Get your Geek on and control your grow room with Arduino!

ilovereggae

Well-Known Member
This one really has my interest: https://www.home-assistant.io/integrations/miflora/
Haven't had to time to get and test. but it would be great for working with blumats. and keeping them dialed in
Those MiFlora look great too. I have an Adafruit soil temp/humidity sensor but it doesnt have BLE onboard so I never got around to using it yet.

Only question is the first Gearbest site says they are discontinued?
 

4ftRoots

Well-Known Member
Those MiFlora look great too. I have an Adafruit soil temp/humidity sensor but it doesnt have BLE onboard so I never got around to using it yet.

Only question is the first Gearbest site says they are discontinued?
I know. What a bummer. I found some on ebay and amazon. Little expensive though.

I'd love a BLE sensor to measure soil moisture...
 

spek9

Well-Known Member
I've moved to Wemos D1 Mini units for my production grow tents. I've also wired in several sensors that guard my house and property. Here's a collection of a few various sensors while I'm in transition:

env_and_sec.jpg

Again, that's a collection of various sensors only. It does not depict all of them.

My "breach" sensors alert me via text and email (with camera motion) when things move when they shouldn't. Also, I have a significant 120V alarm sound when my house is breached. Since I live on a lake, the alarm isn't something a B&E person wants to hear as they come within 15" of any window or entry point. If the audible doesn't bust ear drums, it'll send shock waves.
 

4ftRoots

Well-Known Member
I've moved to Wemos D1 Mini units for my production grow tents. I've also wired in several sensors that guard my house and property. Here's a collection of a few various sensors while I'm in transition:

View attachment 4579275

Again, that's a collection of various sensors only. It does not depict all of them.

My "breach" sensors alert me via text and email (with camera motion) when things move when they shouldn't. Also, I have a significant 120V alarm sound when my house is breached. Since I live on a lake, the alarm isn't something a B&E person wants to hear as they come within 15" of any window or entry point. If the audible doesn't bust ear drums, it'll send shock waves.
What software are you using? Very nice!
 

hot_box_enthusiast

Well-Known Member
(edited to add - I will re-read all of this thread now that I will be able to understand more of it - I realize some of my questions are covered here! thanks for your patience)

Would love a nudge in the right direction from some of the experts here. I am VERY new (2 days) to Arduino. My first "project" was to try and use nodemcu with bme280 to get the data output to local a webpage (one of the wesbites I used https://lastminuteengineers.com/bme280-esp8266-weather-station)

LOL. I didn't realize the bme280 had to be soldered to the header pins, you would have laughed seeing me wondering why my first attempts weren't working with the bme just balancing on header pins in a breadboard. haha. So yesterday I did my first attempt at soldering, and got the basic project working. its been hanging all night in my tent, and I've been comparing to my INKBIRD (temp/humidity controller) and generic device. (aside - now I want to take the inkbird and my generic device apart to see what sensors they use... I would guess possibly the less accurate dht11 or 22)

next - DATA LOGGING. Please help me. I started googling this last night, and see there are many different ways to approach. Onboard sd card storage, more complex web servers etc. For my setup - my nodemcu are in my house on local wifi. all i need to do is log the basic data (could my pc on local network do this instead of the added cost and hassle of putting a sd card on the nodemcu?). I am good with excel, and for the time being would be content just to get a log of the data so I can graph and analyze. I plan to add multiple sensors in different rooms.

What is the easiest/cheapest way to log this data (keeping in mind I want to build up to 10 sensors)?

other quick easy questions I plan to go on to google right now - please add if you have expert thoughts;
- best way to power these little units
- cheap ways to mount/contain them
- any issues i'll run into with multiple bme280? I see that two can be run on one nodemcu by changing address on one to 0x77, but I suspect I will have a separate nodemcu for each sensor.

Thanks in advance!
 
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hot_box_enthusiast

Well-Known Member
Ok I re-read the thread, and learned most of you are doing way more than I am after right now, and I am not sure I saw a "cheap and cheerful" way to log data for my application.

After posting the last time, I was thinking that perhaps I could just get excel to ping the local ip address of the nodemcu (on wifi) and pull the data at set intervals. I will look into that but would love to hear from any of you.
 

graying.geek

Well-Known Member
I'm just getting started using a raspberry pi with various sensors to monitor my grow room, but would like to leverage the rpi to control temp/humidity and to switch the lights, but am obviously getting into high power territory. Which relays are you folks using to switch high power devices; e.g. heater, lights, etc.
 

TrippleDip

Well-Known Member
I am not sure I saw a "cheap and cheerful" way to log data for my application.

After posting the last time, I was thinking that perhaps I could just get excel to ping the local ip address of the nodemcu (on wifi) and pull the data at set intervals. I will look into that but would love to hear from any of you.
In case you haven't figured out a solution yet, I am just having the ucontroller join the network and send a udp packet to broadcast. A script listens on a separate device and writes any data received to file or displays it. There are many udp libraries for android if you want phone display - idk the name of the drag and drop one offhand, where you don't need to know programming. Mit inventor or something.


Which relays are you folks using to switch high power devices; e.g. heater, lights, etc.
Choose normally open (lights) or normally closed (fans) as necessary for failsafing?
 

