Garden_automation_and_sensor_network

So as you may have noticed, I have not updated this project for a while (and my code is far from complete or full featured). As a quarterfinalist in the Hackaday Prize, I was working hard on it to try and make it to the semi-finals, but I didn't. I still want to finish this project at some point, but it is not my top priority at the moment. I mainly worked on it during the summer, but now I have school, so I have less time for my electronics projects, and whatever time I get for electronics I am usually working on my more recent or self-educational projects. If you want to see my other awesome embedded systems, electronics, Microcontrollers, and computer projects, just check them out through my profile, or here .

Some of my continuing projects:

using_8085_processor_for_something : Project to try to figure out and do something with an Intel P8085 processor that I salvaged. Building a minimal 8-bit computer.

chibios-tinkering : tinkering around with ChibiOS/RT mostly on STM32

lpc800_adventures : Adventures learning and messing with NXP's LPC800 Series ARM Cortex-M0+ Microcontrollers using open-source tools.

Moppy_AVR : Port of SammyIAm's Moppy (Musical Floppy) Arduino code to AVR C for select AVR MCUs. Will be compatible with the Moppy Java client.

sound_chip_AVR : Using fast PWM capabilities of some AVR MCUs to make sounds using DDS.

Mostly finished/stagnant projects:

GameOfLife_ht1632c_display_AVR : displaying Conway's Game of Life on a ht1632c-based 32x8 LED matrix using an AVR ATtiny26 mcu

And some projects that I haven't yet built or prototyped any hardware for yet, but am brainstorming/planning:

GPS_device-logger_STM32 : Making a simple(ish) GPS device and logger using an STM32 MCU and Delorme gps2058 module.

MY_SONIC_SCREWDRIVER : Making my own custom Sonic Screwdriver device, similar to the tool used by The Doctor.

Here is the video link:

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=UbYIAQ7nUl4

Here is the draft diagram of the full system that will hopefully exist:

And here is an very simplified block diagram of what the Greenhouse sensor node will be:

I have been working on using some humidity sensor boards that I have as part of the node. The sensor boards contain a HS1101 relative humidity sensor (variable capacitance) connected in a circuit with a 555 timer which outputs a frequency based on the value. It is the same 555 timer circuit found in the HS1101LF datasheet on page 3. Originally I planned on doing the calculations by converting the equations for use with fixed-point math for speed, but instead decided to use a lookup table of values because I was lazy, and I think that may be actually faster than doing the calculations in software. Here is a picture of the prototype connected to the humidity sensor board.

Here is the output of values I am receiving from the wireless node. The serial output is from a Launchpad running my little testing RX energia sketch which parses the incoming data from the node.

code can be found in my other github repo here:

https://github.com/emdarcher/msp430-nrf24l01-testing/tree/master/sensor_comm/send_temp_RH

A few days ago I got a small node running on an MSP430G2452 mcu, sending it's internal temperature sensor data of the air via a nRF24L01+ module. The temperature measurements are using the internal ROM calibration data for better accuracy.

The code can be found here:

https://github.com/emdarcher/msp430-nrf24l01-testing/tree/master/sensor_comm/send_internal_temp_lowpwr

The reciever is a MSP430 launchpad with MSP430G2553 running an Energia sketch that parses the temperature value from the packet and prints the results over UART to the computer via an FT232BL USB to serial converter ic breakout.