Published June 1, 2024 © GPL3+

Autonomous irrigation system

The solar powered irrigation system that supports several separate zones, each with a separate water channel and soil moisture sensor.

BeginnerFull instructions provided2 hours413

Things used in this project

Hardware components

Neodymium magnet

SG90 Micro-servo motor

Solenoid valve

Solar panel 20W

Solar charger PWM

LiFePO4 12V battery

Lolin D1 Mini

Software apps and online services

Autodesk Fusion

Hand tools and fabrication machines

3D Printer (generic)

Multitool, Screwdriver

Story

Video version of the article:

For myself, I want a system for 4 zones. Each zone has its own moisture sensor and its own water supply valve. The system is autonomous and can work without power supply, at least in the warm season.

Soil moisture sensors

I reviewed soil moisture sensors in this article:https://www.hackster.io/craftiarenko/soil-moisture-sensor-w-parasite-with-esphome-fa6b8f

For this project I simply made three additional sensors.

DIY valve

This option combines all the advantages.

The valve is inexpensive. The cost of one valve is in the range of $5-6.
It has low power consumption.
It has a low operating voltage.
It doesn't consume current in standby mode.
It has easy integration into a smart home.

So, here's the idea

1 / 2

Buy regular solenoid valves. I used a version that works with pressure up to 0.8 MPa.

1 / 2

Dismantle the induction coil.

Print a new case.

Install a neodymium magnet on the servo shaft.

Insert a SG90 servo into the case.

1 / 3

As a controller for ESPHome, I took the Lolin D1 Mini board. It already has an on-board programmer and a USB Type-C port for power supply. All that's left is to solder a comb for connecting 4 servos.

1 / 2

To organize the liquid supply, I took regular water pipes.

First test. I took the box outside and connected it to a powerbank. You can see that modifying the valve is very simple, but everything works just great and is perfectly suited for my task.

Solar power

I specifically looked for valves with low power consumption, because I didn't want to run 220V mains to my garden.

1 / 3

I chose a small 20W solar panel. It's connected to a cheap PWM charger that charges a 12V LiFePO4 battery.

This will definitely be enough to power the automatic irrigation 24/7. And there will be spare power for additional devices. So I can connect my camera from this video as well. You can also install a Wi-Fi repeater or weather station here.

Conclusions

This is roughly how you can build an automatic irrigation system. The cost of the entire system I was assembling is approximately $150. You can place it remotely, using an external MQTT Broker and LTE Modem.

That's it

Schematics

Code

ESPHome firmware

esphome:
  name: esp-irrigation
  friendly_name: esp-irrigation

esp8266:
  board: esp01_1m

# Enable logging
logger:

# Enable Home Assistant API
api:
  encryption:
    key: "your encryption key"

ota:
  password: "your ota password"

wifi:
  ssid: !secret wifi_ssid
  password: !secret wifi_password

  # Enable fallback hotspot (captive portal) in case wifi connection fails
  ap:
    ssid: "Esp-Irrigation Fallback Hotspot"
    password: "your hotspot password"

captive_portal:

output:
  - platform: esp8266_pwm
    id: pwm_output_0
    pin: GPIO14
    frequency: 50 Hz

  - platform: esp8266_pwm
    id: pwm_output_1
    pin: GPIO12
    frequency: 50 Hz

  - platform: esp8266_pwm
    id: pwm_output_2
    pin: GPIO13
    frequency: 50 Hz

  - platform: esp8266_pwm
    id: pwm_output_3
    pin: GPIO15
    frequency: 50 Hz

servo:
  - id: servo_0
    output: pwm_output_0
    auto_detach_time: 1s
    # transition_length: 3s
    restore: true

  - id: servo_1
    output: pwm_output_1
    auto_detach_time: 1s
    # transition_length: 3s
    restore: true

  - id: servo_2
    output: pwm_output_2
    auto_detach_time: 1s
    # transition_length: 3s
    restore: true

