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amc2021:groupd:start [2021/09/06 13:43] – munashe001amc2021:groupd:start [2023/01/05 14:38] (current) – external edit 127.0.0.1
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-====== SOIL MOISTURE & AUTOMATIC PLANT WATERING SYSTEM ======+====== SOIL MOISTURE MONITORING SYSTEM ======
  
 ==== Group D: Munashe Chabvuta(24603) ==== ==== Group D: Munashe Chabvuta(24603) ====
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 Soil moisture is major variable in plant functions. It acts as a solvent where nutrients and minerals are broken down for easy absorption via plant roots. It provides turgidity which gives the plant true stability, positioning and further controls the exchange of heat energy and water between the land surface and the atmosphere through evapotranspiration. Furthermore soil moisture plays a crucial role in the development of weather patterns and the formation of precipitation. As the climate and weather patterns change, moisture availability is becoming more variable affecting plant functions. As a result soil moisture data can be taken into consideration for reservoir management, early warning of droughts, irrigation scheduling and crop yield forecasting.[[https://www.earthsciweek.org/classroom-activities/soil-moisture|Earth Science]]  Soil moisture is major variable in plant functions. It acts as a solvent where nutrients and minerals are broken down for easy absorption via plant roots. It provides turgidity which gives the plant true stability, positioning and further controls the exchange of heat energy and water between the land surface and the atmosphere through evapotranspiration. Furthermore soil moisture plays a crucial role in the development of weather patterns and the formation of precipitation. As the climate and weather patterns change, moisture availability is becoming more variable affecting plant functions. As a result soil moisture data can be taken into consideration for reservoir management, early warning of droughts, irrigation scheduling and crop yield forecasting.[[https://www.earthsciweek.org/classroom-activities/soil-moisture|Earth Science]] 
  
-With the importance of soil moisture data at hand, the main aim of the Arduino based project is to monitor moisture availability in a regular house plant in real time over the internet of things through the use of microcontrollers and software. The system has to maintain the moisture content of the soil between the values of 40% and 60% which is the optimum moisture of functionality of the plant under investigation. When the moisture content is below 40% the system has to increase the moisture content by turning on the pump and a fulfilling the moisture requirements of the plant. Once the moisture percentage reaches a value of 60% the water pump switches off. The whole Arduino Based system is brought to life by the following materials and methods.+With the importance of soil moisture data at hand, the main aim of the Arduino based project is to monitor moisture availability in a regular house plant in real time over the internet of things through the use of microcontrollers and software. The system has to maintain the moisture content of the soil between the values of 40% and 60% which is the optimum moisture of functionality of the plant under investigation. When the moisture content is below 40% the system has to increase the moisture content by turning on the pump and a fulfilling the moisture requirements of the plant. Once the moisture percentage reaches a value of 60% the water pump switches off. The whole Arduino Based system is brought to life by the following materials and methods. The physical setup of the system in the image below: 
 + 
 +{{:amc2021:groupd:img-2266.jpg?400|}} 
 +Fig.1 Showing the physical set up of the system 
  
 ==== 2. Materials and Methods ==== ==== 2. Materials and Methods ====
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 • ESP32 Wrover-B  Module ([[https://www.espressif.com/sites/default/files/documentation/esp32-wrover-b_datasheet_en.pdf|Datasheet]]) • ESP32 Wrover-B  Module ([[https://www.espressif.com/sites/default/files/documentation/esp32-wrover-b_datasheet_en.pdf|Datasheet]])
  
-• Capacitive Soil Moisture Sensor +• Capacitive Soil Moisture Sensor ([[https://media.digikey.com/pdf/Data%20Sheets/DFRobot%20PDFs/SEN0193_Web.pdf|Datasheet]])
  
 • 5V water submersible pump • 5V water submersible pump
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 {{:amc2021:groupd:img_2239.jpg?400|}} {{:amc2021:groupd:img_2239.jpg?400|}}
-Fig.1: The ESP32 WROVER-B MODULE+Fig.2: The ESP32 WROVER-B MODULE
  
    
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 ==== 2.2 Capacitive Soil Moisture Sensor==== ==== 2.2 Capacitive Soil Moisture Sensor====
  
