DIY WWWillie and the Arduino - A tale of monitoring and controlling.

[wwwillie]

Hey!
Here we go. A journal regarding my trials and accomplishments with building a monitoring and maybe controlling system for my garden. I am sitting here listening to music on a computer I built, playing through an amp, pre-amp, DAC I built, to speakers I built through wires I constructed. So why haven't I built something for the grow room!?!
I saw a few good threads, grabbed code from one of them, and will be watching them for more ideas and hope those folks will do the same.
My first goal is to have a sensor network for the different environmental parameters essential to good growing. I can measure temperature, humidity, soil moisture, light, and, ??? I then want to collect and record the data from this network. I then would like to be able to display it on my grow room computer and perhaps others. Once I can monitor and am satisfied with what is being monitored and that it is valid, I would then like to get into controlling basic environment conditions. A/C, heat, humidity, all that good stuff.

I have an Arduino UNO a breadboard and a few other bits and bobs. Need to get some sensors and get going! I may have a bunch of updates and then none for a while as I go through this and have the time, depending on how it goes.

 

[AndyBotwin]

Good one, Willie! I'm subbed up. "Munch..munch..munch

 

[wwwillie]

OK so to get this started I just purchased 5 DS18B20 temp sensors. Seems like a popular sensor accurate to .5C, to-92 case can get them from China on ebay with 1 meter leads, potted in stainless steel. A little over $9.00 for 5 of them. They use a Dallas 1-wire protocol to communicate with the Arduino. It needs a special library to run but the whole temp sensor network uses only one digital line to communicate. That should be a good thing, if I know anything it's i/o ports always get scarce with this kind of thing.

 

[wwwillie]

It's been a week or so. I have yet to receive the sensors and on top of that cannot find the box I packed all my Arduino stuff in! I'll keep looking and waiting. In the meantime I have been trying to build a decent library of code. Also a lot of daydreaming about what I want to do with it all.
Sorry it's not more of an update, but we'll get there!!

 

[wwwillie]

It's been a week or so. I have yet to receive the sensors and on top of that cannot find the box I packed all my Arduino stuff in! I'll keep looking and waiting. In the meantime I have been trying to build a decent library of code. Also a lot of daydreaming about what I want to do with it all.
Sorry it's not more of an update, but we'll get there!!

 

[Dr Fluff]

Sounds like an awesome project WWWillie I'm subbed too!

Seen lots of interesting projects using the arduino but haven't attempted any of them, maybe this will make me give it ago.

Looking forward to seeing you build it and pick up any hints and tips you have to share as well.

This seems a little more advanced than normal DIY tutes and I might just call it DIYT (do it yourself tech).

AS for delivery times they can suck, I am patient and can wait for updates as and when they come.

 

[wwwillie]

The temp sensors arrived Saturday. They look good, nice construction. Basically a DS18B20 temperature sensor IC in a TO-92 case, potted in a stainless steel casing with a nice cable attached and shrink tubed. It uses I2C for communication to the Arduino.
Here's a picture from the auction.

I finally found my box of Arduino stuff, but still cannot locate the breadboard. I ordered another one, it should be here soon and then it's time to see what I can get it to do!

 

[Son of Hobbes]

More pictures or it's all lies! Would you be willing to post your Arduino sketches too? I've got my box o' stuff sitting out upstairs; maybe I can play along! Can't wait willie!

 

[pop22]

Great thread! I'll be following!

 

[wwwillie]

Hey!
Ya, I'll post everything. I am not very good at this stuff, but will be happy to let everyone see what I am about and that way you all can try along with me and help each other out!.
The more the merrier!

Here is a link to the datasheet for this device. Handy reference for this specific chip. Maxim DS18B20 Temperature Sensor Datasheet

Working on the 1-Wire protocol that the temp sensor uses. Here is the chip.

Looks impressive! Thank (deity of choice) we don't really need to know what it all means!! SoH needs picture though, not quite ready to graduate to real books just yet!!

Seriously though I thoght it would be cool to see. What we need now are some info, libraries, and example code to get our sketches going.

I am going to start here PJRC and here Arduino: learning one-wire. Looks like a good bit of reading to do.
TTFN