Microcontrolled Irrigation System

(MIS)
College of Technology Team 4:
University of Houston Sharon Andrus
Senior Project DucToan Doan
Henry Phan
Wilber Ruano

ELET 4308 Team 4 Slide 1 of 18

 Executive Summary
n Objective: Design a Useful Innovative Product
Cost effective and environmentally conscious
Time and money saving device

n Research: Existing Watering Systems &

Components
Manual and automatic watering systems
Soil and rain sensor components

ELET 4308 Team 4 Slide 2 of 18

 Product Requirements
n Theoretical Full System Model
Zoned watering areas
Embedded soil sensors and rain sensor
Control box with 8051 microcontroller

n Add-On Component
Install soil and rain sensor
Replace timer unit with Control Box

ELET 4308 Team 4 Slide 3 of 18

 Product Requirements
n Prototype Model
Control Board with 8051 Microcontroller
Control Unit Housing
Toro Rain Sensor
Moisture Soil Sensor
RainBird Automatic Sprinkler Valve
Sprinkler Base
RainBird Pop-Up Sprinkler Head

ELET 4308 Team 4 Slide 4 of 18

 Design Alternatives
n Moisture Soil Sensor
Construct a soil sensor
Cost effective sensor found for $45

n Demonstration Model
Indoor demonstration with 5 gallon water jug
Outdoor demonstration with portable sprinkler
base

ELET 4308 Team 4 Slide 5 of 18

 Design Alternatives
n Signal Interpretation by the Microcontroller
ADC interpretation
Input port saturation signaling

n Saturation Response Delay

Vantage Pro Moisture Sensor
Teams moisture soil sensor implemented in
presentation model

ELET 4308 Team 4 Slide 6 of 18

 Design Specifications
n Mini-Max 51-C2 8051 Microcontroller
n Indicator LEDs (Red, Yellow & Green)
n On/Off & Manual Override Switch
n PVC Pipe Sprinkler Base
n RainBird Pop-Up Sprinkler
n RainBird Automatic Sprinkler Valve
n Toro Rain Sensor
n Soil Sensor

ELET 4308 Team 4 Slide 7 of 18

 Design Description
n MIS Control Board

ELET 4308 Team 4 Slide 8 of 18

 Design Description
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ELET 4308 Team 4 Slide 9 of 18

 Design Description

MIS Programming Algorithm

ELET 4308 Team 4 Slide 10 of 18

 Construction Details

n Control Unit Housing

n Sprinkler Base

ELET 4308 Team 4 Slide 11 of 18

 Construction Details

ELET 4308 Team 4 Slide 12 of 18

 Verification & Testing
n Component Testing
Relay Switch & Peak Detector Circuits
Rain & Soil Sensor

n Integration Tests
Microcontroller & Automatic Sprinkler Valve

n Full System Testing

Simulated Full System Test
Full System Tests
ELET 4308 Team 4 Slide 13 of 18
 Verification & Testing

ELET 4308 Team 4 Slide 14 of 18

 Costs
n Parts Total Cost $ 224.67
Home Depot, EPO, Discount Awards
Hardware, electrical components donated by team
members
Component nameplates, parts and labor donated
by John Tedesco

n Labor Total Cost $ 25,987.50

Labor to build electrical circuitry
Labor to build prototype model
Labor to complete the paperwork and
documentation
Total of 866.25 labor hours @ $30.00 per hour
ELET 4308 Team 4 Slide 15of 18
 Costs
n Tools & Lab Equipment Cost $ 4333.44
Meters, power supplies, oscilloscope, PC
Table saw, drill, soldering kit and other tools
Project Cost Comparison

Calculating $800 worth of

Travel Expenses incurred by 0.75%
2.65%
14.4% 0.75% 2.65%
14.4%
team members
Parts
Equipment
Labor
Travel

Total Cost $ 31,345.61 82.2%

82.2%

ELET 4308 Team 4 Slide 16of 18

 Conclusions
n Project was completed a week ahead of schedule
with few delays
n Setback due to performance of soil sensor
n Testing revealed design flaws that caused system
adjustments to be made

n Follow-up project includes installation of full system

at team members home as time and money allow
n Due to the power of the capability of the 8051
Microcontroller system upgrades in the future are
almost limitless

ELET 4308 Team 4 Slide 17 of 18

 Questions & Comments

ELET 4308 Team 4 Slide 18 of 18