AGRICULTURAL AUTOMATED PLANT WATERING SYSTEM

ABSTRACT

Irrigation systems, however, are inefficient. About half of all

irrigation water is wasted due to runoff, wind, and evaporation. That’s
because most irrigation systems rely on simple timers and controllers
for scheduling. A much more efficient approach is to use water only
when needed and apply exactly the right amount.

This present project will be helpful to maintain the plants and the
fields to maintain water supply using Adjustable timer, Heat based
Switching along with sensors. After sensing the status of moisture the
signal is send to Schmitt trigger then adjustable timer to set the time
interval together with LDR sensing and temperature switching

DC POWER MOISTURE SCHMITT

SUPPLY SENSOR TRIGGER

5V (7805) (LM358) (555)

LDR MODULE LOGIC GATES ADJUSTABLE

TIMER

SUBMERSIBBLE SPDT RELAY LED INDICATION

PUMP

Dc power supply
 In this mini-project, I have shown how to make 5 volt DC supply using
7805 voltage regulator. You can use this 5V DC power supply to supply
different electronics projects.

5V Power Supply Circuit Diagram

The circuit is very simple. To make this 5V DC power supply I have used
a 7805 linear voltage regulator.

Required Components:

1. 7805 voltage regulator (5V)

2. 0.1uF Capacitors (2nos)
3. 470uF Capacitor (1 no)
4. Diode 1N4007 (4nos)
5. Step Down Transformer [230/110V – 9V]
6. Connector
7. Connecting wires
8. Zero PCB
How does the 5V Power Supply work?

First, we are using a step-down transformer [Secondary rating 9Volt & 1

Amp] to step down 230V/ 110V AC supply to 9-Volt AC. Then we rectify
the 9V AC to 9 V DC using a diode bridge rectifier [Full wave rectifier].
After the rectifier, we have used Capacitors to filter the ripple from the
circuit and fed it to the input of the 7805 voltage regulator. 7805
regulates the 9 volt DC to 5 Volt DC and at the output of 7805 ic, we get
constant 5 Volt DC output.

Scmitt Trigger circuit using NE 555

Description.
Apart from the timing functions ,the two comparators of the 555 timer
can be used independently for other applications.One example is a
Schmitt Trigger shown here. The two comparator inputs (pin 2 & 6) are
tied together and biased at 1/2 Vcc through a voltage divider R1 and
R2.Since the threshold comparator wil trip at 2/3 Vcc and the trigger
comparator will trip at 1/3Vcc,the bias provided by the resistors R1 & R2
are centered within the comparators trip limits.

By modifying the input time constant on the circuit,reducing the value of

input capacitor (C1) to 0.001 uF so that the input pulse get
differentiated,the arrangement can also be used either as a bistable
device or to invert pulse wave forms.In the later case ,the fast time
combination of C1 with R1 & R2 causes only the edges of the input pulse
or rectangular waveform to be passed.These pulses set and reset the
flip-flop and a high level inverted output is the result.

Circuit diagram with Parts list.

Notes.
 Assemble the circuit on a good quality PCB or common board.

 The circuit can be powered from a 9V battery or 9V DC power supply.

 The IC NE555 could be mounted on holder.
5 55 T I ME R E L E C T R O N I C C I R C U I T SN E 5 55 T I M E R
LEDs are arguably essentially the most energy-efficient light source
offered. Case in point, LEDs have developed upwards of 80 % energy
savings within the traffic signal business. Having said that, within this
application, the LEDs had two all-natural advantages: LEDs are
monochromatic, so virtually all the light generated is utilised. In contrast,
the white light generated by an incandescent bulb requires to transmit
via a colored filter. Light outdoors of your frequency on the colored lens
is wasted.
LEDs are directional, so almost all the light generated was emitted
towards the lens. In contrast, light from an incandescent bulb needed to
be reflected toward the lens, resulting in loss of efficiency. Commercial
and residential lighting applications stand to get similar, if not more,
energy-savings by converting to LEDs. But, most applications are not as
straight-forward as stuffing a Pc board with a bunch of directional red,
amber or green LEDs. LED light fixtures and retrofit packages need to be
created to distribute the directional light generated by the LED more than
wide areas. Additionally, white LED technology, though continuously
enhancing, does not yet have the optical colour and brightness that
shoppers have grow to be accustomed to with incandescent lights. On
the other hand, the energy savings might be important, for instance, in
California the energy commission has adopted efficiency requirements
for residential and commercial buildings. These requirements, Title 24,
have accelerated improvement of LED illumination technologies.

The soil moisture sensor is the first thing that springs to mind when it
comes to building your smart irrigation system or automatic plant
watering system. With this sensor in place and a little Arduino support,
we can design a system that can water your plants when it's needed,
avoiding overwatering and underwatering.

