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waternut_gw

geeks with greenthumbs!

waternut
15 years ago

cheap way to automate a greenhouse. Yes, with a computer . . . because it sounds cool. I have my parts on order.

It's really marketed for the automotive croud, but it's prefect for a GH. Hookup the relays my irragation values, evap cooler, fan, etc. and I have found a UBS humidity sensor by Smarthome. Add the UBS webcam and I take the GH to the office and business trips. Never leave home without IT!!!

Chris

http://store.mp3car.com/category_s/155.htm

soon I can figure out posting pics of GH, I will. 8x16 leanto, outside the bedroom. It's 8 years old & couldn't live without it.

Comments (7)

  • lilydude
    15 years ago

    Cool stuff. But watch out for build quality issues. Some of the boards are described as "hobbyist grade". Scary. Are you volunteering to be a guinea pig for us with this stuff? If so, I deeply appreciate it. I hope you'll keep us informed on how things go.

    One thing I noticed is that the boards use leaded chips that plug into sockets. So the chips are very old designs, and you may run into obsolescense issues if you need replacements. On the bright side, socketed chips are very easy to replace.

    If the stuff really works, it's a great find, because the professional quality gear to do these tasks is a LOT more expensive.

  • waternut
    Original Author
    15 years ago

    Absolutely I'm the guinea pig! The professional stuff is priced way beyond the hobbiests. As a gadgeteer the "hobbiest grade" doesn't worry me. I took it as a flashing neon sign.

    The Fusion folks appear to a small young company. Bright minds finding their nitch. I can't find a directly competing product. The earliest ref that I can find are product announcements from spring of 2007. My bet is, they have the boards made, program the chips and populate the boards themselves. Here is the link to Fusion folks. You can see the interface under tutorials.
    http://www.fusioncontrolcentre.com/FusionStore//catalog/product_info.php?cPath=25&products_id=51

    Hopefully, next week I can start by removing my lawn irrigation timer and control the values with the Fusion relays.

    I will make a post Thankgiving weekend.

    Ya'll have a happy turkeyday!

    Chris

  • justplaindon
    15 years ago

    I'd also be interested in hearing your experiences. My greenhouse is not automated, but I can check on temps & humidity conditions via my website. I've got a webcam pointing outside to view things oustide around the greenhouse. Inside I have a wireless IP camera so I can see & hear inside the greenhouse without having to be there or go outside.

    Adding automated controls would be the next logical step. I hope this thread will keep growing and PLEASE let us know your system details and your thoughts on how it works.

    L8r,
    Don
    http://www.justplainorchids.com

  • web4deb
    15 years ago

    I've completely "geeked-out" my greenhouse. It's currently using 4 temp sensors, photo sensor, 2 vent openers, and irrigation controller for my hydroponics.

    I've just reprogrammed the entire system to be web-enabled so I can monitor (and tweak the settings) while I'm at work.

    You can view my setup at http://cas-e.wiseerp.net. Login is "guest@guest.com" pw="guest"

    This past week I finally got our first freeze inside so I consider it a success for the first year in operation...was able to extend my growing season by about two months. The night before the freeze, I picked broccoli, peppers, lettuce and 'maters. Looking forward to an early start to the spring!

    Also, here's a link to my blog about it. http://web4deb.blogspot.com/2008/08/vents-20.html I'm hoping to do a bunch of programming upgrades this winter. Possibly an automatic fish feeder, soil moisture sensor, additional vent controls, and maybe a web cam.

    I hope you enjoy tinkering with your controls!

    -Rob T.

    Here is a link that might be useful: blog

  • justplaindon
    15 years ago

    Hey Rob,

    Great job! Love the dashboard. It is similar to what I have for monitoring conditions inside my greenhouse (see link).

    http://www.justplainorchids.com/greenhouse.htm

    You have to scroll down past the webcam pic. If you happen to hit it today it may show everything as 0. Not sure if the battery on the Davis weather station just didn't get enough light for the solar cell to charge or if the battery is just drained and dead. Hopefully I will get that back up and running smoothly over the next couple of days. I get a little paranoid if I can't check it without going out there.

    I am thinking of looking into some "smarthome toys" that would let me control things like humidity, heat, lights, etc. via an internet connection.

    L8r,
    Don
    http://www.justplainorchids.com

  • waternut
    Original Author
    15 years ago

    I lost a posting. Dang. It thanked ya'll for posting the images and complimented Rob. I'll redo it later. I mocked up the dashboard and have the light level working. Here's the mock up:

    http://home.rr.com/gadgetbandit

    Chris

  • web4deb
    15 years ago

    looks good! I'd like to add a pH sensor to mine someday.

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