A Design Thinking Course Report on

====Automatic plant watering system ====

Submitted
to

Department of Electronics and Communication Engineering

by

Ravula Sainath Reddy 20R11A04A2

Sanchula Sai Varshini 20R11A04A3
Sathugari Vamshidhar Reddy 20R11A04A5
Under the Guidance of
C.H.Sandeep V.S.Ramachandram
Assistant Professor Assistant Professor

Department of Electronics and Communication Engineering

GEETHANJALI COLLEGE OF ENGINEERING AND TECHNOLOGY,
(UGC AUTONOMOUS)
Cheeryal (V), Keesara (M), Medchal Dist, Hyderabad– 501 301
(Affiliated to Jawaharlal Nehru Technological University, Hyderabad, accredited by NAAC and NBA,New
Delhi)

2021-2022
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 GEETHANJALI COLLEGE OF ENGINEERING AND TECHNOLOGY

Department of Electronics and Communication Engineering

CERTIFICATE

This is to certify that the Design Thinking Course report on problem statement titled Automatic
plant watering system being submitted by Ravula Sainath Reddy,Sanchula Sai Varshini,Sathugari
Vamshidhar Reddy bearing roll numbers 20R11A04A2, 20R11A04A3, 20R11A04A5 is a record
of bona-fide work carried out under my guidance and supervision.

C.H.Sandeep V.S.Ramachandram
Assistant Professor Assistant Professor

Dr. S. Vallisree

Associate Professor and HoD, ECE

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 CONTENTS Page no

List of Figures 4

Chapter 1: Introduction 5

1.1 Problem Statement 5

1.2 Problem Description 5
1.3 Causes of the problem 5

Chapter 2: Survey Analysis 6

2.1 Survey Questionnaire 6

Chapter 3: Design 7
3.1 Components 7
3.2 Block diagram 11
3.3 Simulation Diagram 12

Chapter 4: Working 13

Chapter 5: Coding 14

Chapter 6:Results 15

Chapter 7:Conclusion 16

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 List of Figures

Figure no Figure name Page no

Figure 3.1 Arduino 7

Figure 3.2 Soil Moisture Sensor 8

Figure 3.3 Water Pump 9

Figure 3.4 5V Relay Module 10

Figure 3.5 9V battery 10

Figure 3.6 Block Diagram 11

Figure 3.7 Simulation Diagram 12

Figure 4.1 Working Diagram 13

Figure 6.1 Completed Automatic plant watering system 15

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 CHAPTER 1: Introduction

1.1 Problem Statement: Automatic plant watering system

1.2 Description:
Everyone of us likes a little greenery in our houses, don’t we? Plants require really low
maintenance and can be left for days without supervision but our long trips extending over a week
or 2 can be detrimental for the health of plants due to the lack of moisture in the soil. In such
situations, the plant may wither or die due to the absence of proper watering. In order to solve this
problem, in this project, we are making an Automatic plant watering system with an Arduino
Uno which will irrigate your plants automatically and keep them healthy even when you are out
of the town for weeks or months. In this project, a Moisture sensor will be used to maintain the
optimum level of moisture for your plants. This system can be implemented, both for your garden
or for your Indoor plants thus taking care of your leafy pets when you are away.

1.3 Causes for Problem:

1. Lack of proper care for plants.

2. Providing of water is not done properly.

3. Busy lifestyle.

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 CHAPTER 2: Survey Analysis

2.1 Survey Questions:

The questions which we asked the public regarding our project are:

• Do you have garden?

• How passionate are you about looking after plants?

• Do your plants often die?

• How often do you care for your plants?

• Have you ever used self-watering or automated plant care systems before? If so, how was
your experience with them, and what features did you like or feel were missing?

• Would you be interested about learning to care about plants?

• Would you be interested in using a feature like this to assist you in caring for your plants,
as well as allowing you to learn about caring for plants?

• How much would you be willing to pay for an automatic plant watering system?

• Any suggestions will you give for our project to improve?

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 CHAPTER 3:Design

3.1 Components:

1. Arduino:

Fig 3.1 Arduino

The Arduino Uno is an open-source micro controller based on the Microchip

ATmega328P microcontroller and developed by Arduino. The board is equipped with sets of
digital and analog input/output(I/O) pins that may be interfaced to various expansion
boards (shields) and other circuits. The board has 14 digital I/O pins (six capable of PWM
output), 6 analog I/O pins, and is programmable with the Arduino IDE (Integrated
Development Environment), via a type B USB cable. It can be powered by the USB cable or
by an external 9-volt battery, though it accepts voltages between 7 and 20 volts.

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2. Soil Moisture Sensor:

Fig 3.2 Soil Moisture Sensor

The working of the soil moisture sensor is very easy to understand. It has 2 probes with
exposed contacts that act like a variable resistor whose resistance varies according to the
water content in the soil. This resistance is inversely proportional to the soil moisture which
means that higher water in the soil means better conductivity and hence a lower resistance.
While the lower water in the soil means poor conductivity and will result in higher
resistance. The sensor produces an analog voltage output according to the resistance.

The sensor comes with an electronic module that connects the probe to the Arduino. The
module has an LM393 High Precision Comparator which converts the analog signal to
a Digital Output which is fed to the microcontroller.

