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If it was my setup, I’d put the fertilizer dispenser upstream of my valve manifold that has my 4 zones on it. No special zone required.
Mike
Hi wateru,
Yes what you’re asking about can definitely be done. I’ve done something very similar and it’s been working for a few years now. A few thoughts about your proposed setup come to mind.
- I’d suggest a more robust soil moisture sensor. I’ve got a chirp and mine definitely is not designed for outdoor use. I’d suggest considering the VH400. I’ve also got one of these and it is now in its 4th season outdoors in the containers on my deck. I’ve had absolutely zero problems with it. It uses the same method to measure soil moisture as the chirp.
- If the only thing you’re doing with the Raspberry Pi Zero W is using it to read the value from the chirp and send the data to Opensprinkler over WiFi, you should probably use an ESP8266 or ESP32. It’ll use way less power. That will mean you’ll need a much smaller battery and a smaller solar panel also. Just make sure that whichever version you choose you’ve got an analog to digital converter on it (ADC) if you use the VH400 as it outputs an analog signal.
- Instead of changing the waterlevel on the Opensprinkler, you could just turn the zone on through an API command. Seems more straightforward to me.
I’ve mentioned my setup before on the forum. Here’s a link to one of the mentions. https://opensprinkler.com/forums/topic/pi-customisation/ If you have any questions just ask.
Mike
I didn’t see a threshold converter on here, but this site has soil moisture sensors and accessories for sale. https://www.vegetronix.com/
I’m using the analog output from one of their sensors in my own home-brew solution and it’s been working reliably for a few years. You can see data from the past few days from my system here https://thingspeak.com/channels/239044Mike
I’ve not used PoE but it has been discussed before. https://opensprinkler.com/forums/topic/opensprinkler-poe-edition/
No, I never documented the final product. I built it 3 years ago now. It’s essentially as I described in this thread https://opensprinkler.com/forums/topic/who-accept-a-challenge-to-write-plugin-with-soil-moisture/ and then I wrote a python script to read the values from my sensor and interact with the OS API. The key lines in the Python script are in this thread https://opensprinkler.com/forums/topic/starting-os-from-data-from-thingspeak/
Mike
Instead of modifying the firmware, you could create your own script that interacted with the OSPi through the API. I’ve done this with my moisture sensor setup and it works well. The logic I implemented was very simple – if the moisture level was below a threshold value, turn the zone on. https://thingspeak.com/channels/239044
The OS is based on an ESP8266 per Ray. It sounds like you’ll want the Pi version and the Pi Zero should work fine. Pi Zero reference
I don’t see why not. You can have 2 light switches on the same circuit without any problems. A relay is just a switch you control electronically.
Did you also replace the power supply when you replaced the hardware? It could be that your old power supply is acting up.
Mike
Hi PBS, sounds like you’re putting a lot of thought and planning into this! While I’ve not used flow meters with my OS, I just wanted to reply to let you know that at least someone is reading. The other thing I can add is that while I’ve not used flow meters, I did write a separate script that controls a zone on my OS based on the input of a soil moisture sensor and what you’re asking about is possible from a technical POV.
Mike
I don’t know anything about the Malibu LED light system and it’s not clear to me which irrigation controller you’re trying to use. But… This sounds like a simple matter of looking at the power requirements of the LED light system and matching it to the output capabilities of the irrigation controller. Assuming you’re trying to power the lights directly from the controller, some basic questions need to be answered: What voltage is required by the lights? Sounds like 12V. Is that 12V AC or DC? What is the amperage required by the lights? Once you have those questions answered, then you can compare to the output of the irrigation controller. Is it outputting the right number of volts in either AC or DC that the lights require? Will it be able to supply the needed number of amps? You should be able to find out this information by looking at the specs for the lights and comparing to the specs for the controller.
If the controller isn’t outputting the right voltage or can’t supply the amperage needed then you’d probably be looking at having the controller control some sort of switch which turns the LEDs on/off instead of controlling them directly.
I added a cape to my OSBo by using stackable headers which made modifications to the existing case necessary. In retrospect it might have been easier to just ditch the existing case and come up with a different enclosure. The main function of the case is really just to protect the electronics (IMHO anyway!) and you can protect them with any number of different options out there. I’ve used electrical junction boxes from Home Depot like this one before for a few electronics projects. They’re not expensive, comem in different sizes, weather proof, and I can pick them up locally.
This sounds like something you might be able to use IFTTT for and skip the Arduino. Check out https://openthings.freshdesk.com/support/solutions/articles/5000716372-creating-an-ifttt-key-and-applet
Hi pippin88,
Sounds like your OS might be faulty. Have you looked for any burned components on the board? Sizzling sounds from electronics aren’t generally a good thing. If it’s faulty then contacting support is the right thing to do.
Mike
Hi Pete,
Have you set up your network to allow incoming requests from the internet? It’s very possible that your router is blocking the request. You’d need to open the port and forward to your OS for this to be successful.
Mike
Hi Matt,
Why not use a float switch to cut the power to the master pumps? I’d do it independently of the RPI. Just put a float switch on the power supply to each pump. When the reservoir is empty, the power gets cut to the pump thus preventing it from running dry.
If you want to keep tabs on the water level in the reservoir, I’d consider using something like this to keep track because it’ll tell you how full it is, not just is it empty or not.
Mike
Hi Kurt
While not under $10 i did find this which might be what I would use https://www.amazon.com/dp/B00RCPDCQU it’s $18. It’s analog so you’ll need to also have an ADC somewhere between the sensor and your Pi. you could use an Arduino or an esp8266 for that it you’ve got one. I don’t think you need a separate switch – just turn the irrigation valve off through the API. I don’t recall if it supports it but you might even be able to disable the zone through the API to prevent the program from opening the valve back up the next time it is scheduled to run.
Mike
You ought to be able to use any of the unused pins (see the user manual) for your pressure sensor. You could then have software running on the Pi independent of OpenSprinkler that would monitor the pressure. If the pressure dropped to low, you could interact with OpenSprinkler via the API to stop the program. Your software could also notify you through whatever means you want it to.
Mike
A couple of thoughts come to mind. Which Orbit valves are you using? What is the voltage at the valve end of the wire when the zone is activated and the valve is disconnected? What is your water source and is the pressure on it appropriate to operate the valve?
Mike
Pressure sensors can be had of course. Not sure what you have in mind when you state inexpensive, but you can find items at Digi-Key here: https://www.digikey.com/products/en?FV=ffec5663
Here’s an interesting one: https://www.digikey.com/products/en?vendor=0&keywords=NSCDANN150PGUNV
Another thought is a pressure tank. These are also commonly available and can probably be sourced locally. Several options here: https://www.homedepot.com/b/Plumbing-Pumps-Well-Pumps-Systems-Pressure-Tanks/N-5yc1vZbqld/Ntk-Extended/Ntt-water+pressure+tank?Ntx=mode+matchpartialmax&NCNI-5
Mike
Hi Jim,
For an example you can check out this thread. The OP and I were using different parameters than pressure but the overall concept is the same – controlling the OS via the API based on external inputs.
Mike
