Automatic Watering System

Automatic Watering System

Overview

The Automatic Watering System is a smart IoT solution for plant care, built using ESP8266 microcontrollers. The system provides automated plant monitoring and watering capabilities with a web-based interface for configuration and monitoring.

Hardware Components

• ESP8266 Microcontroller
• DHT11 Temperature and Humidity Sensor (Pin D5)
• Capacitive Soil Moisture Sensor (Pin D3)
• VEML7700 Ambient Light Sensor (Pins D4(SCL), D9(SDA))
• LC709203F Battery Level Sensor (Pins D6(SCL), D7(SDA))
• RGB Status LED (Pins D0(R), D1(G), D2(B))
• All components are defined in Pinouts.hpp

Setup (IMPORTANT!!!)

For detailed setup instructions, check out the setup guide.

Features

1. WiFi Configuration and Management

• Captive portal for initial WiFi setup
• Automatic reconnection handling
• OTA (Over-the-Air) update support
• Access Point mode with DNS server for initial configuration
• Support for multiple network security types

2. Device Management

• Unique device naming system
• Persistent storage of device settings
• MAC address tracking
• JSON-based configuration storage

3. Sensor Integration

• Temperature and humidity monitoring
• Soil moisture level detection
• Ambient light measurement
• Battery level monitoring
• All sensor readings available through unified interface

4. Status Indication

RGB LED status indicators for:

• WiFi Connected (Blinking Blue)
• AP Mode (Solid Red)
• MySQL Server Connected (Solid Green)
• Connection Lost (Fast Red Blinking)
• Reconnecting (Purple Blinking)

5. Web Interface

Three main interfaces:

1. WiFi Configuration (/wifi_config/)

   • Network scanning
   • Connection management
   • Status display

2. User Authentication (/intro_login/)

   • User login
   • New user registration
   • Session management

3. Plant Registration (/plant_registration/)

   • Plant node configuration
   • Species selection
   • Customizable care parameters

Software Architecture

Core Components

1. WiFi Manager (wifi_manager.hpp, wifi_manager.cpp)

   • Handles all network connectivity
   • Manages access point and station modes
   • Implements captive portal
   • Handles OTA updates

2. Device Manager (device_manager.hpp, device_manager.cpp)

   • Manages device identification
   • Handles configuration storage
   • Coordinates settings updates

3. Data Acquisition (dataAcquisition.hpp, dataAcquisition.cpp)

   • Interfaces with all sensors
   • Provides unified data reading interface
   • Handles sensor calibration and thresholds

4. Database Communication (DatabaseCommands.hpp, DatabaseCommands.cpp)

   • Manages API interactions
   • Handles data synchronization
   • Implements connection monitoring

5. RGB Status Handler (rgb_status.hpp, rgb_status.cpp)

   • Manages visual feedback
   • Implements state machine for status indication
   • Handles LED control

Web Interface

The system provides three main web interfaces:

1. WiFi Configuration

   • Network scanning and selection
   • Password input
   • Connection status display

2. User Authentication

   • Login interface
   • Registration form
   • Session management

3. Plant Registration

   • Plant species selection
   • Watering frequency configuration
   • Environmental threshold settings

Setup and Configuration

Initial Setup

1. Flash the ESP8266 with the firmware
2. Power on the device
3. Connect to the device's AP (Format: "PlantNode-XXXX")
4. Navigate to the captive portal
5. Configure WiFi settings

Plant Registration

1. Login or create an account
2. Configure plant parameters:
   • Node name
   • Plant species
   • Watering frequency
   • Environmental thresholds
3. Save configuration

API Integration

The system integrates with a REST API for:

• User authentication
• Plant node registration
• Settings synchronization
• Data logging

API endpoints are defined in dbQueryCreator.hpp and configured via config.h

Development

Requirements

• Arduino IDE or PlatformIO
• ESP8266 board support
• Required Libraries:
  • ESP8266WiFi
  • ESP8266WebServer
  • ArduinoJson
  • DHT sensor library
  • VEML7700 library
  • LC709203F library
  • RGBLed library

Building

1. Clone the repository
2. Install required libraries
3. Configure config.h with API credentials (Refer to the setup guide)
4. Build and flash to ESP8266

Security Features

• Secure WiFi configuration
• Password protection
• Session management
• API authentication
• OTA update support

Troubleshooting

LED Status Indicators

• Solid Red: AP Mode (Initial setup required)
• Blinking Blue: Connected to WiFi
• Solid Green: Fully connected (WiFi + Database)
• Fast Red Blinking: Connection lost
• Purple Blinking: Attempting to reconnect

Common Issues

1. Connection Failures

   • Check WiFi credentials
   • Verify API availability
   • Monitor LED status

2. Sensor Readings

   • Verify sensor connections
   • Check pin configurations
   • Validate sensor thresholds

Contributing

1. Fork the repository
2. Create a feature branch
3. Submit a pull request

License

Authors

Emmanuel Ahonle