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3. Water Pump:

Fig 3.3 Water Pump

We need a small pump to irrigate the plant, but in the case of a garden, we need to drive a
larger pump that can provide a higher volume of water depending on the size of your garden
which can’t be directly powered by an Arduino. So in case you need to operate a larger pump,
a driver is necessary to provide enough current for the pump, to show that I am using a 5v
relay. You can also use an AC-powered pump and use a suitable relay. The
working will remain the same as shown in this project , you just have to
replace the DC power input connected to the relay with an AC power input and
have to power your Arduino with a separate DC power source.

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4. 5Volts Relay Module:

Fig 3.4 5Volts Relay Module

Relay is an electromechanical device that uses an electric current to open or close the
contacts of a switch. The single-channel relay module is much more than just a plain relay,
it comprises of components that make switching and connection easier and act as indicators
to show if the module is powered and if the relay is active or not.

5. 9Volts Battery:

Fig 3.5 9V Battery

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 The nine-volt battery, or 9-volt battery, is an electric battery that supplies a nominal voltage
of 9 volts. Actual voltage measures 7.2 to 9.6 volts, depending on battery chemistry.
Batteries of various sizes and capacities are manufactured; a very common size is known
as PP3, introduced for early transistor radios. The PP3 has a rectangular prism shape with
rounded edges and two polarized snap connectors on the top. This type is commonly used
for many applications including household uses such as smoke and gas detectors, clocks,
and toys.

3.2 Block Diagram:

Fig 3.6 Block Diagram

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3.3 Simulation Diagram:

Fig 3.7 Simulation Diagram

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 CHAPTER 4:Working

The logic of this system is very simple. In this system, the moisture sensor senses the moisture
level of the soil and when the sensor senses a low moisture level it automatically switches the
water pump with the help of a microcontroller and irrigates the plant. After supplying sufficient
water, the soil gets retains the moisture hence automatically stopping the pump.

We are using a soil moisture sensor that can sense the moisture content of the soil and send
the output data to the Arduino. Place the soil moisture sensors in the soil. If the soil is dry
that means the plants need some water so the sensor sends the signals to the Ar duino. The
Arduino sends the signals to the relay module and the water pump is turned on for some time.
You can change the time by modifying the code. If all the water from the water pump will
stay in a specific position/place then there is a chance that crops may destroy. To overcome
this problem we are using a servo motor that can rotate the pipe from one position to other in
a loop.

Fig 4.1 Working Diagram

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 CHAPTER 5:Coding

Arduino code is written in C++ with an addition of special methods and functions, which we’ll
mention later on. C++ is a human-readable programming language. When you create a ‘sketch’ (the
name given to Arduino code files), it is processed and compiled to machine language.

The Arduino Integrated Development Environment (IDE) is the main text editing program used for
Arduino programming. It is where you’ll be typing up your code before uploading it to the board
you want to program. Arduino code is referred to as sketches.

➢ Program:
int soilMoistureValue = 0;
int percentage=0;
void setup()
{
pinMode(3,OUTPUT);
Serial.begin(9600);
}
void loop()
{
soilMoistureValue = analogRead(A0);
delay(50);
Serial.println(percentage);
percentage = map(soilMoistureValue, 490, 1023, 100, 0);
if(percentage < 10)
{
Serial.println(" pump on");
digitalWrite(3,LOW);
}
if(percentage >80)
{
Serial.println("pump off");
digitalWrite(3,HIGH);
}
}

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 Chapter 6:Results
The system's performance was observed in a small number of tests using different types of soil.
The automatic plant watering while it is ready to work, but no water has been pumped when soil
moisture sensor is kept in wet soil i.e moisture in soil is 100%.But when moisture in the soil
drops below 20%, water is supplied to that section of soil till it reaches a moisture content of 50-
100%.In this way water has been supplied constantly whenever the moisture in soil is dropped.
Advantages:
➢ The system eliminates the need of human interference.
➢ Operating cost includes only cost of electricity which is much less than the current labour
cost for irrigation of crops on farms or watering of plants in office spaces.
➢ The crops or plants receive optimum amount of water.Thus, wastage of water or loss of
yield due to improper irrigation is eliminated.
➢ Keeps your plants healthy.

Limitations:
➢ The absence of a graphical user interface (GUI) like a mobile or desktop app makes it
difficult to monitor the system and its data.
➢ The operation of the system cannot be remotely controlled.
➢ The calibration of the sensor needs to be done through the programming software which
might be difficult.
➢ Adjustments have to be done for the water supply since different plants require different
amount of water.
➢ Water need to be refilled manually.

Fig 6.1 Completed Automatic plant watering system

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 CHAPTER 7:Conclusion

Automatic plant watering system has been designed and made.Working of automatic plant
watering system is been tested under different soil conditions and the functioning has been
verified.The proposed system helps in optimizing the water resources and it is cost efficient and
requires minimum maintenance. The automated watering system is a solution to the improper
irrigation and watering problem for crops and plants. It will not only increase the yield of crops
but also prevent water wastage. It is also a very versatile system as it finds its application in
agricultural, domestic and commercial sectors.

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