Moisture Controlled Irrigation System Team Members: ECE - Aaron Beekman, Adrian Fletcher, and Derek Thomas CECS – Jacob Schreiver

Background Info Swan Florist and Gift Shop is a family run business located in Erlanger, Ky. Operate multiple greenhouses Several greenhouses are located at a remote location Maintained by employees 2-3 times per week Use a timer system to water plants once a day

Greenhouse Layout

Existing Irrigation System

Operational Concept Irrigate plants based on soil moisture content Use existing sprinkler valves Run autonomously with no operator intervention Perform data logging of moisture content, greenhouse temperature, when and how long plants were watered Provide a Graphical User Interface that will allow the user to change moisture thresholds to maintain proper watering for plants Restart after a power outage without reprogramming

New System Advantages Reduce maintenance time Additional control options Prevent over-watering/under-watering Increase yield Minimize water usage and cost Provide data logging

System Diagram

Moisture Sensors

Vegetronix Moisture Sensor 8 required Returns a voltage proportional to volumetric water content in the soil of a potted plant on each bench Input Voltage of 5 VDC Outputs a 0-3VDC signal.

Vegetronix Chart (Volumetric Water Content)

Temperature Sensors

2 Temperature Sensors Thermistor design High Temperature Coefficient of Resistance (TCR) resistor. Located near heaters and fans.

Sprinkler Valves

Sprinkler Valve Interface Provide eight Sprinkler Valve interfaces Input Voltage 26.8 VAC 8 Watts per valve No more than 2 valves on at one time.

Power Converter

Use existing 26.8 VAC Transformer Converts 120VAC to 26.8VAC VAC Powers Sprinkler Valve Solenoids Provides power to AC/DC Rectifier Custom AC/DC Rectifier 20 VDC to Controller Board 5 VDC to Moisture and Temperature Sensors

Controller

Control Board Key Features Microchip PIC18F4520 microprocessor Input Voltage: 12V-22VAC 16V-30VDC Analog Input Channels: required Onboard Relays: 8 Provides 26.8VAC to the sprinkler valves. Integrated RS232 interface. Robust software development environment. PIC MPLab IDE PICPLC8A

Control Board

Software Development Environment MPLAB IDE Development for the PIC Microcontroller in C or Assembly Integrated Software Simulator and Debugger Interfaces with hardware Debugger

Display/Data Management

Software Development Environment Netbeans IDE Java Development for the frontend Application GUI and Form Builder Code Completion Software Debugger Unit Testing Support for Multiple Programming Languages

Software Features Graphical User Interface Interpret moisture level of the soil and determine if plants need to be watered. Data logging and Time Stamping When and what plants were watered. Control to allow increasing and decreasing of watering time.

Graphical User Interface Design

Project status Needs: Receive ordered Thermistor. Continue Software Development Submit PCB design and Fabricate Done: Received both PIC board and Moisture Sensors Gathered enclosure and wiring. GUI Layout PCB Layout

Questions? Moisture Controlled Irrigation System