Mushroom Environment Control - Arduino Powered

This is my first Arduino project aimed at helping me with my other hobby which is growing oyster and shiitake mushrooms indoors.
In a nutshell, the controller takes in two temperature readings, 1 Humidity reading and 1 Co2 reading and triggers a set of four relays connected to mains power.
Intended to be connected to the mains are two heating pads, a sonic humidifier and an air pump (although the choice isn't limited to these of course).

Step 1: Items

Here is the list of items I used for the project.

MAIN:
-Arduino.
-LCD Keypad shield.
- 7-12 volt power supply.
- USB cable (socket that connects to USB on Arduino).
-Box To house the whole thing.
-Veraboard/breadboard.
- 4x solid state 5v- 240v relays.
- Mains Power board with four sockets. 
- Wires.
- Jiffy box to house inline socket/screws to connect Sensors.

SENSORS:
-Thermistors 10k   x2
       -Resistor 10k  x2
-HS1100 humidity reader
       - 555 timer (cmos type)
       - resistors: 576k, 49.9k, 1k and 909k
       - Veraboard/breadboard
      - Jiffy Box
      - Digital divide by ten Chip
-MG811 C02 sensor (I got a breakout board with op-amp amplifier built in. You can make it yourself, it is a high precision op amp set up as non-inverting with gain around 10).
       - Jiffy Box

ENVIRONMENTAL CONTROLLERS
- 2 x heating pads
- Sonic Humidifier
       - Aquarium Tubing
       - Air Pump (aquarium)
       - Plastic lunchbox (airtight) 
       - HEPA Filter for Vacuum cleaner.
       - Plastic tub 
- Aquarium Air pump
      - Aquarium Tubing
     - Plastic Lunchbox (airtight)
     - HEPA Filter for Vacuum cleaner


EXTRAS:
- Hot Glue gun
- Soldering Iron
- Screwdrivers
- Multimeter
- Drill
- Home brew larger.

Comments

[AlanFFM]

Great project! I'm trying to rebuild it but have this programming problem. I'm using the arduino uno which uses the liquid crystal library. For some reason I cant get the code to work at all and my knowledge in programming is sub par. Any tips or advice would help a ton. this is a project I'm very interested in.
thanks :)

[jbark]

Hi Anthony,

I'm new to electronic. I got my self cd4017 for the divider, can you please tell me where you the output from 555 goes to? Or how do I know which one divides. This one is tricky to follow.
By the way this is my very first electronic that's not a kit from Jaycar. I'm almost there with it but this one has got me stuck.

So I followed your instruction.

Cheers

Thanks

[anthony_p1234]

Hi Jbark,

Sorry, I didn't put much detail in about that. But basically it's something like this:
http://artengine.ca/~pflemming/flemmweb_current/schem/CMOS/4017_circuits.pdf
555 Timer --> pin 14 of cd4017. Then output of cd4017 pin 11 to arduino. Ground pin 8, 13 and 5.

Thanks
Anthony

[ricbordenave]

Sorry... Ground are pins 8, 13 and 15. Thanks

[jbark]

Thanks Mate

[thebestofall007]

Co2 too low??? You said "This system of air filtration is also used for the air supply when the co2 gets too low". Dont you want the co2 to be as low as possible?

[anthony_p1234]

Yes, it's meant to read "CO2 gets too high". The program switches the relay on when the CO2 level goes over a certain threshold. I just wrote the wrong thing and my editor didn't pick it up before it went to print.

[bsnob]

i saw someone make a similar device a long time ago , but no co2 sensor though and they connected it to the lpt1 port of a pc to control it , but it was used for mushrooms , i wish i could find the site where i saw it he had a basic software he wrote for it and everything and he was even selling kits or providing exact part lists with item # and where to get them ,i was interested in makingg one of these for a greenhouse ,but with a pc control or interface and a data logger, anyone know where i could fing plans for something like that?i thought i sa it on the shroomery but i forget and a search there turned up nothing

[Asameea]

Hi Anthony, I want to know the amount you paid for CO2 with singal conditioning as shown in the diagram.
As you told about that website, i have checked the product, its cost is around $35, but i want to know exact amount i should pay for delivery to India.
Hence i am asking you to tell me the amount you paid for the same.
Thank you.

[anthony_p1234]

I think the shipping was roughly around the same price of the item (35$).
It is a bit pricey. You can always skip this equipment and just set up the relay to turn on to drive a pump to exchange air for a specific amount of time every hour or so. (or use a timer :) )
I have had good results with this.

Also, the Co2 sensor is the most sensitive being logarithmic and is difficult to calibrate.

This is up to you though.

Cheers
Anthony

[tsenarathna]

Hi Anthony,

What sort of output data did you end up getting with the Parralax sensors? Great work btw!

[rocketsurgery]

(removed by author or community request)

[anthony_p1234]

What you're doing sounds great, mushrooms are excellent in the way that they can transform wastes into fertile soils etc. ... and good for eating too! I never knew projects like yours existed, awesome!

[rocketsurgery]

Hey again... If you are interested in what we have been doing with oysters in Afghanistan, I have recently published a couple of instructables...

How to Grow Oyster Mushrooms Low Tech and
How to Grow Oyster Mushroom Spawn Low Tech

I have just constructed a hepa filter laminar air workstation to help with producing spawn... might like to try your instructable out with regard to our test growing room... Thanks again for sharing...

[rocketsurgery]

Currently we are growing them in straw (which then, after harvesting, gets given to their animals)... the great thing is that they don't need lots of land and the locals love them (other types grow naturally in spring and in the mountains)... we need to get them reproducing the spawn to complete the cycle... we'll see how that goes... thanks again for your 'ible!

