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Soil Moisture Sensor

The document outlines a project on interfacing a soil moisture sensor with a Raspberry Pi, detailing its components, working principles, and applications. It describes how the sensor measures soil moisture using electrical conductivity and provides a Python code example for implementation. Applications include automatic irrigation, precision agriculture, and environmental monitoring.

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Kaushek Joshii
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36 views9 pages

Soil Moisture Sensor

The document outlines a project on interfacing a soil moisture sensor with a Raspberry Pi, detailing its components, working principles, and applications. It describes how the sensor measures soil moisture using electrical conductivity and provides a Python code example for implementation. Applications include automatic irrigation, precision agriculture, and environmental monitoring.

Uploaded by

Kaushek Joshii
Copyright
© © All Rights Reserved
We take content rights seriously. If you suspect this is your content, claim it here.
Available Formats
Download as PDF, TXT or read online on Scribd
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Pimpri Chinchwad College of Engineering

Nigdi, Pune

Course: OE-III Designing with Raspberry Pi

Soil Moisture Sensor Interfacing with


Raspberry Pi

Guided by: Dr. Satyashil Nagarale


Name of students PRN
Mihir Deshwandikar 122B1G039
Gunmay Shetty 122B1G171
Pratik Ghodke 122B1G054
Kaushek Joshii 122B1G073
Shriram Nimbalkar 123B2G229
Yashraj Haridas 122B1D023
Introduction to Soil Moisture Sensor
● A soil moisture sensor is a device that measures the amount of
water present in the soil, typically by detecting changes in
electrical conductivity or dielectric constant.

● It allows precise monitoring of soil moisture levels.


● Primarily used in agriculture to optimize irrigation scheduling and
conserve water by only watering when necessary.
Hardware Overview
A typical soil moisture sensor consists of two parts. Sensor + Sensor -
Sensing Probe
1. The Probe
● The probe senses the level of moisture
● It consists of two exposed conductors that are inserted into the soil
● It acts as a variable resistor, with resistance varying according to soil
moisture.
1. The Module
● The module connects the probe to the RPi board
● The module generates an output voltage based on the resistance of the
probe, which is available at an Analog Output (AO) pin Sensor Module
● LM393 High Precision Comparator digitizes it and makes it available at a
Potentiometer for Power LED
Digital Output (DO) pin sensitivity adjustment
● The potentiometer on the module is used for adjusting the sensitivity of the
VCC
digital output (DO) Sensor + GND
Sensor - Digital out
● You can use it to set a threshold, so that when the soil moisture level
Analog out
exceeds the threshold, the module outputs LOW otherwise HIGH.
LM393 Moisture detect
● Rotate the knob clockwise to increase sensitivity and
comparator LED
counterclockwise to decrease it.
Specifications:
Components Used:-

• Soil Moisture sensor – Analog and resistance based


• Raspberry Pi
• Module (Analog-to-Digital Converter)- LM393 High Precision Comparator
• Jumper Wires
• Power Supply – 3.3V or 5V

● Operating Current: 15mA


● Output Digital - 0V to 5V, Adjustable trigger level from preset
● Output Analog - 0V to 5V
● LEDs indicating output and power
How Does a Resistive Soil Moisture Sensor Work?
Basic Principle – Electrical Conductivity & Resistance

• WORKING PRINCIPLE : The sensor applies a small voltage across its probes and measures
the current flow to determine soil moisture level.
• As water is a good conductor of electricity therefore the soil with water content has low
resistance whereas the dry soil has large resistance.
• Ohm’s Law (V=IR) is used to calculate resistance
• More water content → Higher conductivity (Lower resistance).
• Dry soil → Lower conductivity (Higher resistance).

• The sensor outputs an analog voltage proportional to soil moisture.

• Requires an ADC (Analog-to-Digital Converter) to interface with a Raspberry Pi.


• (If we want to measure exact moisture content)
Step-by-Step Process of Measuring Soil Moisture
1. Insert the probes into the soil.

1. Apply a small voltage (~5V) across the probes.

1. Measure resistance across probes:


Wet soil → Low resistance → High current flow.
Dry soil → High resistance → Low current flow.

4.Convert resistance into voltage output (proportional to moisture level).

5.Microcontroller (Arduino/Raspberry Pi) processes the voltage and displays the moisture percentage.
Interfacing diagram
Python Code
import RPi.GPIO as GPIO # Main loop
import time try:
while True:
# Use BOARD numbering (physical pin numbers) moisture = GPIO.input(SOIL_SENSOR_PIN) # Read digital output

GPIO.setmode(GPIO.BOARD) if moisture == GPIO.LOW: # LOW means dry


print("Soil is DRY! RGB LED = Red")
# Define pins using BOARD numbering GPIO.output(RED_LED, GPIO.HIGH) # Turn on Red LED
GPIO.output(GREEN_LED, GPIO.LOW) # Turn off Green LED
SOIL_SENSOR_PIN = 16 # Physical pin 16 (corresponds to BCM GPIO 23)
RED_LED = 8 # Physical pin 8 (corresponds to BCM GPIO 14) else: # HIGH means wet
GREEN_LED = 10 # Physical pin 10 (corresponds to BCM GPIO 15) print("Soil has moisture. RGB LED = Green")
GPIO.output(RED_LED, GPIO.LOW). # Turn off Red LED
# Set up GPIO pins GPIO.output(GREEN_LED, GPIO.HIGH) # Turn on Green LED

GPIO.setup(SOIL_SENSOR_PIN, GPIO.IN) # Set soil sensor pin as input time.sleep(1) # Wait 1 second before reading again
GPIO.setup(RED_LED, GPIO.OUT) # Set Red LED as output
GPIO.setup(GREEN_LED, GPIO.OUT) # Set Green LED as output except KeyboardInterrupt:
print("\nExiting program")
GPIO.cleanup() # Reset GPIO settings before exiting
Applications:
• Automatic irrigation systems :Automatically waters plants when soil moisture is low, saving water
and improving plant health.
• Precision Agriculture – Optimizes irrigation in farms by monitoring soil moisture at different
locations.
• Greenhouse Monitoring System – Controls irrigation, humidity, and temperature for ideal plant
growth in greenhouses.
• Urban Gardening & Smart Home Gardens – Automates watering for home gardens and integrates
with smart home systems.
• Environmental Monitoring & Research – Tracks soil moisture in forests, wetlands, and
conservation areas for ecological studies.
• Landslide & Flood Prediction System – Detects high soil moisture levels to predict and warn about
landslides or floods.
• Disaster Recovery & Drought Monitoring – Collects long-term soil moisture data to aid in drought
prediction and response planning.

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