An ESP32-S2 Smart Plant Monitor
This capacitive sensing smart plant monitor is controlled by ESP32-S2 and shows stats on an ePaper display.
The vast majority of us know that they keys to keeping a plant happy are water, sunlight, and proper temperature, but a much smaller percentage of us actually care for our plants in the optimum fashion. If you need a little help with this task, in an attractive and versatile package, then Redditor gucci_millennial (AKA ovidiu4 on GitHub) has an excellent solution in the form of this capacitive ESP32-S3 smart plant monitor.
The device is summarized on the project’s GitHub repository, which also includes the hardware and firmware files needed to build your own. As noted there, the device is low power and comes in a small – potable – size of 45x45x10mm.
This sensor communicates over Wi-Fi or Bluetooth via the ESP32-S3. It also displays stats on its 1.54” ePaper screen, which certainly contributes to its power efficiency. The unit is rechargeable, and powered by a small LiPo hidden under the display.
An AHT20 IC is implemented for air humidity and temperature measurement, which would also be convenient for monitoring “human environment” conditions in the case of a desk plant or similar. It uses modular capacitive soil moisture probes, and the ESP32-S2 takes advantage of its built-in capacitive sensing capabilities to read this input directly.
Two GPIO buttons are available for interface, and an I2C power is provided for just about anything you can think of in the future. It’s a neat little implement that may be just the thing you need to keep your plant healthy!