As a belated Devember, I thought I’d get working on the code for a hydroponics controller system.
The system is split into two parts:
Sensor and actuator board
This is an Arduino based board used to control sensor inputs, transmit three days back to a controller and control actuators around the growing bed.
Central controller
Most likely a pi based computer system to read, collate, store and react based on data from the sensor boards.
Github link:
Day 1
created Github page
Find and upload the CAD files I have on the slave board
Day 2
Began work on the Slave unit code. Added reference image for the ATMEGA 1284p chip.
This sounds like a fun project. This community only exists because we all love creating things.
Have fun!
@Eddie00773 keep posting.
I am generally curious as to what your doing. It is good content.
I am into container gardening but haven’t messed with hydroponics due to space.
Edited to protect the innocent
Have you seen some of these grow systems? They are amazing.
Maybe there are ideas to be appropriated here:
https://www.growtronix.com/cart/
Intel had these crazy edison-based greenhouse demos even with soil PH meters. I am interested in this project to automate caring for bonsai 
@Just_Lurking My project started from a desire to design a system that would optimise the growing rate/space ratio. So maybe there will be something there you might find interesting.
@NetBandit I hadn’t actually seen their products before. They seem to try and control similar features to me. However where they seem to daisy chain individual modules, each sensing/controlling a single thing. My design divides each growing bed, with its own controller. All being managed by a central unit.
@wendell yeah, I found them. But I can’t say I like the IOT ‘feel’ of it. I hope to bring my industrial automation experience into making a more industrial solution which is far easier to expand. I just wish I knew which PH sensors they used. I couldn’t find any that gave a readable output (no LCD display) which I could hoop into my system that weren’t crazily expensive.
Although, I’d be quite interested to hear what you would look for in caring for a bonsai tree, it would be interesting to see if there is much difference to other growing situations.
I will update the README with a bit more detail on how the system is intended to work.
Allen Bradley MicroLogix controllers can be had on the cheap off eBay as another option.
I’ve never actually used the Allen Bradley stuff. I’ve mostly stuck to the Seimens or FESTO PLCs personally.
I might have a look into them, but for this project I’m designing custom boards.
But thanks for the suggestion, will probably get one to play with.
Day 3
I’ve added a more detailed description to the project README.
Added the light sensor code, but I still need to link that to the RGB output, maybe using a PID loop, so the lights automatically tune themselves to the colour set by the user.
Added a bit more of the framework to the code.
I’ve not disappeared
But I’m without a laptop or desktop for maybe up to several weeks so there’s no way for me to continue at the minute.
As soon as I do have a way to continue,I plan to carry on from the day I left.