Soil Moisture Sensor Experiment
| Device Role | Device Hardware |
|---|---|
| Front-end | Node-RED on Windows 10 |
| UART Gateway | ESP32-DevKitC-32D |
| #21 Capacitive Soil v2.0 | Wemos D1 Mini 8266 and LiPo Battery |
| #22 Capacitive Soil v1.2 | Wemos D1 Mini 8266 and LiPo Battery |
| #23 Gypsum | Wemos D1 Mini 32 with Kisssys 555 module and LiPo Battery |
| #24 SHT20 | Wemos D1 Mini 8266 and LiPo Battery |
Soil moisture levels in remote areas are one of the most valuable metrics that a farmer can have. There are a few options available for DIY, but nothing that would be considered simple, reliable, AND inexpensive. I put this experiment together to test out the handmade Gypsum-based soil sensor setup that user Kisssys developed and sent to me. This sensor, along with a simple 555 module could be a great option for those who need it.
As for the other sensors, I coated CapSoil v2.0's circuit in hot glue (and blasted with hot air) and coated the entirety of v1.2 with conformal coating. The SHT20 sensor is a module I found with a temp and humidity sensor protected by a metal-mesh case intended for soil. I'm not sure whether it is really giving me useful data, as the humidity readings always come in between 101 and 105 when underground. The readings from the gypsum sensor seem very solid and reliable, so I'm hoping I can use them to learn what the heck is up with the CapSoil and SHT sensors.
