CHAPTER III

REVIEW OF RELATED ARTICLES

This chapter presents the preliminary discussion on fundamental electronics

engineering concepts as well as related literature that helped the researchers in the design

and construction of Microcontroller-based Automatic Irrigation System on Sensing Soil

Moisture Content. The order of presentation of the topics was based on the inputs in the

research paradigm.

CONCEPTS NEEDED FOR THE OPERATION OF MICROCONTROLLER-BASED

AUTOMATIC IRRIGATION SYSTEM ON SENSING SOIL MOISTURE CONTENT

The following is a discussion of the different electronic concepts used by this study to

design and construct the Microcontroller-based Automatic Irrigation System on Sensing

Soil Moisture Content in terms of soil moisture content, water tank indicator and water

pump.

I. Sensing Soil Moisture Content

Soil moisture is an important component in the Atmospheric water cycle, both on a

small agricultural scale and in large- scale modelling of land/atmosphere interaction.

Vegetation and crops always depend more on the moisture available at root level

than on precipitation occurrence. (R. Vagulabranan, et. al 2016)

The moisture sensor is used to measure the water content of soil. When the soil is

having water shortage, the module output is at high level, else the output is a t low

level. This sensor reminds the user to water their plants and also monitor the

moisture content of soil. (ePro Labs, 2016)

II. Water Level Detection

A water level indicator is a system that relays information back to a control panel to

indicate whether a body of water has a high or low water level. The purpose of a

water level indicator is to gauge and manage water levels in a water tank. The

control panel can also be programmed to automatically turn on water pump once

levels get too low and refill the water back to adequate level. (Water Level Controls,

2019)

III. Water Pump Activation

MINIMUM HARDWARE REQUIREMENTS FOR THE CONSTRACTION OF

MICROCONTROLLER-BASED AUTOMATIC IRRIGATION SYSTEM ON SENSING SOIL

MOISTURE CONTENT

This part of the chapter presents the related literature of the minimum
hardware requirements needed for the construction of the Microcontroller-based

Philippine Paper Bill Identification System for the Blind and a brief description on

how each hardware works.

I. Soil Moisture Sensor

The Soil Moisture Sensor is used to measure the loss of moisture over time

due to evaporation and plant uptake, evaluate optimum soil moisture

contents for various species of plants, monitor soil moisture content to

control irrigation in greenhouses and enhance bottle biology experiments.

(ePro Labs, 2016)

The system made use of a soil moisture sensor that can detect the

condition of the soil. Either wet, dry or soggy. ***One type of color sensor

that is capable of performing the desired specification is the TCS3200 Color

Sensor. The TCS3200 Color*** Sensor had been used in the actual making

of the project since the its specifications met the minimum hardware

requirements needed for the operation of this project.

The soil moisture sensor consists of two probes which are used to measure

to measure the volumetric content of the water. The two probes allow the

current to pass through the soil and then it gets the resistance value to

measure the moisture value. When there is more water, the soil will conduct

more electricity which means that there will be less resistance. Therefore,

the moisture level will be higher. Dry spoil conducts electricity poorly, so

when there will be less water, then the soil will conduct less electricity which

means that there will be more resistance. Therefore, the moisture level will

be lower. (circuitstoday.com, 2018)

 Figure 1. FC-28 Soil Moisture Sensor

The table below shows the technical specifications of the FC-28 soil

moisture sensor. These specifications suffice the needed characteristics for the

system.

Table 1. FC-28 Specifications

Input Voltage 3.3-5V

Output Voltage 0 – 4.2V

Input Current 35mA

Output Signal Both analog and Digital

II. Water Level Sensor

The water level indicator employs a simple mechanism to detect and indicate the

water level in an overhead tank or any other water container. (Electronics Hub,

2018)

Water level sensors work by using sensor probes to indicate water levels in a

storage tank. These probes send information back to the control panel to trigger

an alarm or indicator. The control panel can be programmed to automatically

turn on your pump to refill the water again. The working principle of the water

level sensor are as follows; 1. The water is full−Nothing happens, 2. Water level

drops to the reference probe−Alarm is triggered, 3. Fill start is triggered

 automatically turning on the water to refill the tank, 4. Once the water is full, fill

stop is triggered and the system automatically stops the pump, 5. The system

resets and waits for water levels to drop again. (waterlevelscontrol.com, 2019)

A Water Level Sensor is used by the researchers in the actual making of the

project since the functions of the water level sensor meets the minimum

hardware requirements needed for the operation of this project.

Figure 2. Water Level Sensor

The table below shows the technical specifications of the water level sensor. These

specifications suffice the needed characteristics for the system.

