Applications and Implications
The final countdown
Assignment for this week
- Propose a final project that integrates the range of units covered.
---------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------- This week our goal is to present in details our final project, which will help organizing ourselves better. In order to do so, we must answer to the following questions. Click on each question to access the associated section on this page :
NB : thanks Thomas for the general organisation of the page!
Where will they come from?
How much will it cost? What parts and systems will be made?
What processes will be used? What tasks need to be completed? What questions need to be answered? What is the schedule? How will it be evaluated?
The final project? Inspiration and precursors
The assignments were fun but it's time to put everything in practice in one big project.
For me, it will be a connected Greenhouse. I will explain why, for who and how I will do it :)
It's no secret that the population in our European countries are massed in the cities. Space is a luxury and we are not even talking about having access to a garden.
In the same time, we have seen a keen interest for an healthier way of life, including obviously our alimentation.
The connected greenhouse allow us to produce (a small) part of our vegetables and aromatics herbs anywhere, even an appartement without garden
Anyone with the envy to make something grow or to improve his diet can be interested. I think that my generation, living in urban center (20-40 years old) is the good target for this kind of products
It's not a new concept, a simple search on Pinterest or Kickstarter (now and in the past) shows a huge interest for this kind of idea.
The goal is to make it efficient, easy to build, modular, as cheap as possible and easily connected
What materials and components will I need?
Where will they come from ?
How much will it cost ?
Here is a list of all the components I will need for my project, as far as I know for now. The name of each component leads to the page where I can buy them when possible.Components Table
| Component | Quantity | Comment | Cost |
|---|---|---|---|
Microcontroller : Homemade board
|
1 | This will be my main microcontroller | Free. All components available at the lab |
bluetooth module : HC-05 Bluetooth 
|
1 | This is the bluetooth module I'll use to connect to the computer or phone. | 6.78€ |
DHT 11 sensors
|
3 | My sensor for temperatur and humidity | 20.73€ for the 3 |
Photo resistor
|
3 | This servo can rotate 360°, I will use it to make the minutes' LED turn around the clock | 3.63€ |
Servo motor
|
1 | I will use this to move the aeration door | 13.70€ |
| TOTAL COST | 44.84€ |
Materials Table
| Material | Dimensions | Comment | Cost |
|---|---|---|---|
5mm transparent and sun resistant plexiglas
|
1000x1000mm | The plexiglass I will use to make the greenhouse | 72€ for 1m² (ouch :p) |
| 2.85mm PLA and XT filament | To 3D print some inner parts of the clock | Free. We have plenty at the lab | |
Bolts, nuts and washers
|
To assemble the door system and the board | Free at the lab | TOTAL COST | 72€ |
The project itself
My project is divided in 4 parts :
- The Design phase
- The Electronic phase
- The Assembly phase
- The Programmation phase
The design phase
I'm busy right now with the modelisation of the greenhouse itself and playing with several ideas. I'm using fusion360 to get a fully parametric design
The electronic phase
I have already designed and finished my board and choose the sensors and communication
You will find below the schematic and pcb of the board + the capability of the components.You can connect to it 3 motors, 3 dht sensors, 3 photos sensors and bluetooth module.
DHT11 basic temperature-humidity sensor
Here are the ranges and accuracy of the DHT11 and it's datasheet:
- Humidity Range: 20-90% RH
- Humidity Accuracy: ±5% RH
- Temperature Range: 0-50 °C
- Temperature Accuracy: ±2% °C
- Operating Voltage: 3V to 5.5V
Photosenitive Sensor Module
An LDR is a component that has a (variable) resistance that changes with the light intensity that falls upon it. This allows them to be used in light sensing circuits.
Bluetooth module
The communication will be done with this device : HC-05 Bluetooth module datasheet
Motors
I will be using the following servo-motor SG-5010 from Towerpro : datasheet
The assembly phase
Once the plexiglass will be cut, I will have to assemble the Green House according to the design. I will need also to build the door system for aeration
The Programmation phase
I have already tested almost all the fonctionnality needed for the board with our assignments. I need to focus on the UI and the bluetooth communication to a computer
What processes will be used?
I will use :
- 3d parametric design with fusion 360
- Kikad for the board design
- Chemicak etching for the creation of the board
- SMD soldering
- Laser cutting to get the components of the greenhouse
- Manual assembly with special glue
- 3d printing for the support and hinge components
What tasks need to be completed ?
Here is a list of tasks completed or not, that I've done for my final project :
Make a parametic design for all parts of my Green House
Make a fonctionnal board
Make some prototyping with wood for the assembly of the Green House before going for more expansive matters
Test the door system with servo motor
Test the code, the board and the sensors together
Cute the plexiglass shape needed for the final assembly
Learn how to control a continuous rotation servo motor
Calculate the right angle to close and open the door system
Find a way to communicate via bluetooth with the board and a computer
Design a structure for the hinges, the motor and the board
Make a complete prototype and test it
Program an interface application to control the door and display the data's
Make a film and presentation board for the final presentation
What questions need to be answered ?
I have two majors question :
The first one is the door sequence for cooling when it's too hot in the Green House as I have never done any complicated cinematic with servo motor.
I know that the motor has to be outside (no motor like to be inside a greenhouse...) so it's a start
The second one is the UI, I'm not a really good designed especially for that and Processing is not my strong suite. I'm still looking what to do exactly
The Timing
I wil have a very short schedule as you can see below
How will it be evaluated?
You will find here the main criteria that can be taken into account for the success of my final project :
Did I use enough techniques seen during the FabAcademy ?
Is my Green House suitable for the desired usage (for a prototype)?
Are the data readable and accurate ?
Is the Green House modular and cheap to produce?
Will it be durable for day to day usage?
Is the design parametric enough to allow modification easily?
Is it easy to use and assemble?