DIY an Automatic Plant Watering Device

About: Hello, the author of the project is an Application Engineer of Seeed Studio. It's great to share this project with the Hackster maker community. I hope you like Seeed Studio, a hardware enabler for IoT applications, which provides services that enable IoT developers to quickly prototype... More information about Seeed Studio »

Here share my latest project, a plant watering device. It's based on Wio Link, an open source development board that you don't need to write the code.

This device will water your plant when the soil become dry. So you don't need to worry about your plants when you spend weeks for a travel or on business.

The most important is, you don't need to do any coding.

You can check the status of the soil via your smart phone as well.

If you want to make this watering device, just follow me with a few easy steps, let's go MAKING.

Step 1: What Do We Need

• Wio Link APP (You can search Wio Link in your APP store)
• Wio Link
• Grove – Relay
• Grove – Moisture
• Water Pump
• 12V DC Adapt(to drive the water pump)

Wio Link is a Wi-Fi development board to build connected IoT projects with Grove modules. Simplify your development of IoT devices without requirements of hardware programming or soldering.

Step 2: Make a Fence

We will make a beautiful wooden fence here, you know, plants need fence, although fence is only for nice-looking here. You need some 3mm wooden board and a laser cutter. Haven't a laser cutter? Never mind, actually I don't have a laser cutter. You can try finding one at a maker space, or try the laser cutter service here.

Down load the 2d file and cut it into several pieces of board.

Step 3: Assemble Water Pump Circuit

• Select all parts required to build water pump circuit from this kit: 2V Water Pump，Grove-Relay，12V Power Connector, Power Cables.
• Plug one red wire of water pump into positive terminal of power connector and fix it with screw.
• Plug cable to relay's either J1 port and fix it.
• Plug black wire of water pump into negative terminal of power connector and fix them.
• Plug red wire of water pump into relay's another port of J1 connector.
• Have a look at the completed connection.

Step 4: Fitting the Water Pipe

• Slice vinyl tubing into three parts: two long ones and one short. Each of the two long ones should be about triple times of the short one in length. The long ones are used to inlet tube and irrigate tube. The short one will be used to connect the water pump and the water flow sensor.
• Thumb of rules: you can connect tubes according to arrow symbols on water pump and water flow sensor. Connect both end of short tube to outlet of water pump and inlet of water flow sensor. Note: fix inlet of water flow sensor with nut and make sure tube connected with water pump is tightened.
• Connect one end of either long tube to inlet of water pump and place the other end into water container.

Step 5: Configure Your Wio Link

Before you configure the Wio Link, make sure the WiFi around you works well. If this is your first time to use Wio Link, put hand on here to get started.

Then configure your Wio Link as the picture below shows. And click “ UPDATE FIRMWARE ” on the upper right corner.

And the hardware connection will shown at the App as well.

And then click the API of the Wio link, have a test with the URL and make sure the Grove Modules works well.

Step 6: Setting Your IFTTT App

Then setting your IFTTT APP as the video shown.

Step 7: Have Fun

Now, your watering device is done.

Try to read the date of your moisture sensor, and see if the pump move when the soil is dry enough, if not try to set the threshold value of your IFTTT.

Cheers.