Table 2. Water Level Sensor Specifications

Material Plastic

Color Black

Switch Power(Max) 10W

Switching Voltage(Max) 100V

Switching Current(Max) 0.5A

Breakdown Voltage(Max) 220VDC

Carry Current(Max) 1A

Contract Resistance 100 milli-ohm

Temperature Rating -20⁰C to +80⁰C

 Float Length 85mm / 3.35”

Cable Length 37.7 cm

III. Mini Water Pump

Small electric water pumps are equipped with a compact dc motor attached to

the impeller. DC motor is any rotary electrical machine converting direct current

electrical energy into mechanical energy. Once the motor is on it creates a magnetic

field around it making the rotor spin. When the rotor is in action, it causes the

impeller to spin, hence powers the pump. (electricwaterpumpguide.com, 2018)

Figure 3. Mini Water Pump

The table below shows the technical specifications of the mini water pump. These

specifications suffice the needed characteristics for the system.

Table 3. Mini Water Pump Specifications

Input Voltage DC 12 V

Hmax 300 cm

Qmax 240 L/H

Size 38 * 34 * 27mm

Wire Length 140cm

IV. LCD Display

LCD (Liquid Crystal Display) is a type of flat panel display which uses

liquid crystals in its primary form of operation. LEDs have a large and

varying set of use cases for consumers and businesses, as they can be

commonly found in smartphones, televisions, computer monitors and

instrument panels.

A display is made up of millions of pixels. The quality of a display

commonly refers to the number of pixels; for example, a 4K display is made

up of 3840 x2160 or 4096x2160 pixels. A pixel is made up of three

subpixels; a red, blue and green—commonly called RGB. When the

subpixels in a pixel change color combinations, a different color can be

produced. With all the pixels on a display working together, the display can

make millions of different colors. When the pixels are rapidly switched on

and off, a picture is created.

The way a pixel is controlled is different in each type of display; CRT,

LED, LCD and newer types of displays all control pixels differently. In short,

LCDs are lit by a backlight, and pixels are switched on and off electronically

while using liquid crystals to rotate polarized light. A polarizing glass filter is

placed in front and behind all the pixels, the front filter is placed at 90

degrees. In between both filters are the liquid crystals, which can be

electronically switched on and off.

LCDs are made with either a passive matrix or an active matrix display
 grid. The active matrix LCD is also known as a thin film transistor (TFT)

display. The passive matrix LCD has a grid of conductors with pixels located

at each intersection in the grid. A current is sent across two conductors on

the grid to control the light for any pixel. An active matrix has a transistor

located at each pixel intersection, requiring less current to control the

luminance of a pixel. For this reason, the current in an active matrix display

can be switched on and off more frequently, improving the screen refresh

time.

Figure 5. LCD Display

The table below shows the technical specifications of the lcd display. These

specifications suffice the needed characteristics for the system.

Table 4. LCD Display Specifications

PIN Symbol Description

NO.

1 VSS Ground

2 VDD Power supply for logic

3 VO Contrast Adjustment

4 RS Data/ Instruction select signal

 5 R/W Read/Write select signal

6 E Enable signal

7~14 DB0~DB7 Data bus line

15 A Power supply for B/L +

16 K Power supply for B/L -

MINIMUM HARDWARE REQUIREMENTS IN PROGRAMMING THE

MICROCONTROLLER-BASED AUTOMATIC IRRIGATION SYSTEM ON SENSING

SOIL MOISTURE CONTENT

This part of the chapter presents the related literature for the minimum hardware

requirements needed for programming the Microcontroller-Based Automatic Irrigation

System on Sensing Soil Moisture Content and a brief description on how each

hardware works.

I. Microcontroller

A microcontroller is a computer present in a single integrated circuit which is

dedicated to perform one task and execute one specific application. It

contains memory, programmable input/output peripherals as well as

processor. Microcontrollers are mostly designed for embedded applications

and are heavily used in automatically controlled electronics devices such as

cellphones, cameras, microwave ovens, washing machines, etc.

(Techopedia, 2016)
Arduino Uno

Arduino is an open-source electronics platform based on easy-to-use

hardware and software. Arduino boards are able to read inputs - light on a

sensor, a finger on a button, or a Twitter message - and turn it into an

output - activating a motor, turning on an LED, and publishing something

online. One can tell the board what to do by sending a set of instructions to

the microcontroller on the board. To do so, the Arduino programming

language (based on Wiring) and the Arduino Software (IDE) are needed,

based on processing. (Arduino.cc, 2016)

All Arduino boards are completely open-source, empowering users to

build them independently and eventually adapt them to their particular

needs. The software, too, is open-source, and it is growing through the

contributions of users worldwide. Due to its simplicity and accessibility to

users, Arduino has been used in thousands of different projects and

applications.