In this article, we are going to interface the soil moisture sensor with an
arduino and measure the volumetric concentration of water inside the
soil. This sensor is designed in a way that it can output data in both
digital and analog modes. We will read this data and display the output
status with an LED for digital output and we will use the serial monitor or
an LED with PWM for analog output. So without further ado let's get right
into it.

Soil Moisture Sensor Pinout

The Soil moisture sensor has four pins VCC, GND, Aout, Dout. These four
pins can be used to get the soil moisture data from the sensor,
The pinout of the Soil Moisture Sensor are as follows:
VCC is the power supply pin of the soil moisture sensor that can be
connected to 3.3V or 5V of the supply. But do note that the analog
output will vary depending upon the provided supply voltage.

GND is the ground pin of the board and it should be connected to the
ground pin of the Arduino

DOUT is the Digital output pin of the board, output low indicates soil
moisture is appropriate, and high indicates soil moisture is low.

AOUT is the Analog output pin of the board that will give us an analog
signal in between vcc and ground.

How does a Soil Moisture Sensor Works

The working of the soil moisture sensor is pretty simple and
straightforward, as you can see in the image below. We just need to
stick the fork-shaped conductive probe to the soil, as the probe has two
exposed conductive plates that will act as a variable resistor whose
resistance will vary depending on the water content in the soil.

This resistance of the probe is inversely proportional to the soil moisture

of the device. The more water in the soil the better the conductivity
which will result in lower resistance. The less the water in the soil the
poor the conductivity which means higher resistance. This sensor
produces an output voltage according to the resistance by measuring
which we can determine the moisture level.
The above GIF animation of Soil Moisture sensor shows how the analog
output of the sensor changes based on the water level in the soil. As you
can see, the voltage drops from 5V to 0V when water is added to the soil.
You can also see that the signal LED on the board turns on when water
is added to the soil. We have not shown how the digital pin works in the
above GIF to keep things simple. When water is added to soil the digital
pin moves from low (0V) to high (5V) with the help of on board
comparator op-amp, you can control the sensitivity of this digital pin
using the potentiometer (blue) on the module.

Soil Moisture Sensor - Parts

The entire soil moisture sensor consists of two parts: the first one is the
soil moisture sensor probe and the second one is an electronic module.
The module processes the incoming data from the probe and that gets
processed by a microcontroller like Arduino and we get the final output.

The Soil Moisture Sensor Probe:

As we have said earlier, the sensor contains a fork-shaped probe with

two big exposed conductive pads. The probe acts like a variable
potentiometer, the value of which can be read by a microcontroller like
Arduino.
The Soil Moisture Sensor Module:

The soil moisture sensor module is there to convert the incoming analog
signal to digital signal; this is designed in such a way that the sensor can
be used without microcontroller support. The module consists of two
signal input pins where the probe gets connected. It also has four other
pins two of which are VCC and GND. The other two are Digital Output
and Analog Output pins.

This module also consists of a High Precision Comparator, LM393 that

is used to digitize the analog signal coming out of the sensor probe. The
module has a built-in potentiometer that is used for sensitivity
adjustment of the digital output. The main objective of the potentiometer
is to set a threshold, so that when the moisture level exceeds the
threshold value, the module will output LOW otherwise HIGH. This
feature of the module can come in very handy because when a certain
threshold is reached, you can trigger a relay that can start pumping
water.
Sensors should be placed at several different depths and locations in the
field. Typically, sensors are placed in pairs at one-third and two-thirds
the depth of the crop root zone and at two or more locations in the field,
preferably away from high points, depressions and slopes.

Commonly Asked Questions about Soil Moisture Sensor Module

Where should soil moisture sensors be placed?

Sensors should be placed at several different depths and locations in

the field. Typically, sensors are placed in pairs at one-third and two-
thirds the depth of the crop root zone and at two or more locations in the
field, preferably away from high points, depressions and slopes.

How much area can a soil moisture sensor cover?

It depends on the sensor. A satellite-based passive microwave sensor

will cover a very wide area of ground, while cheap Chinese hobby
sensors can cover only 20-30 cm of land.

Why should soil moisture be continuously monitored?

Soil moisture monitoring can help growers efficiently use and apply
water and nutrients. All soil moisture instruments provide data that help
a grower make good decisions about how much water to apply and
when to apply it.

Which soil moisture sensor is best? What are the other options?

