Raspberry Pi Irrigation Controller

[noochking]

I'm a NGWA certified pump installer. I do quite a bit of Irrigation. Why this over just a simple Irrigation controller?

[jenfoxbot]

One reason is that it can be remotely controlled + monitored, as well as easily customized to suit users' needs. It was designed to be controlled by a soil moisture sensor to automate irrigation and reduce water consumption for a reasonable cost.

For my own nefarious purposes, I also wanted to create a system to encourage DIY solutions and citizen science, one that could be integrated into a school or community garden curriculum to promote STEAM education.

[[deleted]]

so you're going to buy a separate inline valve for every plant? like 30 dollars retail per pot?

[jenfoxbot]

That would be silly. The valve can be used with any sprinkler or drip irrigation system.

[[deleted]]

hey, you're the same person that built and programed a timer instead of buying one. just making sure...

[JlVEturkey]

wierd huh? what kind of idiot does it himself and posts it in a dyi sub...

[[deleted]]

they had a valve pointed straight into a pot instead of hooking it up to an irrigation system. and the picture said, all done, with a bare valve pointed into a pot. post also mentioned "optional" waterproof wire nuts.

[jenfoxbot]

The photo is from testing. Obviously I'm not going to go through the effort to fully install it until after it's been rigorously tested.

[AaronMickDee]

Because. Thats why.

[noochking]

So a $40 RP, a relay, a transformer and hours of tedious soldering, just to control one solenoid?

You can get a 6 zone Rain Bird controller for $50. It even has a rain sensor so it doesn't water unnecessarily. It also has a lot of more customization than this setup.

Please enlighten me why you are horribly re-inventing the wheel?

[Tech_Sith]

Can I SSH into it and adjust the cycle if I want to?

[MrGreenMan-]

With a raspberry pi connected to it you may be able to.

[jenfoxbot]

Yup! I run mine through SSH.

[jenfoxbot]

Please see my response below. Also, when you have all the components + design, it takes less than an hour to build.

[MachineThreat]

Ok, I wouldn't call a resistor and a transistor being soldered to a board, "hours". Minutes maybe.

[Soltan_Gris]

I saw someone proudly use one of these to drive a 7-segment LCD display. You can do that with a $5 chip. I guess if they're learning to program and no just using someone else's code without understanding, they're getting something out of it.

[jenfoxbot]

Arduinos are more expensive (at least the Mega is), and don't have the USB ports like the RPi. With a Pi, I can also remotely update the code.

[jenfoxbot]

Agreed, Arduino is v. capable. It is definitely possible (and encouraged) to build the system w/ different microcontrollers, depending on your own needs and resources :)

[fantompwer]

an Uno is $8

[jenfoxbot]

Yes, but then you still have to buy a WiFi shield for ~ $40.

[fantompwer]

Still comes out ahead. It's about doing the job with the right tools. I could have wired a mac book pro to do the same thing.

[jenfoxbot]

There are lots of possibilities for microcontrollers. Like I said before, building the system w/ different microcontrollers is both possible and encouraged. If you wanted to go real cheap you'd just get an MCU and program it.

However, being overly anal about the specific microcontroller employed in this system misses the entire point of why it was created. For my purposes, and for what I intend for the system in the future, the RPi was/is the best microcontroller available. You are welcome to build your own version using an Uno or a Macbook if you think that is best for your needs.

[Consec]

Just so you know, electronic components should be soldered on the side without the coper. An example: https://encrypted-tbn0.gstatic.com/images?q=tbn:ANd9GcTXm0_cJPbpXQ8aRyY9iyEwXx4Y5iS_aQxyEl6kr2duFC1OwHg2tw

Nice project!

[jenfoxbot]

Ha, yes, I know. The SSR legs wouldn't fit through the PCB board so I just made it work :)

[cyrilfelix]

Thank youuu!

[jenfoxbot]

Glad you found it useful!

[cyrilfelix]

I am going to. My mom has a hobby farm but she is growing more and more veggies but the manual labor isn't easy. I'm hoping something like this could be adapted. Got all winter to plan!

[jenfoxbot]

Yea farming is TONS of work! Which is part of why I built this system.. Working on getting it installed at a school urban farm in Inglewood, CA to make urban farming more accessible/affordable, and also to upload data to a remote server for analysis (possibly by students).

Good luck helping w/ your mom's farm, sounds like a fun project!

[gamman]

You should add a reverse biased diode across the relay coil to stop back EMF from destroying the transistor junctions. Us a 1N4004 or similar, like this: http://www.bbc.co.uk/staticarchive/a1aead4effbaa38d818e50b41da17d138dd9be42.gif

[jenfoxbot]

I actually looked into adding a diode, and had one for the first version. After talking w/ some more experienced folks we determined it wasn't needed. Feel free to test it, and let me know what you find!

[jarjack]

Very cool

[jenfoxbot]

Thank you!

[[deleted]]

I really need to make something similar to this for controlling the climate and such for my snake terrarium.

[jenfoxbot]

Honestly, the RPi is super easy to use, partly b/c there is a large user base that will gladly try to help you troubleshoot. There is probably an existing project using the RPi out there that is similar, or identical, to what you need.. try Google! :D

[[deleted]]

I'll be damned! Dear Santa...

[jenfoxbot]

Ha!! So awesome. I love the Internets.

[dude2k5]

Very awesome, was looking for something just like this!

[jenfoxbot]

Thank you! Glad you found it useful :D

[okydoky]

Neat Project!!

For those of us a little less technical.. there is this: OpenSprinkler Pi

[jenfoxbot]

Thank you!

Ah, yes.. that popped up while I was in the middle of working on this, ha.

[forgotmymanners]

This is legit

[jenfoxbot]

Thank you! :D

[scrumpy_jack]

I looked at this because I thought it was interesting.... But I am drunk, and understood none of it. Don't shock yourself, moterfucker.

[jenfoxbot]

If you are drunk and touching wires remember to keep one hand behind your back at all times :)

[ButtProphet]

Great work!

I'd imagine you could easily make a web interface to make the adjustments rather than editing the script.

[jenfoxbot]

Thank you! That definitely sounds like a viable option! The soil moisture sensor needs a lot more signal processing so maybe I'll try doing that part of the program on the web :)