CLICK HERE The Everything – 3000  to watch the presentation.

City University of New York

City College of New York

The Grove School of Engineering

 

The Everything – 3000

 

by

Harris Awan

Jannatul Ferdous

Lesly Munoz

Kyle Rucker

November 17, 2020

 

 

Summary

Humans have been practicing farming for nearly 12,000 years, but only in the past century has innovation in the agriculture industry allowed for humans to sustain a population boom in many countries. Ever since the Green Revolution in the 50’s and 60’s that helped increase agricultural production worldwide through the implementation of chemical fertilizers, the farming industry has been slow to adapt to technological innovations and relying on traditional methods that are decades old. One of the many reasons why the cost of implementing technology in farming is high as well as the time it will take to slowly learn how the technology works. The Everything – 3000 helps to address these issues by making an easy to understand software program while also making it cost effective. This device is solar powered and simple to assemble. Farmers and agriculture hobbyists simply need to place it in the soil and allow for the device to start scanning and collecting data on their farm. Then, when the scanning is done, farmers can have detailed information on the climate, weather, soil, and health of their crops on any electronic device such as computers or phones, essentially allowing for real time data to be accessible from a 5km-7km radio frequency range. The device can help to transform farming productivity and efficiency since farmers will be able to see how much fertilizer they need or how much water is required for optimal crop growth based on the soil moisture sensor. The waning agricultural workforce means that more data and efficiency is needed if farms are to keep supplying and profiting in an already stressed global supply chain for food.

 

Introduction

According to the United Nations High-Level Task Force on the Global Food Security Crisis, “one in nine people do not get enough food to be healthy and lead an active life.” (UN HLTF, 2020). As the climate continues to undergo negatively drastic changes, it becomes increasingly difficult for farmers to make informed decisions about growing and maintaining their crops. Understanding the financial aspect and risks, and more importantly the opportunities for growth on the soil, crop routine and soil conservation, and knowing the condition of your soil to know what to plant is very important. To know all this information, it would require many different devices for each farming measurement, making it very expensive and time consuming. The Everything – 3000 will address this issue by offering versatile and affordable technology to experienced farmers and gardeners. The Everything-3000 is not only very cost-efficient, as it will be worth only $119.79, but also easy to use. With this device all of these problems will be compressed into one device, providing the farmers with all the necessary information and data collected from acres of farm land. Although this device does not contain a water sensor, it will be composed of: LM 393 Soil Moisture Sensor to monitor soil humidity, TMP36 Temperature Sensor to Monitor air temperature, LDR Light Sensor to monitor sunlight intensity, and many more which will be discussed throughout, making it the Everything-3000. The device will be using 3.7V 2400mAh Li-ion Batteries, to power the Arduino Nano Microcontroller and store solar energy, making it eco-friendly and water proof as it will be sealed with Silicone Sealant and Rubber Gasket. This proposal aims to cover the benefits, components, obstacles, operation, and costs of The Everything – 3000.

 

Feasibility

The sensors and microcontroller chosen for the Everything-3000 are used in a number of different applications for both professionals and hobbyists. By pre-assembling all of the required components in a single product, the consumer does not need any specialized knowledge of electronics to use the device. All they need to do is place the sensor in the desired location of a farm or garden and allow the solar panel to charge the battery. When the battery is charged it will begin broadcasting sensor data automatically via a LoRa radio transceiver in the device. The user can then plug the included LoRa receiver into their computer or smartphone and launch the included application to immediately view information necessary to understanding the climate and weather patterns of their farm or garden.

 

Specific Benefits

While there are many resources farmers and gardeners may choose for accessing climate data, many such resources offer only generalized data for a large geographic area. According to the National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration, one of the largest providers of land-based climate data in North America, operates only “…1,218 stations across the contiguous United States” (NOAA, 2020), a relatively small number when compared to the 408 million acres of cropland in contiguous North America used for growing crops (Nickerson and Borchers, 2012).

This device is unique in that it can be used in any location in a farm or garden, allowing the user access to data specific to the areas they wish to learn more about. The use of LoRa radio transmission extends the range at which the device can operate which gives the consumer more options for placing the sensor. Finally, LoRa runs on open license frequencies and does not require the user to have Wifi access, which allows the device to be used in areas without existing or affordable internet infrastructure. This feature is especially important in parts of the developing world where internet access is uncommon.

Information such as soil moisture, air humidity, temperature, and light intensity are all displayed to the user in the form of graphs, which show the data over the course of one day, one month, 3 months, or one year, depending on which display the user chooses. The user may also view essential data such as maximum, minimum, and average values for each sensor. Further graphs may compare things such as monthly humidity or temperature. This data gives farmers and gardeners the information necessary to make informed decisions over their crops.

