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Step 6Installation
Well, now you've got a Plant Whisperer board happily running (and likely reporting that your plant is quite dead indeed). You need to stick it in a pot of soil!
There are a few ways of doing this. You can see there are two rather large holes on the board. These are designed for 5mm diameter screws. The screws pass through holes drilled in a pot, holding the Plant Whisperer board in place. This is sort of an "all-in-one" solution, great for gifting with a pre-planted plant.
There is also a two-pin header for "remote sensing." To these two pins, you may solder wires for the moisture probes. A remote probe could be a stainless steel screw or rod, or something fancier like a ceramic probe. Depending on your installation (large plants, or plants high on a shelf or in a hanging basket) this may be more desirable.
Built-In Installation
For built-in installation, you'll basically be permanently attaching the Plant Whisperer to a pot or planter, creating a dedicated sensor. The installation can be done on virtually any pot, as long as it's non-conductive (obviously, a metal planter would short out the probes!) It's preferred to use a pot with at least one flat side onto which you may install the board, but there are ways around that...
To start, decide where on the pot you want the Plant Whisperer to be. The Middle is a good choice. Mark out the distance between the holes on the pot (you may use a 1:1 scale copy of the PCB printed on paper as a template to make it easy). Now, with an appropriate drill bit, drill out those two holes. For a plastic planter any old split-point drill bit will work fine. For ceramic and glass use a special ceramics drill bit (and lots of lubrication, water or WD-40 will work)
Thread the screws through the holes on the PCB, so the head of the screw is on the component side of the board. Lock the screw in place with a nut on the other side. Then, slide a rubber washer onto each screw. Insert the screws into the holes drilled into the pot, then slide on another two rubber washers. Complete the installation by securing the screws with nuts.
Then, just fill the pot with dirt and a plant!
Remote installation
For remote installation, you'll need to construct two probes. Determine how long the wires will need to be, and strip a small amount of insulation from both ends. On each wire, crimp an eyelet connector. The other end of the wire may be soldered directly to the board. Twist the wires together so they look good. Then, thread the eyelet connectors onto the screws and secure them with a nut. Drive the screws into soil about 1-2 inches apart.
There are a few ways of doing this. You can see there are two rather large holes on the board. These are designed for 5mm diameter screws. The screws pass through holes drilled in a pot, holding the Plant Whisperer board in place. This is sort of an "all-in-one" solution, great for gifting with a pre-planted plant.
There is also a two-pin header for "remote sensing." To these two pins, you may solder wires for the moisture probes. A remote probe could be a stainless steel screw or rod, or something fancier like a ceramic probe. Depending on your installation (large plants, or plants high on a shelf or in a hanging basket) this may be more desirable.
Built-In Installation
For built-in installation, you'll basically be permanently attaching the Plant Whisperer to a pot or planter, creating a dedicated sensor. The installation can be done on virtually any pot, as long as it's non-conductive (obviously, a metal planter would short out the probes!) It's preferred to use a pot with at least one flat side onto which you may install the board, but there are ways around that...
To start, decide where on the pot you want the Plant Whisperer to be. The Middle is a good choice. Mark out the distance between the holes on the pot (you may use a 1:1 scale copy of the PCB printed on paper as a template to make it easy). Now, with an appropriate drill bit, drill out those two holes. For a plastic planter any old split-point drill bit will work fine. For ceramic and glass use a special ceramics drill bit (and lots of lubrication, water or WD-40 will work)
Thread the screws through the holes on the PCB, so the head of the screw is on the component side of the board. Lock the screw in place with a nut on the other side. Then, slide a rubber washer onto each screw. Insert the screws into the holes drilled into the pot, then slide on another two rubber washers. Complete the installation by securing the screws with nuts.
Then, just fill the pot with dirt and a plant!
Remote installation
For remote installation, you'll need to construct two probes. Determine how long the wires will need to be, and strip a small amount of insulation from both ends. On each wire, crimp an eyelet connector. The other end of the wire may be soldered directly to the board. Twist the wires together so they look good. Then, thread the eyelet connectors onto the screws and secure them with a nut. Drive the screws into soil about 1-2 inches apart.
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