- A capacitive moisture sensor has the ability to measure the change in capacitance which is contributed by the changes in the dielectric created between the soil and water. The sensor rather measures the ions that are dissolved in the moisture and does not take into account the measurement of moisture directly. Furthermore, the ion concentration can be affected by various factors, such as fertilizers which decrease the resistance of the soil hence unreliable moisture readings. It is manufactured from corrosion resistant material which is a major advantage over the resistive soil moisture sensor, allowing an outstanding service life. It is equipped with a voltage regulator which allowing it to operate at voltage ranging from 3.3 to 5.5V.+ A capacitive moisture sensor has the ability to measure the change in capacitance which is contributed by the changes in the dielectric created between the soil and water. The sensor rather measures the ions that are dissolved in the moisture and does not take into account the measurement of moisture directly. Furthermore, the ion concentration can be affected by various factors, such as fertilizers which decrease the resistance of the soil hence unreliable moisture readings. It is manufactured from corrosion resistant material which is a major advantage over the resistive soil moisture sensor, allowing an outstanding service life. It is equipped with a voltage regulator which allowing it to operate at voltage ranging from 3.3 to 5.5V. The dry air and water value was obtained. This gives us a range of values which we can map to obtain the final soil moisture percentage. 
 + 
 +Dry air Value = 3455 
 + 
 +Water air Value = 1625
  
 {{:amc2021:groupd:capacitive_soil_moisture_sensor.jpg?400|}} {{:amc2021:groupd:capacitive_soil_moisture_sensor.jpg?400|}}
-Fig2.[[https://nettigo.eu/products/capacitive-analog-soil-moisture-sensor|Capacitive soil moisture sensor.]]+Fig.3:[[https://nettigo.eu/products/capacitive-analog-soil-moisture-sensor|Capacitive soil moisture sensor.]]
  
  
 ==== 2.3 Transistor 2N2222 ==== ==== 2.3 Transistor 2N2222 ====
  
-It is a Negative-Positive-Negative(NPN) bipolar junction transistor that makes use of both electrons and electron holes as charge carriers. It permits a trivial current administered at one of its terminals to control a much larger current flowing between the the two terminals resulting in the switching of the 5V submersible pump used in the project. The transistor consists of three pins which have different purposes and connections to deliver its intended use. These pin are referred to as the collector, base and emitter.+It is a Negative-Positive-Negative(NPN) bipolar junction transistor that makes use of both electrons and electron holes as charge carriers. It permits a trivial current administered at one of its terminals to control a much larger current flowing between the the two terminals resulting in the switching of the 5V submersible pump used in the project. The transistor consists of three pins which have different purposes and connections to deliver its intended use. These pin are referred to as the collector, base and emitter.[[http://users.ece.utexas.edu/~valvano/Datasheets/PN2222-D.pdf|General Purpose Transistors]]
  
-• Collector: this is the pin where the power flows in.+• Collector: this is the pin where the power flows in. The ground leg of the pump is connected to the collector of the transistor.
  
 • Base: this is the trigger pin which is connected to the ESP32-WROVER-B Module and which will be used as an output pin. • Base: this is the trigger pin which is connected to the ESP32-WROVER-B Module and which will be used as an output pin.
  
-• Emitter: this is the ground side of the transistor. +• Emitter: this is the ground side of the transistor connected to the ground pin of the microcontroller.
  
 {{:amc2021:groupd:transistor.jpg?400|}} {{:amc2021:groupd:transistor.jpg?400|}}
-[[https://www.rs-online.com/designspark/basics-of-2n2222|fig3: Shows current flowing from the Collector to the Emitter]]+[[https://www.rs-online.com/designspark/basics-of-2n2222|fig.4: Shows current flowing from the Collector to the Emitter]]
  
 ==== 2.4 IoT (Internet of Things) ==== ==== 2.4 IoT (Internet of Things) ====
  
-It refers to a network of devices know as "things" that are embedded with sensors, software and other technologies, used to exchange and provide sensor data to cloud storage and cloud computing resources, which provide analysis and processing of data for more deep insights. For the soil moisture monitoring project "ThingSpeak" was considered for visualizations of the soil moisture data. ThingSpeak is an IoT analytics platform that offers the service to aggregate, visualize and analyze live stream via channel streams in the cloud. The ESP32 Module will be transmitting real time data from the soil moisture to the internet of things after every 15-30 seconds for a good visualization of the moisture present in the plant as a percentage and this can be observed remotely on a mobile device. +It refers to a network of devices know as "things" that are embedded with sensors, software and other technologies, used to exchange and provide sensor data to cloud storage and cloud computing resources, which provide analysis and processing of data for more deep insights. For the soil moisture monitoring project "ThingSpeak" was considered for visualizations of the soil moisture data. ThingSpeak is an IoT analytics platform that offers the service to aggregate, visualize and analyze live stream via channel streams in the cloud. The ESP32 Module will be transmitting real time data from the soil moisture to the internet of things after every 15-30 seconds for a good visualization of the moisture present in the plant as a percentage and this can be observed remotely on a mobile device.[[https://thingspeak.com/pages/commercial_learn_more|ThingSpeak]] 
  