  - id: servo_3
    output: pwm_output_3
    auto_detach_time: 1s
    # transition_length: 3s
    restore: true

number:
  - platform: template
    id: servo_number_0
    name: Servo Test 0
    min_value: 50
    initial_value: 50
    max_value: 100
    step: 5
    optimistic: true
    set_action:
      then:
        - servo.write:
            id: servo_0
            level: !lambda 'return x / 100.0;'

  - platform: template
    id: servo_number_1
    name: Servo Test 1
    min_value: 50
    initial_value: 50
    max_value: 100
    step: 5
    optimistic: true
    set_action:
      then:
        - servo.write:
            id: servo_1
            level: !lambda 'return x / 100.0;'

  - platform: template
    id: servo_number_2
    name: Servo Test 2
    min_value: 50
    initial_value: 50
    max_value: 100
    step: 5
    optimistic: true
    set_action:
      then:
        - servo.write:
            id: servo_2
            level: !lambda 'return x / 100.0;'

  - platform: template
    id: servo_number_3
    name: Servo Test 3
    min_value: 50
    initial_value: 50
    max_value: 100
    step: 5
    optimistic: true
    set_action:
      then:
        - servo.write:
            id: servo_3
            level: !lambda 'return x / 100.0;'

switch:
  - platform: template
    name: "Valve Switch 0"
    lambda: |-
      if (id(servo_number_0).state != 50) {
        return true;
      } else {
        return false;
      }
    turn_on_action:
      - number.set:
          id: servo_number_0
          value: 100
      - delay: 1s
      - number.set:
          id: servo_number_0
          value: 90 
      - delay: 1s
      - number.set:
          id: servo_number_0
          value: 80       
    turn_off_action:
      - number.set:
          id: servo_number_0
          value: 50  

  - platform: template
    name: "Valve Switch 1"
    lambda: |-
      if (id(servo_number_1).state != 50) {
        return true;
      } else {
        return false;
      }
    turn_on_action:
      - number.set:
          id: servo_number_1
          value: 100
      - delay: 1s
      - number.set:
          id: servo_number_1
          value: 90 
      - delay: 1s
      - number.set:
          id: servo_number_1
          value: 80      
    turn_off_action:
      - number.set:
          id: servo_number_1
          value: 50  

  - platform: template
    name: "Valve Switch 2"
    lambda: |-
      if (id(servo_number_2).state != 50) {
        return true;
      } else {
        return false;
      }
    turn_on_action:
      - number.set:
          id: servo_number_2
          value: 100
      - delay: 1s
      - number.set:
          id: servo_number_2
          value: 90 
      - delay: 1s
      - number.set:
          id: servo_number_2
          value: 80    
    turn_off_action:
      - number.set:
          id: servo_number_2
          value: 50  

  - platform: template
    name: "Valve Switch 3"
    lambda: |-
      if (id(servo_number_3).state != 50) {
        return true;
      } else {
        return false;
      }
    turn_on_action:
      - number.set:
          id: servo_number_3
          value: 100
      - delay: 1s
      - number.set:
          id: servo_number_3
          value: 90 
      - delay: 1s
      - number.set:
          id: servo_number_3
          value: 80      
    turn_off_action:
      - number.set:
          id: servo_number_3
          value: 50

Credits

Craftiarenko

5 projects • 12 followers

Making simple things difficult :)

Contact

Comments

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Autonomous irrigation system

Things used in this project

Hardware components

Software apps and online services

Hand tools and fabrication machines

Story

Soil moisture sensors

DIY valve

Solar power

Conclusions

Custom parts and enclosures

STL files

Schematics

Schematic

Code

ESPHome firmware

Credits

Craftiarenko

Comments

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Autonomous irrigation system

Autonomous irrigation system

Things used in this project

Hardware components

Software apps and online services

Hand tools and fabrication machines

Story

Soil moisture sensors

DIY valve

Solar power

Conclusions

Custom parts and enclosures

STL files

Schematics

Schematic

Code

ESPHome firmware

Credits

Craftiarenko

Comments

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