I've worked on the Fido, the greenhouse alert system that sits in a greenhouse and sends a text message or email when the temperature is out of bounds. I've considered Thermodo for the Fido design but didn't go with it because interfacing Thermodo with a Raspberry Pi took an extra board that blew up the cost higher than going with a USB thermometer. With Android phones falling in price I think there is potential there that an Android phone could end up replacing the Raspberry Pi, in which case a Thermistor with a 3.5mm Audio connector would be a good fit for the design.
I've been evaluating the designs for hydroponics on the http://www.spacebuckets.com/ site. "Space Buckets" sounds kind of crazy but there is a lot of very modular/portable/efficient/space-effective designs being iterated there. On the topic of controlling water flow, "solenoid valve" is the keyword. Different valves run on different voltages which would require different "relays" that run a matching voltage. Lots of wiring required there. But I must say, I crave a plug and play solenoid valve. Ever heard of Universal Serial Bus (USB)? Solenoid manufacturers haven't ;-). There might be a market there.
Hi possumhillfarm,
If you didn't hear back from wisonsingarlicfarm, you can try contacting them directly on their contact form here -> http://farmhack.org/users/wisconsingarlicfarm
Cheers,
\\ RJ
Comments
Thermodo for Fido?
Hi Sarah,
I've worked on the Fido, the greenhouse alert system that sits in a greenhouse and sends a text message or email when the temperature is out of bounds. I've considered Thermodo for the Fido design but didn't go with it because interfacing Thermodo with a Raspberry Pi took an extra board that blew up the cost higher than going with a USB thermometer. With Android phones falling in price I think there is potential there that an Android phone could end up replacing the Raspberry Pi, in which case a Thermistor with a 3.5mm Audio connector would be a good fit for the design.
- RJ
Grove Labs also has a "just works" aquaponics system
Some more inspiration over at Grove Labs -> https://grovelabs.io/
Space Buckets for space efficient hydroponics
Hi acko,
I've been evaluating the designs for hydroponics on the http://www.spacebuckets.com/ site. "Space Buckets" sounds kind of crazy but there is a lot of very modular/portable/efficient/space-effective designs being iterated there. On the topic of controlling water flow, "solenoid valve" is the keyword. Different valves run on different voltages which would require different "relays" that run a matching voltage. Lots of wiring required there. But I must say, I crave a plug and play solenoid valve. Ever heard of Universal Serial Bus (USB)? Solenoid manufacturers haven't ;-). There might be a market there.
- RJ
To get in touch, try the contact form
Link is fixed in code, will go live this week