 ==== 2.5 Connections Overview of Hardware ==== ==== 2.5 Connections Overview of Hardware ====
  
 {{:amc2021:groupd:overview_plant_system.jpg?400|}} {{:amc2021:groupd:overview_plant_system.jpg?400|}}
-Fig4: Shows the Hardware connections, The components used in the diagram are for illustration.+Fig.5: Shows the Hardware connections of the experiment.
  
 The above diagram was produced in fritzing and shows how the soil moisture sensor, the 5V water pump and the ESP32 Module, are connected and to which pins.  The above diagram was produced in fritzing and shows how the soil moisture sensor, the 5V water pump and the ESP32 Module, are connected and to which pins. 
 The capacitive soil moisture sensor consist of three pins, the GND, VCC and the Analogue pin. The Ground and VCC are connected to the ground and 5V of the ESP32 module respectively via the breadboard. The third pin of the sensor is connected to GPIO 39 of the microcontroller. The pump consist of two pins where one leg is connected to 5V of the microcontroller and the other leg is connected to the collector of the transistor . The base pin of the transistor is connected to GPIO32 of the microcontroller, where the pin mode is set to output.  The capacitive soil moisture sensor consist of three pins, the GND, VCC and the Analogue pin. The Ground and VCC are connected to the ground and 5V of the ESP32 module respectively via the breadboard. The third pin of the sensor is connected to GPIO 39 of the microcontroller. The pump consist of two pins where one leg is connected to 5V of the microcontroller and the other leg is connected to the collector of the transistor . The base pin of the transistor is connected to GPIO32 of the microcontroller, where the pin mode is set to output. 
  
-The Overview of the experiment set up can further be supported by by the following schematic show below +The Overview of the experiment set up can further be supported by by the following schematic generated in fritzing shown below:
  
 {{:amc2021:groupd:schematic.jpg?400|}} {{:amc2021:groupd:schematic.jpg?400|}}
-Fig5: Schematic between the ESP32 & Module parts. +Fig.6: Schematic between the ESP32 & Module parts. 
  
 ===== 3.Results ===== ===== 3.Results =====
  
-This section exhibits the final code which drives the whole soil moisture monitoring system after dry running the individual module codes for a better understanding. +This section exhibits the final code which drives the whole soil moisture monitoring system after dry running the individual module codes for a better understanding. 
 + 
 ==== 3.1 Code ==== ==== 3.1 Code ====
  
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 {{:amc2021:groupd:img-2435.jpg?400|}} {{:amc2021:groupd:img-2435.jpg?400|}}
-Fig.6 Shows a graph from ThingSpeak streaming channel+Fig.7: Shows a graph from ThingSpeak streaming channel
  
  
-Fig.6 Was obtained from a mobile phone view and it shows a better visual presentation than the graph in Fig.6. It shows soil moisture percentages taken between 16:02 and 16:27 with a 5 min interval within the specified time period. The moisture percentage was quite high with an average value of 80%.The starting value was already high meaning that point of measurement was already wet but this was not the case for every point of the soil. As a result the fluctuations shown are caused by shifts in the moisture sensor about various points of the plant for testing  purposes in order to achieve a uniform soil moisture percentage across the plant. There was a steep decrease of the moisture percentage from 80% to 52% after the moisture sensor was shifted to a different location within the plant. Within the 5 min interval from 16:07 t0 16:12, it can be observed that the moisture continued to decrease up to 21%. This triggered the pump pin to supply water, as the moisture percentage was below 40%. Furthermore after irrigation there is a steep increase in the soil the moisture percentage from 21% to 96% at that particular point of water application. After the water has infiltrated and percolated due to gravity, the graph shows the soil moisture percentage shifting back to its starting reading of about 80%. At this point the pump is off and real time monitoring of the soil moisture continues and maintained until any physical parameters come into play.+Fig.7 reveals soil moisture percentages taken between 16:02 and 16:27 with a 5 min interval within the specified time period. The moisture percentage was quite high with an average value of 80%.The starting value was already high meaning the point of measurement was already wet but this was not the case for every point of measurement of the moisture. As a result the fluctuations shown were caused by shifts in the position of the moisture sensor about various points of the plant for testing  purposes in order to achieve a uniform soil moisture percentage across the plant. There was a steep decrease of the moisture percentage from 80% to 52% after the moisture sensor was shifted to a different location within the plant. Within the 5 min interval from 16:07 t0 16:12, it can be observed that the moisture continued to decrease up to 21%. This triggered the pump pin to supply water, as the moisture percentage was below 40%. Furthermore after irrigation there is a steep increase in the soil the moisture percentage from 21% to 96% at that particular point of water application. After the water has infiltrated and percolated due to gravity, the graph shows the soil moisture percentage shifting back to its starting reading of about 80%. At this point the pump is off and real time monitoring of the soil moisture continues and maintained until any physical parameters come into play.
  
