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floraLynk mini v1.0 delivers a practical and easy way to measure air and soil properties simultaneously

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floraLynk mini v1.0 open source hardware device for controlled environment agriculture floraLynk mini v1.0 is a solution to control the environment in a small greenhouse. The hardware and software can be used to control air temperature, humidity, light, soil moisture and electrical conductivity for optimal growing of plants. A unique feature is that the boards have built-in wifi connectivity so they can communicate with an app on your phone or tablet. floraLynk mini v1.0 is a fully open source, ESP32-based controller for the cultivation of plants. It has been specifically designed for both amateur and professional use in mind, with an aim to be as flexible as possible for many different applications. Specification Hardware ESP32 MCU floraLynk mini v1.0 Printed Circuit Board (PCB) Integrated sensors for measurement: Carbon dioxide (CO2) Light (lux) Air Temperature (T) Air Humidity (H) Air Pressure (P) Soil Temperature (ST) Soil Moisture (SM) Soil Electrical Conductivity (EC) Evaluatio...

floraLynk Enclosure v1.0 FreeCAD project for floraLynk mini v1.0 has been uploaded to Wikifactory

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Check out our floraLynk Enclosure v1.0 FreeCAD project on Wickifactory at: https://wikifactory.com/+floralynk/floralynk-enclosure-v10

Controlled environment agriculture

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Agriculture has changed drastically over the past years. More people are moving to urban areas, and there is a decrease in available farmland. On top of this, it’s estimated that by 2050 the population will reach 9 billion people worldwide (up from 7 billion in 2018), which means an increased demand for food. With this rise in demand, agriculture companies are looking towards new ways to grow food. One of these ways includes growing crops indoors in greenhouses rather than outside in fields. This process is called greenhouse farming or vertical farming because crops are grown vertically along shelves or walls instead of lying flat and is considered an excellent example of controlled environment agriculture. Controlled-environment agriculture is a technology that allows farmers to grow crops in a way that’s more efficient, environmentally friendly and much cheaper than traditional outdoor agriculture. The technology can be used to grow a variety of plants, from herbs and leafy greens to...

MQ-135 Gas Sensor

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Carbon dioxide (CO2) is measured with MQ-135 gas sensor. MQ series of gas sensors utilize a small heater inside with an electrochemical sensor. These sensors are sensitive to a range of gasses witch are used at room temperature. MQ-135 is a basic digital/analog, low-cost gas sensor. The module have two output : analog and digital signals, microcontroller/ Arduino can read the sensor output signal and proceed with the data further. The main features are: Good sensitivity of harmful gases with wide range of concentration Long service life, low cost, simple driving circuit. High sensibility over ammonia gas, sulfide, benzene series vapor, also ideal for smoke and other harmful substance detection. Household air pollution alarm ndustrial air pollution controlle Portable air pollution detector Characteristics Signal output: digital/analog Standard circuit: Loop voltage Vc ≤24V  DC Heater voltage: VH 5.0V±0.2V AC or DC Load resistance: Adjustable RL Features of sensitive c...

DHT11 Digital Humidity & Temperature Sensor

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Air temperature and numidity is measured with DHT11 sensor. The DHT11 Humidity and Temperature sensor is a basic, low-cost digital temperature and humidity sensor. The main features are: Full range temperature compensated Relative humidity and temperaturemeasurement Calibrated digital signal Outstanding long-term stability Extra components not needed Long transmission distance Low power consumption 4 pins packaged and fully interchangeable Characteristics Supply voltage: 3,3V ÷ 5V DC Temperature range: 0 ÷ +50 °C Temperature accuracy: ± 2 °C Humidity range: 20 ÷ 90% RH Humidity accuracy: ± 5% Additional information and support materials: Download data sheet This tutorial will show you how to use DHT11 with Arduino Humidity and temperature sensors are used in all kinds of different applications. To name a few; they are used to prevent mold, detect freezing pipes, monitor fermentation processes, assess growing conditions for crops and even track the health of livestock. All these tas...

BMP180 Air Pressure Sensor

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Air pressure is measured with BMP180 sensor. The BMP180 is fully calibrated and ready to use. Using I2C, the device provides pressure and temperature as 16bit values, which are used along with calibration data within the device are used to provide a temperature compensated altitude calculation. The main features are: Low power consumption - 0.5uA at 1Hz Communication interface: I²C Max I2C Speed: 3.5Mhz Very low noise - up to 0.02hPa (17cm) Full calibrated Characteristics Supply voltage: 1.8V ÷ 3.6V DC Pressure Range: 300hPa to 1100hPa (+9000m to -500m) Size: 21mm x 18mm . Weight: 1.18g Additional information and support materials: Download data sheet BMP180 Breakout on GitHub Determining the Pressure and Altitude Using GY-68 BMP180 and Arduino Air pressure measurement is the process of determining the air pressure, or more correctly, the air density at a point. Air pressure is a force exerted by the weight of air in the atmosphere. The amount of this force depends on the total mass of...

What is Vapor Pressure Deficit (VPD)?

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Vapor pressure deficit is another way of saying relative humidity. It means the amount of water vapor in the air compared to how much there would be if the air had 100% relative humidity, which is a total saturation of water vapor. The higher the vapor pressure deficit, the more likely it is that clouds will form and precipitation will occur. The pressure of the air that surrounds us is not constant. It changes depending on the weather, time of day, and even who you are with. Vapor Pressure Deficit is one of the tools that meteorologist use to predict weather. It describes how much the air feels hot and dry compared to the air around it. When temperatures are high, water molecules move faster and bounce off each other more often. Because of this, they have a harder time staying together as a liquid, so they turn into a gas. Vapor pressure deficit (VPD) is defined as the difference between the partial vapor pressure of water in air and the equilibrium vapor pressure of pure water at...

floraLynk mini v1.0 KiCad project has been uploaded to Wikifactory

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floraLynk has chosen Wikifactory.com to host its open source hardware projects and share them with the community. floraLynk mini v1.0 KiCad project has been uploaded to Wikifactory Go to project folder

What is Soil Electrical Conductivity (EC)?

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Electrical conductivity is one of the most widely used methods to measure soil salinity. The electrical conductivity (EC) is defined as the ability of a solution to carry an electric current under the action of an applied voltage. The EC depends on several factors, including temperature, pressure and concentration of ions in solution. It is often specified in terms of millimhos per cem (mmhos/cm or mS/cm) or microsiemens per centimetre (μS/cm). Soil Electrical Conductivity (EC) is a measure of the ability of a soil to conduct an electrical current. It is basically a measurement of the amount of ionized minerals in a soil. When a soil is highly charged with minerals, it will be a better conductor and have a higher EC value. A high electrical conductivity indicates that water can easily flow through the soil, it has good aeration and drainage. A low electrical conductivity indicates poor drainage and possibly air-filled pores, which make the soil more susceptible to flooding or compactio...

What is Dew Poin (DP)?

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Dew Point is how much moisture is in the air. The more moisture there is, the more humidity there is. Dew Point is the temperature at which air can no longer hold water in its vapor state; we say that it “condenses” back into a liquid. When dew forms, this means that the air has cooled down to the dew point. Once it has condensed, then you begin to see drops of water on an object. When the air temperature is below the dew point, water vapor will start to condense. This is why you see foggy windows when it is cold out. Condensation occurs on all surfaces that are colder than the air around them. Condensation can also occur in a liquid state when a liquid is placed into a vacuum chamber. Dew is what happens when the sun warms up the ground. And then at night it gets colder and water comes out of the ground. It’s like a cold bath for plants, but they can’t get out of it because they are stuck in the ground. The cold water makes them grow faster though!