The Arduino software is easy-to-use for beginners, yet flexible enough

for advanced users. It runs on Mac, Windows, and Linux. Several schools

and colleges employ this technology to make projects that solve difficulties

of everyday living and automate procedures and processes necessary in

one’s environment. Teachers and students use it to build low cost scientific

instruments, to prove chemistry and physics principles, or to get started with

programming and robotics. Designers and architects build interactive

prototypes, musicians and artists use it for installations and to experiment

with new musical instruments. Makers, of course, use it to build many of the

projects exhibited at the Maker Faire, for example. Arduino is a key tool to
learn new things. (Arduino, 2016)

The Uno is a microcontroller board based on the ATmega328P. It has 14

digital input/output pins (of which 6 can be used as PWM outputs), 6 analog

inputs, a 16- MHz quartz crystal, a USB connection, a power jack, an ICSP

header and a reset button. It contains everything needed to support the

microcontroller; simply connect it to a computer with a USB cable or power

it with an AC-to-DC adapter or battery to get started.

"Uno" is an Italian word which means “one” and was chosen to mark the

release of Arduino Software (IDE) 1.0. The Uno board and version 1.0 of

Arduino Software (IDE) were the reference versions of Arduino, now

evolved to newer releases. The Uno board is the first in a series of USB

Arduino boards, and the reference model for the Arduino platform; for an

extensive list of current, past or outdated boards see the Arduino index of

boards.

An Arduino Uno sketch below shows the if-statement being used in a

sketch to check whether a character has been sent from the Arduino IDE

serial monitor window. If-statement is used to show how decisions can be

made in a sketch. It is used to check for keyboard input to the Arduino that a

user types into the Serial Monitor Window of the Arduino IDE. Further

decisions can be made, depending on which key the user presses, for

example, if the '1' key is pressed, the on-board LED of the Arduino can be

switched on and if the '0' key is pressed, the LED can be switched off while

all other key presses are ignored. If the user sends a character from the

serial monitor window, the Arduino sends back the text "You typed: X,"
 where X is the character that the user entered. (Starting Electronics,

Electronics for beginners, hobbyists and beyond, 2014)

//Arduino Uno sketch void setup() {

Serial.begin(9600); } void loop() {

char rx_byte;

if (Serial.available() > 0) { // is a character available? rx_byte = Serial.read();

// get the character Serial.print("You typed: "); Serial.println(rx_byte); } }

The Arduino Uno, with technical specifications listed in Table 9, is used

by the researchers in the actual construction of the system due to its

availability and compatibility with the necessary color sensor and audio

output module. The researchers are already familiar and knowledgeable

with how the Arduino Uno is programmed containing the necessary codes

needed in the program of the

project.

Figure 5. Arduino Uno Microcontroller

Table 9. Technical Specifications of Arduino Microcontroller

Microcontroller ATmega328
 Operating Voltage 5V

Input Voltage 7-12V

(recommended)
Input Voltage (limits) 6-20V

Digital I/O Pins 14 (of which 6 provide PWM output)

Analog Input Pins 6

DC Current per I/O Pin 40 mA

DC Current for 3.3V Pin 50 mA

Flash Memory 32 KB (ATmega328) of which 0.5 KB used by bootloader

SRAM ; EEPROM 2 KB (ATmega328) ; 1 KB (ATmega328)

Clock Speed 16 MHz

(From: www.arduino.cc)
TESTING PROCEDURES OF MICROCONTROLLER-BASED AUTOMATIC

IRRIGATION SYSTEM ON SENSING SOIL MOISTURE CONTENT

Testing procedures are essential in determining that the system

functions properly and safely. These ensure that the system operation runs

smoothly and, thus, be able to achieve the desired output. Several tests were

considered in this automatic irrigation on sensing soil moisture content. Testing

procedures were done to the system to help identify the correctness of

measured quantities, completeness and quality of the output.

I. Soil Moisture Testing

II. Water Level Indicator Testing

III. Water Pump Testing

IV. Program Testing

V. Arduino Testing
 PROCEDURES IN MAINTAINING THE MICROCONTROLLER-BASED

AUTOMATIC IRRIGATION SYSTEM ON SENSING SOIL MOISTURE

CONTENT

Aids to detection must be properly maintained to ensure proper functionality and

performance of the system. There are maintenance procedures in the automatic

irrigation system on sensing soil moisture content which serve as a way for the

device to last in a long period of time.

I. Soil Moisture Sensor Maintenance

The sensor must be submerged in the soil properly so that the moisture

detection remains accurate and consistent. However, the sensor has a

tendency to be damaged after some time because of too much exposure in

sunlight and water. The sensor requires a human monitoring from time to time

in order for the sensor to remain accurate and consistent.

II. Water Level Sensor Maintenance

The sensor must be submerged in the water tank properly so that the

water level detection remains accurate and consistent. However, the sensor

has a tendency to be damaged after some time because of being submerged

in the water for quite some time. The sensor requires a human monitoring

from time to time in order for the sensor to remain accurate and consistent.