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Intelligent Sprinkler System

Intelligent Sprinkler System. Group #16 - Tom Kubicki Paul Martis Joe Bonilla. Introduction. Idea: Design a control system to prevent unnecessary over watering Fact: A golf course’s average daily use of water is 300,000 gallons per day at an average

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Intelligent Sprinkler System

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  1. Intelligent Sprinkler System Group #16 - Tom Kubicki Paul Martis Joe Bonilla

  2. Introduction • Idea: Design a control system to prevent unnecessary over watering • Fact: A golf course’s average daily use of water is 300,000 gallons per day at an average cost of $4.00 per 1000 gallons • Daily total cost = $1,200

  3. Introduction • If system allows conservation of water for one hour a day, savings = $300 per day • Fact: Most courses water 4 to 5 hours a day • The cost of our proposed system could be paid for after just one day’s use

  4. Objective • To design a system to control the operation of a sprinkler system to optimize use of water and maintain healthy grass • System must be small and easily managed and maintained • Design must withstand various environmental conditions

  5. Review of Original Design

  6. Review of Original Design • Major components: • Moisture sensing transducer • Moisture sensing circuit • Motorola 68HC11 Microcontroller w/RTC • Linx modules for RF link • Moisture circuit tells microcontroller whether or not the ground needs watering

  7. Review of Original Design • Microcontroller also keeps track of time with the RTC • Using the combination, we can have it behave like a timer, turning the sprinkler system on or off at various times • System only turns on if timer is set for that time and moisture circuit reports watering is needed

  8. Details of functional blocks • Moisture transducer: we needed a device to quantify ground moisture into an electrical signal • Solution: Model 6513 Soil Moisture Transducer • Gypsum block which changes electrical resistance proportionally as moisture changes

  9. Transducer graph 1

  10. Transducer graph 2

  11. Details of functional blocks • Moisture Circuit: we needed to translate the resistance into a logical value that the microcontroller can understand • Solution: use a voltage divider along with a voltage threshold detector to decide when desired ground moisture is achieved

  12. Diagram for moisture circuit

  13. Details of functional blocks • Microcontroller: we needed a device to decide when the sprinklers should be on • Solution: use a HC12 with an RTC to create a timer circuit and take in signal from moisture circuit • Timer can be set for various times a day and on specific days of the week

  14. Details of functional blocks • RF Link: we wanted to have the moisture sensing device remote from the microcontroller • Solution: use Linx LC series TX and RX modules • Provides short-range link suitable for remote field installations to prevent excessive cabling lengths

  15. TX/RX chip details • TX Chip: • RX Chip:

  16. Successes and Challenges • Challenges • Moisture Transducer calibration and operation • RF Link • Microcontroller • Voltage threshold detector • Moisture transducer required an AC voltage in order to function correctly

  17. Successes and Challenges • Resistance could not be measured directly with a multimeter • Solution required the use of a waveform generator chip to provide a 1KHz sine wave to transducer • Output was passed through a peak detector to the voltage threshold detector to determine need for watering

  18. Successes and Challenges • Problems with transmitting data to receiver • Intermittent success with transmissions • Long range communication not probable • Solution: Changed faulty chips and replaced with working ones • Range increased and system was more reliable

  19. Successes and Challenges • Problems with microcontroller: choosing a model that would accommodate a system with a user display • Problem with keeping track of real time • Decided on Intel 386EX with RTC chip • Created a graphical menu system for setting up times for watering

  20. Successes and Challenges • When we ordered voltage threshold detector, we did not realize size • Part was a surface-mount part much too small to solder on pins for protoboard use • Solution involved design of custom board to surface-mount the chip

  21. Successes and Challenges • Main success, besides the system working as we planned, was that the final size is small • Also, power consumption would allow for long-term use on just alkaline batteries • System can be easily modified to allow for future features

  22. Future Recommendations • Multiple sensors – property can be set up with watering zones each with its own sensor • Unique ID for each sensor unit – allow for power save by only transmitting moisture status when central controller polls its ID

  23. Future Recommendations • Adapt a rain sensor into the system • Mount all components onto small PCB’s and use surface-mount parts to conserve space and use more efficient chips • Cost-effective and efficient system could be marketable

  24. Credits • We would like to thank • Prof. Swenson • Wojciech Magda • Unidata Australia • National Semiconductor • Anyone else who contributed to our success Thank you all!

  25. Questions? Comments?

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