Lesson 16

plan and document a final project that integrates the range of units covered:

what will it do?

This machine will autonomously feed and monitor one plant or a group of plants, so that it will give optimal growing return while minimizing water, electricity and plant feed. It will set up a water system, that will control the amount of water flowing to the system.

who's done what beforehand?

Made initial designs of machine and experimented with cut sheets for the encasing, looked into designing gears for opening and closing valve.

what materials and components will be required?

support structure

• 1. encasing : wood
• 2. plant holder
• 3. water container

plumbing

• 1. tubing
• 2. wiring
• 3. valve, gears and servo motor (connected to output board)

electronics

• 1. inputs : temperature, light and water level on each cube
• 2. output : servo to open and close one or two valves
• 3. main controller
• 4. bus communication

where will they come from?

I bought a valve at garden center for 3 euro and i will need to buy two servo’s and a small waterpump.

how much will it cost?

My quick and dirty estimate is that i will cost around 25 to 35 euro in parts without machine costs. The servo and the waterpump will be the most expensive parts of my machine.

what parts and systems will be made?

I will make the encasing with wood or hydrostone cast and mold, plant holder (3d printed), and water container (composites). pcb board will be made in fablab.

what processes will be used?

3d printing or laser cutting gears to open and close valve. Laser cut or CNC mill the wooden encasing or mold and cast a hydrostone encasing. Electronics design, production and programming of the temperature, light and water level board. 3d print plant holder and make a composite of the water container.

what tasks need to be completed?

I have worked on the project in the last few weeks and i have shown that all electronic components work individually, but i still have to put them together. I am still looking into if should choose for bus communication or apa board communication. I have made an initial sketch of my cut sheet for the encasing. and need to make a mold for my water container, a gear system, and design and 3d print an encasing to hold my plant upright.

what questions need to be answered?

• Can i open and close a valve with a servo?
• Do i need extra gears to make this work?
• How big should the encasing be to fit all the components?
• Should i use bus communication or apa communication?

what is the schedule?

i want to finish this project within these two weeks. The laser printer is broken, so it will hard to finish everything on time.

how will it be evaluated?

The first prototype would be a success if:

• the plants are automatically supplied with water
• the system logs temperature, light and water level for future analysis.
• the “plants” can talk to each other and ask for water (and later food).

In a later model, i am thinking of adding a lcd screen, connect it to internet and let the system check what the weather is going to be like and so it changes water usage according to these predictions. Other possible additions, would be to measure the acidity of the water, adding a plant food automatically, a light source, heat source and solar panels.