it.

This is just another tricky system that even got featured on this well-known builder blog:


I also did a little more research, to get impulses for new ideas which could improve future prototypes.

This resource I found very interesting: Applicability of Machine Learning Algorithms for Intelligent Farming (if someone likes to read excerpts of this text, please pm me for I have full access).

I have no knowledge about Machine Learning yet, but there might be some potential here even for not-so-extensive watering systems like mine.

Would love to hear some suggestions from people who have expertise on the subject-matter (my knowledge about HW exceeds vastly my knowledge about SW).

Hey Bombastik, just now stumbling on this thread.

Super cool you are using physical hardware to build stuff, I'm doing the same thing to get my prototype working.

(I'm using arduino as I'm more from the software side of things).

I've done a little work with machine learning (ML).

What are you looking to use ML for?
 
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D

Deleted73907

Guest
Hey Bombastik, just now stumbling on this thread.

Super cool you are using physical hardware to build stuff, I'm doing the same thing to get my prototype working.

(I'm using arduino as I'm more from the software side of things).

I've done a little work with machine learning (ML).

What are you looking to use ML for?

Hi thanks for your reply,

I am not yet through the whole text I've linked, and admittedly that was my very first encounter about the topic of Machine Learning. So I am very curious about that stuff.

My presumption is that for smaller systems (say, two or three plants on your balcony) a "classical" control loop will work just fine. The control paths aren't very complex physically.

In larger systems (for small to medium sized patches with dozens of plants) ML might be a better choice, as it isn't really practicable and also expensive to place so many sensors on a patch.

With data of a few strategically placed sensors you can make assumptions about soil moisture levels in the whole patch and irrigate accordingly. ML might applicable here:

As it seems, ML makes use of Chi-squared test (beside other statistical methods I am not yet familiar with). Chi-squared test is basically a comparison algorithm between empirical data and theoretically expected data, what delivers some evidence about the accuracy of the model your irrigation logic is based upon. If your model has flaws, a ML algorithm might be able to fix that.

Furthermore, gathering lots of measurement data over the course of many months has certainly potential in its own right. ML could make similar systems gradually simpler and more effective.
 
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doster.zach

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My presumption is that for smaller systems (say, two or three plants on your balcony) a "classical" control loop will work just fine. The control paths aren't very complex physically.
You would be right. And this would probably extend to medium sized systems. Usually if you are justing using numeric inputs then linear and other small models don't take up too much space.

However that space relative to an Arduino might be too big, (probably at least 1 MB). But I think you are using a Raspberry Pi so you should have more lee-way.

Here is a course I did that could get you started with something like that if you choose to. Machine Learning Crash Course | Google Developers

These libraries allow you to now need to worry too much about the math, if you have a general idea of what is going on under-the-hood, then you will be fine.

I would recommend this route, no huge need to pull out the statistics and calculus at step 1.

If I could only give one piece of advice for using ML in your project:

Machine learning is a tool to solve a problem, it doesn't provide value to product.

While it does raise your control because few people understand it and can replicate it, make sure your models are solving a problem.
 
D

Deleted73907

Guest
Here is a course I did that could get you started with something like that if you choose to. Machine Learning Crash Course | Google Developers

This is a great course, I am already thru the first three lections.

A very comprehensive subject indeed, so I see you guys in a few months when I obtained some knowledge as to ML (hopefully) :).

For everyone who wants to follow my progress, here's the link to my github repository:

 
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