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A while ago, I noticed many people using the Arduino controller for all sorts of home projects. I knew I just *had* to have one.
After I received it through the mail and exploring its possibilities, it struck me that this would make it possible to make a (more or less) self-supporting closed greenhouse.
In a closed environment the Arduino would be able to control all parameters like water, light and temperature. I chose to go with LED lighting because LED lighting is becoming more and more promising when it comes to growing plants. This would also prove a neat experiment in using this alternative light source.
Imagine placing a plant in this machine, setting the controls for growing and when the plant has grown to the preferred size, setting it for blossoming and presto! Just like having a home bread making machine for plants!
This instructable will show you the basics of the system I have developed and (where needed) the pitfalls I have encountered. The only thing you will need is some basic electrical knowledge and a lot of common sense!
Additionally, I will share future growing experiences with you in this instructable.
Please ignore any language inconsistencies as English is not my native language...
**DISCLAIMER, PART 1** I am not an electrical engineer. If this machine burns your house down, kills you (or something really bad happens), I am not responsible!
Remember: you are working with electricity (and water!) and you should always make sure you work safely!
As for the power LEDs: THEY ARE EXTREMELY BRIGHT! You should not look directly into them as you might damage your eyes.
**DISCLAIMER, PART 2** Although it might be suitable for it, I do not promote growing a specific type of weed in this machine. Whatever you do, make sure it is legal in your country or area you live in! I highly recommend growing radish or lettuce.
** UPDATE **
From experimenting it seems that seedlings will do well once matured a bit. When growing from seeds, the light will fall short a bit. The plants will stretch and not develop right.
As a result, I am currently looking into using normal energy saving lamps (SL lamps) which generate a huge amount of wide spectrum light at 18 Watts.
Bear with me, more to follow!
After I received it through the mail and exploring its possibilities, it struck me that this would make it possible to make a (more or less) self-supporting closed greenhouse.
In a closed environment the Arduino would be able to control all parameters like water, light and temperature. I chose to go with LED lighting because LED lighting is becoming more and more promising when it comes to growing plants. This would also prove a neat experiment in using this alternative light source.
Imagine placing a plant in this machine, setting the controls for growing and when the plant has grown to the preferred size, setting it for blossoming and presto! Just like having a home bread making machine for plants!
This instructable will show you the basics of the system I have developed and (where needed) the pitfalls I have encountered. The only thing you will need is some basic electrical knowledge and a lot of common sense!
Additionally, I will share future growing experiences with you in this instructable.
Please ignore any language inconsistencies as English is not my native language...
**DISCLAIMER, PART 1** I am not an electrical engineer. If this machine burns your house down, kills you (or something really bad happens), I am not responsible!
Remember: you are working with electricity (and water!) and you should always make sure you work safely!
As for the power LEDs: THEY ARE EXTREMELY BRIGHT! You should not look directly into them as you might damage your eyes.
**DISCLAIMER, PART 2** Although it might be suitable for it, I do not promote growing a specific type of weed in this machine. Whatever you do, make sure it is legal in your country or area you live in! I highly recommend growing radish or lettuce.
** UPDATE **
From experimenting it seems that seedlings will do well once matured a bit. When growing from seeds, the light will fall short a bit. The plants will stretch and not develop right.
As a result, I am currently looking into using normal energy saving lamps (SL lamps) which generate a huge amount of wide spectrum light at 18 Watts.
Bear with me, more to follow!
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Signing UpStep 1Overview
To give you an idea of what it should do you can look at the image below.
The heart of the system is a box in which the plants will grow. Next to it is a controller box which contains the Arduino and some PCB circuitry (schema's will be discussed later on). The box is located OUTSIDE of the growing area to prevent shortage and potentially dangerous situations.
The controller box measures temperature (both inside and outside) and can control a fan to influence the inside temperature and provide the air circulation needed for healthy plant growth.
Located in the bottom of the cabinet, a reservoir of (fertilized) water is placed with a pump in it. The plants will be suspended above this reservoir so all water pumped up to the plants will eventually pour back into the reservoir. The pump will be driven by 12 Vdc for safety reasons.
To prevent dirt from building up in your water container (possibly clogging the pump) you should not use earth but a combination of steelwool and hydro-pellets. This allows the water to fully drain after watering. So in effect, this is a hydrophonic system.
The lights are also regulated by the controller box. The setup basically has two modes for plant growth: grow mode (about 24 to 18 hours of light) and flower mode (about 12 hours of light). This will enable us to grown plants which are sensitive to shorter lighting periods and encourage them to respond by creating flowers or fruit. The cabinet should be carefully light-proofed to exclude external light sources.
Again, it is important to point out that I have chosen to run everything on 12 volt DC. The main reason here is safety. After all, we are working with water here! If you decide to use 220 / 110 V the please make sure the relays used are capable of switching the load intended and that you *ALWAYS* use the earthing provided by your grid!
The heart of the system is a box in which the plants will grow. Next to it is a controller box which contains the Arduino and some PCB circuitry (schema's will be discussed later on). The box is located OUTSIDE of the growing area to prevent shortage and potentially dangerous situations.
The controller box measures temperature (both inside and outside) and can control a fan to influence the inside temperature and provide the air circulation needed for healthy plant growth.
Located in the bottom of the cabinet, a reservoir of (fertilized) water is placed with a pump in it. The plants will be suspended above this reservoir so all water pumped up to the plants will eventually pour back into the reservoir. The pump will be driven by 12 Vdc for safety reasons.
To prevent dirt from building up in your water container (possibly clogging the pump) you should not use earth but a combination of steelwool and hydro-pellets. This allows the water to fully drain after watering. So in effect, this is a hydrophonic system.
The lights are also regulated by the controller box. The setup basically has two modes for plant growth: grow mode (about 24 to 18 hours of light) and flower mode (about 12 hours of light). This will enable us to grown plants which are sensitive to shorter lighting periods and encourage them to respond by creating flowers or fruit. The cabinet should be carefully light-proofed to exclude external light sources.
Again, it is important to point out that I have chosen to run everything on 12 volt DC. The main reason here is safety. After all, we are working with water here! If you decide to use 220 / 110 V the please make sure the relays used are capable of switching the load intended and that you *ALWAYS* use the earthing provided by your grid!
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Great instructable starting point for me!
The heat spread by this heat sink will heat up the environment nicely :)
Try googling "eagle pcb download".
vrdude: stk500_getsync(): not in sync: resp=0x00
avrdude: stk500_disable(): protocol error, expect=0x14, resp=0x51
Even after selecting the right board and port. It just works when it wants too.
Journal Title - Russian Journal of Plant Physiology
Article Title - Growth and photosynthesis of Chinese cabbage plants grown under light-emitting diode-based light source
Volume - Volume 56
Issue - 1
First Page - 14
Last Page - 21
Issue Cover Date - 2009-01-01
DOI - 10.1134/S1021443709010038
Link - http://www.springerlink.com/content/j3v422803h057531