                                                                                  
                                                                                  
 {{:amc2021:groupd:img-2400.jpg?400|}} {{:amc2021:groupd:img-2400.jpg?400|}}
-Fig.7 above shows a View obtained from a mobile phone. +Fig.8 above shows a View obtained from a mobile phone. 
  
 The above figure shows earlier moisture percentage of the point of measurement   before fig.6 was obtained. Between the time intervals 14:45 and 15:10 the moisture percentage had a constant run between the values of the 69% to 71%. This indicates by the time the graph in figure 6 was obtained the overall moisture percentages of the soil on the point of measurement had increased from 70% to 80% giving a 10% increase in the moisture content with a space of 120 minutes.  The above figure shows earlier moisture percentage of the point of measurement   before fig.6 was obtained. Between the time intervals 14:45 and 15:10 the moisture percentage had a constant run between the values of the 69% to 71%. This indicates by the time the graph in figure 6 was obtained the overall moisture percentages of the soil on the point of measurement had increased from 70% to 80% giving a 10% increase in the moisture content with a space of 120 minutes. 
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 From the results it is clear that the soil surroundings of a plant can differ in the soil moisture content of that particular point of measurement. As a result a single plant can have various moisture levels across its surrounding soil profile. This can be a a result of different physical factors of the surroundings of that particular plant and what it is generally exposed to. In particular to the plant under investigation factors such as temperature and soil characteristics were in play. The plant was subjected to indoor temperatures ranging from 21 degrees Celsius and 25 degrees Celsius which resulted in less soil moisture evaporation in other parts of the plant as compared to the plant being exposed to direct solar radiation, hence maintaining a high soil moisture content on the point of measurement. This can not be the case for every point of measurement although it is subjected to the same environmental parameters and conditions.  From the results it is clear that the soil surroundings of a plant can differ in the soil moisture content of that particular point of measurement. As a result a single plant can have various moisture levels across its surrounding soil profile. This can be a a result of different physical factors of the surroundings of that particular plant and what it is generally exposed to. In particular to the plant under investigation factors such as temperature and soil characteristics were in play. The plant was subjected to indoor temperatures ranging from 21 degrees Celsius and 25 degrees Celsius which resulted in less soil moisture evaporation in other parts of the plant as compared to the plant being exposed to direct solar radiation, hence maintaining a high soil moisture content on the point of measurement. This can not be the case for every point of measurement although it is subjected to the same environmental parameters and conditions. 
-To conclude, the main aim of the investigation was achieved ceteris paribus, but it revealed more parameters to take into account when measuring the soil moisture content of a given environment. We can take into account the location of the plant, the soil characteristics and the type of weather conditions subjected to the plant . It was quite challenging to maintain the moisture levels at optimum soil moisture levels between 41% to 60 %, as a result the plant maintained its moisture level at approximately 80% which can put the plant under stress, which can cut the air supply to roots and to microorganisms resulting in roots rotting and leading to plant disease. It is important to take into account the amount of water being supplied to the plant to maintain a healthy living plant.    +To conclude, the main aim of the investigation was not achieved ceteris paribus, the monitoring revealed more parameters to take into account when measuring the soil moisture content of a given environment. We can take into account the location of the plant, the soil characteristics and the type of weather conditions subjected to the plant . It was quite challenging to maintain the moisture levels at optimum soil moisture levels between 41% to 60 %, as a result the plant maintained its moisture level at approximately 80% which can put the plant under stress, which can cut the air supply to roots and to microorganisms resulting in roots rotting and leading to plant disease. It is important to take into account the amount of water being supplied to the plant to maintain a healthy living plant.    
  
-==== Video Presentation ====+==== 5. Video Presentation ====
  
 +{{ :amc2021:groupd:vid-20210906-wa0006.mp4 |}}
  
  
  
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