Timezone

Well-Known Member
I'm just getting started using a raspberry pi with various sensors to monitor my grow room, but would like to leverage the rpi to control temp/humidity and to switch the lights, but am obviously getting into high power territory. Which relays are you folks using to switch high power devices; e.g. heater, lights, etc.
Look back on page one of this thread. I'm still using those/these 30 amp/240Vac relays.
P5020230.JPG
Even though they both have 30A relays, I use the big one with it's own 5Vdc power supply and the cover over the 25 Vac rated connectors, not the smaller one with the 5Vac connectors. I get 5 at a time from AliExpress or Bangood if I don't mind waiting a few weeks for delivery. If I need one right away, there's always Amazon. If I remember correctly, the high output signal from the Pi is 3.3 Vdc. That will be enough to turn these relays on without even though they normally require 5Vdc. I'm using them with both ESP-8266s and 32s, both outputting 3.3 Vdc high signals, and have had no problems. If you do have problems, put a 3.3Vdc to 5Vdc logic level converter in between the Pi and the relay. Good Luck.
 

graying.geek

Well-Known Member
Look back on page one of this thread. I'm still using those/these 30 amp/240Vac relays.
View attachment 4745360
Even though they both have 30A relays, I use the big one with it's own 5Vdc power supply and the cover over the 25 Vac rated connectors, not the smaller one with the 5Vac connectors. I get 5 at a time from AliExpress or Bangood if I don't mind waiting a few weeks for delivery. If I need one right away, there's always Amazon. If I remember correctly, the high output signal from the Pi is 3.3 Vdc. That will be enough to turn these relays on without even though they normally require 5Vdc. I'm using them with both ESP-8266s and 32s, both outputting 3.3 Vdc high signals, and have had no problems. If you do have problems, put a 3.3Vdc to 5Vdc logic level converter in between the Pi and the relay. Good Luck.
Exactly what I'm looking for -- Thanx!
 

solakani

Well-Known Member
next - DATA LOGGING. Please help me. I started googling this last night, and see there are many different ways to approach. Onboard sd card storage, more complex web servers etc. For my setup - my nodemcu are in my house on local wifi. all i need to do is log the basic data (could my pc on local network do this instead of the added cost and hassle of putting a sd card on the nodemcu?). I am good with excel, and for the time being would be content just to get a log of the data so I can graph and analyze. I plan to add multiple sensors in different rooms.

Thanks in advance!
Describe your hardware, software and network if you need help with webserver. I would just change the output in the sample code to a html page with a table and scrape it into excel.
 

pahval

Well-Known Member
PSA. Everyone here should be using Mycodo. Absolutely amazing software and free!
i sign for the mycodo... its amazing! it has data logging included, here is a link to blog about it:


and to github page:


very, very capable machine!

im also doing my own automation system, but ill be using nodes with one master, sensor node for air temp and humidity, co2 and leaf temp near canopy, relay node for controlling vents, humidifier and dehumidifier, heater, (ac will keep outer temps lower, so if i need lower temp i just pull one from room), all pid tuned of course, with nutrient doser which would be mix of these ones:



and light node for my custom led lights, with spectrum picker and supplement light management (uvr8 t12 bulbs 15 min on 15 min off for xy duration), ir light after main light for 10 mins for that emmerson effect (and longer main light), all connected to openHab user interface module with data logging for some future ai shit... hope this sparks some ideas and put you on good track! happy growing <3
 

zombievirals

New Member
Fourteen months ago, I got a Raspberry Pi (3 b+) and I started on a quest to automate my grow.

It was an idea that began as a discussion with a small group of friends at the now defunct Cannabis Culture forum. Topics ranged from the usual temperature and humidity blah blah, to a robotic hand that could roll a joint and "deliver it lit to your lips". When CC went away, I had some time on my hands so I began by myself. I'd had some experience with an Arduino Uno, so my first attempt began there.

View attachment 4454562
I had to wait for the parts to arrive, but it didn't take long to cobble together the above controller capable (in theory) of handling a heater, air conditioner, a humidifier, a dehumidifier, an exhaust fan, CO2 (sensor not shown), a water chiller and a water heater.

View attachment 4454564
Then I add the Pi,

View attachment 4454565
and figured out how to store and display data, collected over time.

When I arrived here in January of '19, I looked up an old friend from CC, @OldMedUser , and we've continued discussing this project for control. He's just picked up a Pi 4 and has an Arduino Mega, the Uno's bigger brother, on order. I thought it was time to move the conversation here.

As this is my first thread here, I hope to ask questions, answer questions, discuss different microcontrollers, you know, the kind of thing you want to discuss stoned, and learn a few things together.

This topic will definitely discuss the Arduino controllers, Uno and Mega, the ESP8266, and any others that come up.

This will be for educational purposes only, not a guide or how to. If you try any instruction here, you do so at your own peril. Some of the discussion concerns mains power which can be fatal. Be Ye Forewarned!
I love this, I've been wanting to do something similar myself due to my love for technology. I'm fairly familiar with computer programming due to my work as a developer, but I'm completely in the dark about Arduino. I do have a Pi I use to emulate old games, but I think it would be better off for this. My eyes will definitely be on this. I did get a pair of bluetooth temperature/hydrgometers in the mail earlier at least, so I'm already getting my foot in the door. My next move is to see if I can set up my old smart phone in the area with them, and maybe even see if the company I bought them from could get me an API key so I can do more with the data.
 

Kervork

Well-Known Member
Those MiFlora look great too. I have an Adafruit soil temp/humidity sensor but it doesnt have BLE onboard so I never got around to using it yet.

Only question is the first Gearbest site says they are discontinued?
Had some, hated them. Measuring the top couple inches for moisture was next to worthless. Sticking them into the bottom of the pot maybe.
 
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