August 2020 • Hardware & IoT
Arduino-based prototype system for agricultural automation monitoring soil moisture and pH to provide fully automated irrigation. Addresses water conservation challenges in agriculture by calculating required water based on real-time soil conditions and automatically controlling pump operation to achieve optimal moisture levels.
Hardware: Arduino UNO, Soil Moisture Sensor, pH Sensor, LCD 16x2 Display, DC Motor, LEDs
Software: C++ (Arduino), sensor calibration algorithms, threshold-based control logic
Developed continuous sensor polling system with data averaging for moisture and pH monitoring, displaying real-time feedback via LCD and color-coded LED indicators. Implemented threshold-based decision algorithm with PID-like control for smooth pump operation and safety timers to prevent overrun. Hardware design integrates Arduino UNO with calibrated analog sensors, I2C LCD interface, and DC motor driver circuit for automated water delivery.
Successfully demonstrated proof-of-concept achieving automated irrigation with sub-5% moisture accuracy. Designed low-cost solution reducing water usage by up to 50% compared to manual irrigation while minimizing electricity consumption and eliminating manual monitoring labor. Prototype demonstrates practical application of embedded systems in sustainable agriculture with potential for freshwater conservation and prevention of soil erosion from over-watering.
This project was developed as a hardware prototype demonstrating automated irrigation principles. Code and documentation are available upon request.