AUTOMATED GREENHOUSE JON RIGBY AND CHAD HAGER OVERVIEW

AUTOMATED GREENHOUSE JON RIGBY AND CHAD HAGER

OVERVIEW • The Automated Greenhouse is an Arduino based self-sustaining, low maintenance, growing system designed to fit on a shelf. • This system is intended for people desiring to grow plants without the hassle of maintaining a garden. • It will feature internet connectivity, aeroponic watering, fertilizer control, light scheduling, and climate control.

INTENDED USERS • Organic fruits and vegetables have more than doubled in the last decade to a 30 billion dollar industry. • The Automated Greenhouse will grow small fruits, vegetables and designer plants such as orchids.

COMPARABLE ITEMS • No products combine countertop space efficiency, internet connectivity, climate control, and aeroponic growing into one easy to use system. • The system shown to the left fits well on a countertop but needs to be watered manually does not connect to the internet or control the climate. • Found a system similar to ours on Indiegogo but it failed.

AEROPONICS • Aeroponic is a method of growing plants without the use of soil as a growing medium. The plants are suspended in air and are misted with a water/fertilizer solution. • Aeroponic growing uses less water and fertilizer than soil. • Plants grow much faster with Aeroponic growing due to the high level of oxygen.

OVERALL SYSTEM • The Automated Greenhouse will have an Arduino as a microprocessor. • The Arduino will maintain the systems and alert the user if needed.

PROJECT REQUIREMENTS • The Automated Greenhouse will notify the user if it needs water or fertilizer • The system will measure the Electrical Conductivity (EC) of the solution • The system will measure the p. H of the solution • The system will mix the fertilizer to the required specification • The Automated Greenhouse will keep the internal temperature at a set temperature

PROJECT REQUIREMENTS • The system will turn the lights on and off at specific times • The system will create a web interface • The Automated Greenhouse will fit on a countertop • The system will run off 120 VAC • The Automated Greenhouse will be reliable

WILL NOTIFY THE USER FOR WATER AND FERTILIZER • The system will be able to measure the amount of liquid in the reservoirs for water and fertilizer. The measurement will be done with ultrasonic distance sensors which send out a small pulse of noise and wait for the response. • The level of the liquid will be viewable on the web interface and an LED will illuminate on the device when the level is less than 20 percent.

MEASURING ELECTRICAL CONDUCTIVITY • Measuring the EC of the solution will be done with an electrical conductivity probe and a circuit to convert it into a 0 -5 volt signal. • The EC can determine the amount of fertilizer present

MEASURING ELECTRICAL CONDUCTIVITY

MEASURING PH • Measuring the p. H of the solution will be done with a p. H probe and a circuit.

MEASURING PH

MEASURING PH -1 V at probe

MIX FERTILIZER • The system will mix the fertilizer based on the user defined levels. • The system will use the EC and p. H of the solution to determine the amount of each liquid to add. • The solution will keep a constant height of the solution.

CLIMATE CONTROLLED • The system will have a Pelletier cooling chip to maintain the temperature of the inside of the greenhouse. • The system can change the temperature of the environment by changing the polarity of the voltage applied to it.

LIGHTING CONTROLLED • The light system will be built from 3 watt LED bulbs. • The LED lights are efficient and do not produce much heat. • Different lighting schedules based on plant type.

INTERNET CONNECTIVITY • The sytem will connect to the internet over a 2. 4 Ghz wifi chip. • The Automated Greenhouse will broadcast a WIFI signal

GRAPHICAL INTERFACE • The system will publish its own web server for the user to connect to. Refill indicator lights off

GRAPHICAL INTERFACE • The system will publish its own web server for the user to connect to. Refill indicator lights on

COUNTERTOP SIZE • The Automated Greenhouse will be 24 inches long, 12 inches deep, and 18 inches tall. • It will take up 3 cubic feet, roughly the size of a large microwave. • It will be visually appealing for kitchens and visible areas.

COUNTERTOP WEIGHT • The entire system will weigh approximately 10 pounds without liquids. • There are 1. 5 gallons of liquid total which will add 12. 51 pounds. • The entire functional weight will be 25 pounds.

POWER • The Automated Greenhouse will be able to be plugged into a 3 prong U. S. standard wall outlet. • It will internally convert all the power to DC for the Arduino and electronics. • The system will use a computer power supply to provide the power. • The system will use a Ground Current Leakage detector on the input of the system for safety.

POWER • Assuming max power use scenarios • Will have power saving mode to turn off non essential items

RELIABLE • The Automated Greenhouse needs to be reliable. • There needs to be little to no maintenance. • Every system will have error checking and redundancy. • The reservoirs will have multiple sensors to avoid flooding.

COST

TEST • • • Component: p. H Probe p. H Control Routine EC Probe GUI: Menu Display Parameters User Inputs Web Publishing/Viewing EC Control Routine System: Environmental Control System Reservoir Correction Routine User Interface Lighting Control System Temperature Control System Water Level Control System Low Level Indicator LED’s

TEST • Electrical Conductivity meter • Calibrate the EC meter vs an accurate EC meter. Measure various liquids to see if they both give the same reading. • p. H meter • Calibrate the p. H meter vs an accurate p. H meter. Measure various liquids to see if they both give the same reading. • Temperature meter • Calibrate the Temperature meter vs an accurate Thermometer. Measure various room temperatures.

TEST • Reservoir Control Algorithm • Set the reservoir p. H, fertilizer, and height levels and see if the system holds them constant. Adjust algorithm as necessary. • Lighting Algorithm • Make sure the lights turn on and off at defined intervals. • Web Interface • Access the web interface from various devices and operating systems to make sure it properly displays on all.

TEST • Overall System • Set the system up to run an entire plant life cycle without intervention. Check to make sure it is running properly and the physical structure does not crack.

RISKS • • Connecting to the internet through various routers and internet providers. • The system needs to connect to different types of password protection WEP, WPA, ETC. • The system needs to have a reliable connection. The plant does not live • • We miscalculated what it takes to keep a plant alive and the project fails. People stop caring about organic eating • We are assuming the demand for organic eating continues to go up.

1 Electrical Conductivity not accurate Imperative for proper functionality of the system If it does not work, we will have to purchase a commercial EC which will cost over 150 dollars. Probability RISK 0 Potential Degradation Performance Cost Schedule Consequence Sys Reqt not Achieved x Increase >10% Element Increase x Element Increase > 50% x x System Increase > 40%

1 Code not being reliable The code gets stuck or does not perform the intended actions. Troubleshooting the code will take time to perfect. Probability RISK x 0 Potential Degradation Performance Cost Increase >10% Element Increase Schedule Consequence Sys Reqt not Achieved x x Element Increase > 50% System Increase > 40% x

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