Introduction: Make an Automatic Plant Light
This light helps your plants grow.
I got the idea from the Garduino, but nothing is taken from it. The schematic and the program are mine.
This plant light gives your plants 4 additional hours of light per day. When it gets dark, it turns on and after 4 hours of darkness, the light turns out. The light restarts when it detects light.
Step 1: Parts
You will need:
1x ATTiny26
1x 5V Wall adapter
3x Red LEDs
1x 30ohm resistor
1x 20 ohm resistor
1x 100kohm resistor
1x 50kohm resistor
1x power socket
1x power plug
wire
plant container
Step 2: The Pot
I used a plastic container and drilled two holes in the side. The wire goes inside those holes.
You should use some imagination and make one with the materials at hand.
Step 3: Electronics
You can't see it on the schematic, but the + of the adapter goes to Vcc and the - to GND.
The plug helps to make the light more mobile.
Step 4: Software
You should already know, how to upload a program. I've uploaded the .c and .hex files.
In the source, the 14400 (in seconds = 4 hours) tells after how many seconds it automatically turns off. You can change this number if you want.
Attachments
Step 5: Putting It Together
I hot glued the board to the pot. The brown shielding on the top is to prevent the leds from turning themselves back off. That would lead to continuous blinking.
There's foam in the pot to provide a solid base for your plants. Maybe it's a better idea to use soil.
Step 6: Planting
Add some water into the pot. Try finding a plant, that loves a lot of light and put the seeds inside and leave it to grow.

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57 Comments
13 years ago on Introduction
add a solar panel and a battery and ditch the wall-wart for extra awesomeness
Reply 13 years ago on Introduction
But then you'll need sun to shine on it and if the sun's shining on it then it's won't need growth lights... Not awesomeness... More like weirdness...
Reply 13 years ago on Introduction
uh, sun shines during the day, charges battery, sun goes down, lights run off battery.... never seen a solar landscaping light?
Reply 13 years ago on Introduction
The main purpose of this is to grow plants indoors. If you're taking it outdoors than it won't need growth lights because it's already exposed to the required spectrum for the required amout of time.
Reply 6 years ago on Introduction
No, the purpose of this is to give plants 4 extra hours of light.
Reply 13 years ago on Introduction
solar panels work inside too
Reply 13 years ago on Introduction
Uhh... No they don't.
Reply 13 years ago on Introduction
Uhh... yes they do. Ever used a calculator with a solar panel on it? Most of the time a person will use them at their table/desk and not outside. Solar panels work inside because they turn light into electricity (hence the name photovoltaics). Of course the light would be more intense outside. Why not use this near a window, inside, where it gets the natural sunlight they crave and then your LEDs will give the extra 4hours. All in all, great i'ble.
Reply 10 years ago on Introduction
Indoor light also works on solar calculators.
Reply 13 years ago on Introduction
Actually, the purpose of this project is to add 4 additional hours of light. The plant gets the natural amount of light plus 4.
Reply 13 years ago on Introduction
But plants grow best with the natural amount of light. If you add more light it's not organic because the leafs are forcing the plant to take extra nutrients... Unneeded nutrients...
Reply 13 years ago on Introduction
but a tomato growing in December can't get the the correct amount of natural light
Reply 13 years ago on Introduction
Yes it can! It's summer in December!
Reply 13 years ago on Introduction
Australia?
Reply 12 years ago on Introduction
Yeah.
Reply 13 years ago on Introduction
And if you grow a potato,then the plant will be a couch potato!
Reply 13 years ago on Introduction
Why not grow potatoes inside a couch-shaped container? Not a couch potato, a potato couch!
Reply 13 years ago on Introduction
just use some capacitors?
Reply 13 years ago on Introduction
Not as good as batteries.
8 years ago on Introduction
hello DemonDomen, very smart design. what if you used a better light source... check out my design! we can add automatic watering too...
https://www.instructables.com/id/LED-plant-light-ba...
love & peace