The soil moisture sensor discussed here is mostly used for hobby
applications. If you are looking for a professional application, the top five
best soil moisture sensors are given below:

1. Sonkir MS02 Soil pH Meter – Best Overall. ...

2. VIVOSUN 3-in-1 Plant Moisture Meter – Best Value. ...
3. Gain Express Soil pH & Moisture Meter – Premium Choice. ...
4. XLUX T10 Soil Moisture Sensor Meter
5. Generic Soil Moisture Sensor

Circuit Diagram for Soil Moisture Sensor Module

The schematic diagram for the soil moisture sensor module is shown
below. The schematic itself is very simple and needs a handful of
generic components to build. If you don't have a prebuilt module on hand
but still want to test your project, the schematic below will come in
handy.
In the schematic, we have a LM393 op-amp which is a low-power low
offset voltage op-amp that can be powered from a 3.3V or 5V supply.
Please note that the analog output voltage of the device will depend on
the input voltage. The main job for this op-amp is to convert the
incoming analog signal from the sensor probe to digital signal. There is
also this 10K potentiometer that is used to set a reference voltage for
the op-amp, the input voltage of the sensor goes below the threshold
voltage set by the potentiometer, the output of the op-map goes low.
Other than that we have two LEDs. The first one is a power LED and the
other one is the trigger LED. The power LED turns on when power is
applied to the board and the trigger LED turns on when a certain set
threshold is reached. This is how this basic circuit works.
 Relay Driver

Transistor Relay Driver Circuit

One of the serious problems in relay operated circuits is the relay clicking or chattering during the on/off of
the relay driver transistor. This problem is severe if the input circuit is a light/temperature sensor. During
the transition of light/temperature levels, the relay clicks which may cause sparking of contacts. By using a
simple tip, this problem can be avoided.

Below is the circuit of a relay driver using the NPN transistor BC 548. The relay is connected between the
positive rail and the collector of the transistor. When the input signal passes through the I K resistor to the
base of the transistor, it conducts and pulls the relay. By adding a 470 uF electrolytic capacitor at the base
of the relay driver transistor, a short lag can be induced so that the transistor switches on only if the input
signal is persisting. Again,even if the input signal ceases, the transistor remains conducting till the
capacitor discharges completely. This avoids relay clicking and the offers clean switching of the relay.

Relay Switch Circuit

Relays are electromechanical devices that use an electromagnet to operate a pair of movable contacts
from an open position to a closed position.

The advantage of relays is that it takes a relatively small amount of power to operate the
relay coil. However a relay switch circuit can be used to control motors, heaters, lamps or AC
circuits which themselves can draw a lot more electrical voltage, current and therefore
power.
The electro-mechanical relay is an output device (actuator) which come in a whole host of
shapes, sizes and designs, and have many uses and applications in electronic circuits. But
while electrical relays can be used to allow low power electronic or computer type circuits to
switch relatively high currents or voltages both “ON” or “OFF”, some form of relay switch
circuit is required to control it.
The design and types of relay switching circuits is huge, but many small electronic projects
use transistors and MOSFETs as their main switching device as the transistor can provide
fast DC switching (ON-OFF) control of the relay coil from a variety of input sources so here is
a small collection of some of the more common ways of switching relays.

NPN Relay Switch Circuit

A typical relay switch circuit has the coil driven by a NPN transistor switch, TR1 as shown
depending on the input voltage level. When the Base voltage of the transistor is zero (or
negative), the transistor is cut-off and acts as an open switch. In this condition no Collector
current flows and the relay coil is de-energised because being current devices, if no current
flows into the Base, then no current will flow through the relay coil.
If a large enough positive current is now driven into the Base to saturate the NPN transistor,
the current flowing from Base to Emitter (B to E) controls the larger relay coil current flowing
through the transistor from the Collector to Emitter.
For most bipolar switching transistors, the amount of relay coil current flowing into the
Collector would be somewhere between 50 to 800 times that of the required Base current to
drive the transistor into saturation. The current gain, or beta value ( β ) of the general
purpose BC109 shown is typically about 290 at 2mA (Datasheet).
NPN Relay Switch Circuit

Note that the relay coil is not only an electromagnet but it is also an inductor. When power is
applied to the coil due to the switching action of the transistor, a maximum current will flow
as a result of the DC resistance of the coil as defined by Ohms Law, (I = V/R). Some of this
electrical energy is stored within the relay coil’s magnetic field.
When the transistor switches “OFF”, the current flowing through the relay coil decreases and
the magnetic field collapses. However the stored energy within the magnetic field has to go
some where and a reverse voltage is developed across the coil as it tries to maintain the
current in the relay coil. This action produces a high voltage spike across the relays coil that
can damage the switching NPN transistor if allowed to build up.
So in order to prevent damage to the semiconductor transistor, a “flywheel diode”, also
known as a freewheeling diode, is connected across the relay coil. This flywheel diode
clamps the reverse voltage across the coil to about 0.7V dissipating the stored energy and
protecting the switching transistor. Flywheel diodes are only applicable when the supply is a
polarized DC voltage. An AC coil requires a different protection method, and for this an RC
snubber circuit is used.