[ratheeshbr]

Can you please tell me from where did you got this CO2 Sensor in India?

[anthony_p1234]

Hi Ratheeshbr,

It was the MG811 co2 sensor, I got the sensor in kit with omp amps from parallax on the web. Google for parallax co2 sensor gets you there.

Thanks
Anthony

[carlossantiago]

Very cool use of the arduio. It's a great start for your first time coding in "C". GuruSantiago Checkout my arduino projects here: http://www.youtube.com/user/ElectronicsIsFun And follow me on twitter @ElectronicsFun

[StaggarLee]

I was thinking the same thing. I am building a similar project, and base my relay sircuits from this guide http://www.glacialwanderer.com/hobbyrobotics/?p=9

[wifigod]

I'm very excited to see somebody working on a very similar project as me! :-D I do have one question, where did you buy the MG811 that came with the op amp board? I too made the mistake of buying just the sensor and couldn't get it to work. (I'm NOT an electronics person, but I'm trying to learn!) Thanks!

[anthony_p1234]

I got the MG811 with op amp from parallax a company I found through the internet. Good luck with your project! :)

[ksgeek]

Very nice project. I am creating a home HVAC data logger. As a side note the documentation on the mg811 sensor is very poor. I have the sensor working, I am concerned about the temperature. Do you keep the mg811 heater on constantly, or preheat it before polling? If so is the sensor hot to the touch?

[anthony_p1234]

For my project I keep the heater on all the time, although the MG811+op-amp board had a pin that you could use to switch the heater on/off. I guess it may affect the shelf life of the sensor if it is on less frequently. The sensor is more warm than hot, although when I did put in the wrong voltage it did get too hot to touch (it didn't destroy the MG811 though!). To answer your question I did find that the sensor took a while before the reading became constant and didn't keep dropping, it was about 5 min.

[twhaley]

That's, i'm doing it!

[Clayfig]

how is it all working out for you ? I would love to see a kit from you with all the parts to order

[tehjrow]

Don't you need diodes to protect the arduino?

[anthony_p1234]

How so, do you mean on the power supply to the Arduino?

[salesmonster]

Amazingly thorough writeup. You have done a great job of marrying two wonderful hobbies. I've been considering putting together the mycology environment project that Make magazine had several years ago...but humidity and temperature were my concerns. These systems fit the bill perfectly. Thanks for taking the time to share.

[anthony_p1234]

No Probs, thanks for your comments.

[Namban]

This is amazing! I would definitely make this. I never thought I'd actually find someone growing their own oyster mushrooms- I used to live in Japan, for about 3 years, and they have the BEST mushroom in the world there- エリンギ, Eringi, or King Oyster Mushroom in English. They taste 100x better than portabellas or even good shiitake- but I can't find them on the east coast US anywhere! And they taste like buttered steak... I've looked forever, but can't find anywhere on the net for king oyster mushroom spores- does anyone sell them? They are so good I must grow them myself, since noone in my area of the world seems to sell them. Can anyone help?

[DIY-Guy]

Namban said: "They are so good I must grow them myself, since noone in my area of the world seems to sell them. Can anyone help?" DIY-Guy relied: You want to grow "King Oyster Mushroom"? Try using a Google search like this- "King Oyster Mushroom" growing kit Then look at the results- http://www.mycosource.com/king_oyster%20instructions.htm Other sites also are out there. (Disclaimer: I don't work for these guys nor do I have any affiliation at this time.) Thanks for the food description- "they taste like buttered steak..." it sounds really good to eat!

[Namban]

Thanks for the info. I'd done plenty of Google searches over the years, and nothing came up- these must be recent, as I would have found them before. And yes, they taste exactly like a good steak smeared with butter. They are incredible- if you ever get a chance to try them, take it!

[rt61]

I would like to learn how to grow oyster and shiitake mushrooms. Where should I start? Thanks!

[joystik]

Youtube is your friend. Also, check the torrent sites for "Growing Mushrooms" DVD.

[wifigod]

If you've got $30 you're willing to invest, this is the BIBLE of Mushrooms:
http://www.amazon.com/Growing-Gourmet-Medicinal-Mushrooms-Stamets/dp/1580081754/ref=sr_1_1?ie=UTF8&s=books&qid=1277418343&sr=8-1

[Raziel7]

DVDs and books are good starting points for learning about growing mushrooms, but will not teach you how to grow them well. Most of the material is somewhat outdated.

New methods conceived by mycologists and growers can be found at shroomery.org

Search the forums for all the knowledge you will ever need, plus it is free.

[articice]

just steal it from ED2K ed2k://|file|%5BPsilocybin%5DGrowing%20Gourmet%20and%20Medicinal%20Mushrooms-Paul%20Stamets-2000-1580081754.CV.pdf|36908319|D7C4B3A02C96D1823E012B22315E98CE|/

[anthony_p1234]

(removed by author or community request)

[Kitoru]

It'd also recommend it. It's very highly informative and contains a lot of species specific information that'd be difficult to work out for yourself. I'm loving this project. I started a similar project about three years back that used almost exactly the same methods. The only variance really is that I used a Wine Cooler as the case to battle blistering California temperatures and a Sensiron SHT11 combined temp/humidity sensor. Except my Arduino BT (Sparkfun accidently upgraded my order) melted down and I've been working on rebuilding another board from scratch. T_T; It's not going well~ One question though. Why the choice of Thermocouples over serial interface temperature sensors? I believe the prices are comparable, and serial interface is such a breeze to work with.

[anthony_p1234]

At the time I was making the project It didn't occur to me to use serial (is it i2c?) and didn't know arduino was able to use it. The more I find out about the Arduino the better it gets :).