 

Hardware

• Arduino Nano Microcontroller – Used to gather sensor data and send data to the receiver.
• LM 393 Soil Moisture Sensor – Used to monitor soil humidity
• Soil Moisture Sensor Module – Necessary to the operation of the Soil Moisture Sensor
• TMP36 Temperature Sensor – Used to Monitor air temperature
• DHT22 Humidity Sensor – Used to monitor air humidity
• LDR Light Sensor – Used to monitor sunlight intensity
• 7V 2400mAh Li-ion Batteries, 2 count – Used to power the board and store solar energy
• 6V 500mAh Solar panel – Used to recharge the batteries
• RFM95W LoRa Radio Transceiver, 2 count – Used to broadcast/receive data from Arduino

Miscellaneous Parts

• AWG 18 Wire – For connecting electronic components
• ABS Plastic Housing – For housing sensors and microcontroller
• Silicone Sealant – For waterproofing and bonding components to housing
• Rubber Gasket – For waterproofing access at the bottom of the case
• 2 in. Van Stone Flange – For attaching the device to a PVC pipe onto the soil (Optional)
• 2 in. x 10 ft. PVC – For planting the device into the soil (Optional)

 

Description

The device is a case made of ABS plastic (Acrylonitrile Butadiene Styrene) which houses electronic components and sensors. ABS was chosen due to its relatively high UV and weather resistance. At the rear of the case is a flange with screw-holes, allowing the device to be mounted to any upright surface, such as a fencepost or PVC pipe. A solar panel and photoresistor are adhered to the top of the case. A broadcast antenna protrudes from the side of the case. The soil humidity sensor is external to the case, with a connecting wire protruding from the rear of the case. The soil humidity sensor is attached with enough excess wire that the sensor may be embedded in soil. The rear of the case is sealed with a rubber gasket and machine screws which may be removed for maintenance. All other gaps and all internal wires are sealed with silicone sealant.

 

Front View

 

Left Side View                                                                                              Right Side View

                                                   

 

Isometric View                                                                                            Internal Components

                                                             

 

Basic Operation

1. Exposure of the solar panel to the sun charges the batteries.
2. A ‘sleep’ function is coded to the Arduino such that no data is collected or broadcast while ‘sleeping’, conserving power.
3. Every 6 hours the arduino ‘wakes up.’ While ‘awake’ data is collected from the analog pins occupied by the sensors.
4. Multiple readings are taken over an interval of one second. Averaging each sensor’s recorded values over the 1 second interval reduces any inaccuracy from a single reading over that interval. These average values are stored on the Arduino’s memory.
5. Saved values are broadcast by the LoRa transceiver, then cleared from Arduino memory.
6. Data is received by a smartphone or PC to which the second LoRa transceiver is connected.
7. Data is stored on the PC and the application calculates relevant output graphs.
8. After sufficient data is collected, the user can use the application on the phone or PC to view comparative data collected by the sensor over different intervals.

A model example of the data collected displayed on an electronic application

 

Obstacles

Further research into wholesale distributors, testing of different solar panels, and testing of different batteries are all essential to achieving the lowest possible price for this device to both manufacturers and to consumers. While the feasibility of this project is quite high, research should be conducted to optimize the use of all resources. Care should be taken in the design of the case such that the internal mechanisms do not interfere with the sensors. For example, care should be taken to provide adequate space between the batteries and the temperature sensor, the former may cause errors to the latter due to heat dissipation. Testing should be performed to optimize the ratio of time “sleeping” to “waking”, ensuring an appropriate balance of data collection and power conservancy. Testing should be performed to optimize data collected by sensors during each “waking” period. When the interface application is developed test groups should interact with early versions of the user interface (UI) and collected data should be used to ensure a simple end-user experience.

Budget

 

Conclusion

The Everything – 3000 is a powerful and environmentally friendly option for farmers to access and track soil moisture, temperature, humidity, and sunlight at an ease of a button. The Arduino Nano Microcontroller has an unimaginable capacity to store important realtime databases that can be accessed through any electronic device. The USB Mini Solar Panel Cell Charger B032 has the strength to charge the 3.7V 2400mAh Li-ion Batteries that upholds the internal components of The Everything – 3000. The incorporation of the LoRa Radio Transceiver provides an ultra long-range wireless radio frequency to transmit data across any acre of land. The LoRa Transceiver has the capacity of transmitting data within a distance of 5 km-7km or approximately 1236 acres. The cost of one The Everything – 3000 equates to $119.79. The farmland owner is able to calculate the amount of devices needed based on the acre of land divided by 1236 and the overall quantity cost by multiplying the amount of devices needed by $119.79. The most significant outcome of The Everything – 3000 is serving as a all in one management device that will help innovate farming productivity and efficiency.

 

References

Calderone, L. (2019, July 9). Soil Moisture Sensors in Agriculture. AgriTech Tomorrow. https://www.agritechtomorrow.com/article/2019/07/soil-moisture-sensors-in-agriculture/11534

Moynihan, T. (2017, June 6). A Solar-Powered Soil Sensor for Serious Gardeners. Wired. https://www.wired.com/2015/04/edyn-garden-sensor/

National Centers For Environmental Information. Land-Based Datasets and Products. National Climatic Data Center. https://www.ncdc.noaa.gov/data-access/land-based-station-data/land-based-datasets

Nickerson, C., & Borchers, A. (2012, March 1). How Is Land in the United States Used? A Focus on Agricultural Land. United States Department of Agriculture.   https://www.ers.usda.gov/amber-waves/2012/march/data-feature-how-is-land-used/

Soil and Climate Data Help Farmer Reduce Severe Weather Risks. United States Department of Agriculture. https://www.nrcs.usda.gov/wps/portal/nrcs/detail/ut/newsroom/stories/?cid=stelprdb1269085

United Nations. (2020, July 2). Food. United Nations. https://www.un.org/en/sections/issues-depth/food/index.html

Verma, S. (2019, November 6). How IoT Soil Condition Monitoring Is Empowering Farmers. IoT For All. https://www.iotforall.com/soil-moisture-monitoring#:%7E:text=Soil%20moisture%3A%20Soil%20volumetric%20water,installed%20beneath%20the%20ground%20level

 

CLICK HERE The Everything – 3000  to watch the presentation.