NPN Darlington Relay Switch Circuit

The previous NPN transistor relay switch circuit is ideal for switching small loads such as
LED’s and miniature relays. But sometimes it is required to switch larger relay coils or
currents beyond the range of a BC109 general purpose transistor and this can be achieved
using Darlington Transistors.
The sensitivity and current gain of a relay switch circuit can be greatly increased by using a
Darlington pair of transistors in place of a single switching transistor. Darlington Transistor
pairs can be made from two individually connected Bipolar Transistors as shown or available
as one single device with standard: Base, Emitter and Collector connecting leads.
The two NPN transistors are connected as shown so that the Collector current of the first
transistor, TR1 becomes the Base current of the second transistor TR2. The application of a
positive base current to TR1 automatically turns “ON” the switching transistor, TR2.

NPN Darlington Configuration

If two individual transistors are configured as a Darlington switching pair, then a small value
resistor (100 to 1,000Ω’s) is usually placed between the Base and Emitter of the main
switching transistor, TR2 to ensure that it turns fully OFF. Again a flywheel diode is used to
protect TR2 from the back emf generated when the relay coil is de-energised.

Emitter Follower Relay Switch Circuit

As well as the standard Common Emitter configuration for a relay switch circuit, the relay
coil can also be connected to the Emitter terminal of the transistor to form an Emitter
Follower circuit. The input signal is connected directly to the Base, while the output is taken
from the Emitter load as shown.

Emitter Follower Relay Switch Circuit

The Common Collector, or Emitter Follower configuration is very useful for impedance
matching applications because of the very high input impedance, in the region of hundreds
of thousands of Ohms while having a relatively low output impedance to switch the relays
coil. As with the previous NPN relay switch circuit, switching occurs by applying a positive
current to the base of the transistor.
Emitter Darlington Relay Switch Circuit
This is the Darlington transistor version of the previous Emitter Follower circuit. A very small
positive Base current applied to TR1 causes a much greater Collector current to flow
through TR2 due to the multiplication of the two Beta values.

Emitter Darlington Configuration

The Common Emitter Darlington relay switch circuit is useful to provide current gain and
power gain with the voltage gain approximately equal to unity. Another important
characteristic of this type of Emitter Follower circuit is that it has a high input impedance
and a low output impedance, which make it ideal for impedance matching to large relay coils.

PNP Relay Switch Circuit

As well as switching relay coils and other such loads with NPN Bipolar Transistors, we can
also switch them using PNP Bipolar Transistors. The PNP relay switch circuit is no different
to the NPN relay switching circuit in terms of its ability to control the relays coil. However, it
does require different polarities of operating voltages. For example, the Collector-Emitter
voltage, Vce , must be negative for the PNP type to cause current flow from the Emitter to
the Collector.

PNP Transistor Configuration

The PNP transistor circuit works in opposite to the NPN relay switching circuit. Load current
flows from the Emitter to the Collector when the Base is forward biased with a voltage that
is more negative than that at the Emitter. For the relays load current to flow through the
Emitter to the Collector, both the Base and the Collector must be negative in respect to the
Emitter.
In other words, when Vin is HIGH the PNP transistor is switched “OFF” and so too is the relay
coil. When Vin is LOW, the Base voltage is less than the Emitter voltage, (more negative) and
the PNP transistor turns “ON”. The Base resistor value sets the Base current, which sets the
Collector current that drives the relay coil.
PNP transistor switches can be used when the switching signal is the reverse for an NPN
transistor, for example the output of a CMOS NAND gate or other such logic device. A CMOS
logic output has the drive strength at logic 0 to sink sufficient current to turn the PNP
transistor “ON”. Then current sinks can be turned into current sources by using PNP
transistors and a power supply of opposite polarity.

PNP Collector Relay Switch Circuit

The operation of this circuit is the same as the previous relay switching circuit. In this relay
switch circuit, the relay load has been connected to the PNP transistors Collector. The ON-
OFF switching action of the transistor and coil occurs when Vin is LOW, transistor “ON” and
when Vin is HIGH, transistor “OFF”.
Five stage Water level Indicator

A Simple Water
level indicator circuit indicating 5 stage water levels in the tank. LED1 glows when the water tank
is empty. LED 5 glows when the tank is full. LED 2 indicated 40%, LED 3 indicates 60% and LED 4
indicates 80% water in the tank. LEDs glows one by one when the water tank fills and turns off
one by one when the water level drops.
The Common probe (Com) gives 12 volt DC to water. It should be fixed at the bottom of tank
using a pin. Fix Probes C1 to C5 at different heights using pins. Probe 5 should be just below the
upper end of tank to indicate Full level. When the water shorts each probe and Com probe,
current flows to the base of corresponding transistor and it conducts. LED glows one by one
indicating the water level in the tank. Use thin wires to connect probes with the points marked as
Com, C1,C2,C3,C4 and C5 . Probes can be paper pins. For easy fixing, use a straw and pin the
probes at the required heights. Fix the straw inside the tank.