PORTABLE SOIL MOISTURE SENSOR USING MICROCONTROLLERS

RONSON REY A. PALAPAR

AN UNDERGRADUATE THESIS PROPOSAL SUBMITTED TO THE FACULTY

OF THE INSTITUTE OF COMPUTER APPLICATION, COLLEGE OF
ENGINEERING, CENTRAL MINDANAO UNIVERSITY, IN
PARTIAL FULFILLMENT OF THE REQUIREMENTS
FOR THE DEGREE

BACHELOR OF SCIENCE IN INFORMATION TECHNOLOGY

January 2018
 CHAPTER 1
INTRODUCTION

Water is one of the most important ingredients in any soil. Without water,
soil formation would not be possible. Water enters soil via a number of different
processes. The most common is through precipitation, such as rain and snow. This
precipitation enters the soil and drains down into it. Water Enters Soil In many
cases it also enters soil from the dirt beneath it, as water climbs upward to fill the
empty spaces between particles of dirt.
Identifying soil moisture content can be useful in some ways. It is useful in
understanding the behavior of and properties of the soil by monitoring its moisture
content.
Oven drying method involves collecting of soil samples and weighing it
before and after drying it, and calculating the original moisture content. This is the
most common and old way of determining soil moisture content but still continues
to be the most widely used method for obtaining data on soil moisture. Because it
is the only way of measuring soil moisture, it is required for calibrating the
equipment used in the other methods.

Statement of the problem

Oven drying method is a time consuming activity, it uses heavy instruments
such as oven, weighing scale and etc. and it consume more energy to do the
activity.
Due to this problem this problem, a device is design to reduce the effort of
the user. This device is a Portable soil moisture sensor using microcontrollers
which is helpful in reading the content of soil moisture. A modern way to generate
immediate results is through moisture sensor. The relation between the measured
property and soil moisture must be calibrated and may vary depending on
environmental factors such as soil type, temperature, or electric conductivity.
General Objectives

The main objectives of this project is to develop an Arduino-based Soil

Moisture Content Tester.

Specific Objectives
 To develop a portable soil moisture content device.
 To design a battery powered device.
 To design soil moisture reader device.
 To display the content reading on LCD.
 To develop a device that can be calibrated.
 To conduct a comparison between analog value and oven-drying method
data.

Significance of the study

The significance of this study is to design a soil moisture sensor that can
meet the requirements for accuracy. This will change the traditional way of
calculating soil moisture content which is through oven drying method. With this
device, it will lessen the effort and time of the research in getting the moisture
content. This design uses soil moisture sensor that will be inserted into the soil to
detect its moisture content and the content result will be displayed through the
LCD. This device will be used on the study of “THE INFLUENCE OF MOISTURE
CONTENT ON THE YIELD STRESS OF SLIP-PRONE CLAY SOILS USING
ARDUINO-BASED MOISTURE CONTENT SENSOR” by Ms. Jasel Joy Jalalon.
Scope and Limitation
The project focuses only on giving the real-time result of soil moisture
content and calibrating it. The soil moisture sensor must be clean before and after
use to insure the content of the soil moisture will be accurate. The device will be
used indoor and beyond that is not part of this study and since the project is wired,
the soil moisture sensor will only limit to the length of wires being used. The device
will not use database since the device will only read the content of the soil moisture
content.
 CHAPTER 2
REVIEW OF RELATED LITERATURE

Baseline’s patented soil moisture sensors use TDT (time domain

transmission) technology to provide sensors that are so much more sensitive
(which means they are highly responsive to changes in moisture levels) than
previously available sensors — they actually change the rule of the game. TDT
sensors are the most advanced sensors available as well as the most accurate
and sensitive soil sensors on the market. Baseline’s patented design is not only
sensitive to small changes in moisture content, they are also extremely durable
and reliable, easier to install (over new or existing wire), and they are maintenance
free and cost effective (Watering with soil moisture sensor, baseline Inc 2011).
Now a day’s technology is running with time, it completely occupied the life
style of human beings. Even though there is such an importance for technology in
our routine life there are even people whose life styles are very far to this well-
known term technology. So it is our responsibility to design few reliable systems
which can be even efficiently used by them. This basic idea gave birth to the project
cell phone controlled soil moisture sensor. Here the automation process is done
through the micro controller based technology. The GSM Based Smart Irrigation
System is a project in which we get continuous up to date status of the operation
carried out in field (Farms) in the form of SMS as well we can add other systems
such as LCD displays, sensors, Burglar alarms, soil sensor and Smart Controllers
suitable for the particular field (Soil Moisture Sensor Design for Crop Management
System by Using Cellular Communication 2014).
Design of Soil Moisture Sensor Probe
Moisture sensor is a two-probe sensor made up of pure nickel. Nickel is
used since it has fair conductive properties and also strength to get buried in the
soil for long time. It will not get corroded in the soil. The length of nickel probes is
9.5cm and width of each probe is 0.7cm. The distance between the two probes is
0.5cm the tips of sensor probes are designed in the shape of the triangle so that
can be easily buried in the soil [1]-[4], [8.]. For the Sensor, capacitor of co-planar
plate structure has been used i.e. instead of standard shape of the capacitor which
is parallel plate. This is done so that the soil does not occupy the area in the middle
of the probes. This increases the area of influence of the sensor up to which it can
give correct readings. Figures 2 and 3 shows the standard parallel plate capacitor
and the designed co-planar structure (DESIGN AND DEVELOPMENT OF SOIL
MOISTURE SENSOR AND RESPONSE MONITORING SYSTEM, Volume 3,
2014).

Soil Sensor
The soil moisture sensor (SMS) is a sensor connected to an irrigation
system controller that measures soil moisture content in the active root zone before
each scheduled irrigation event and bypasses the cycle if soil moisture is above a
user- defined set point. A soil moisture sensor measures the quantity of water
contained in a material, such as soil on a volumetric or gravimetric basis. To obtain
an accurate measurement, a soil temperature sensor is also required for
calibration (Soil Moisture Sensor Design for Crop Management System by Using
Cellular Communication 2014).
Determination of soil moisture is one of the most difficult measurements
required in the field of hydrology. Measurement of soil moisture ranges from the
method of feeling the soil to the use of complicated electronic equipment using
radioactive substances. The development of equipment has been directed
primarily toward instruments that continuously measure changes in moisture
content at a single sampling point (A. I. JOHNSON).

Oven drying method

Oven dring method is one of the most common way in determining soil
moisture content. This involves in collecting soil sample and weighing it before and
after drying it and calculating its original moisture content.
Arduino
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, publishing something online. You can tell your board
what to do by sending a set of instructions to the microcontroller on the board. To
do so you use the Arduino programming language (based on Wiring), and the
Arduino Software (IDE), based on Processing (Arduino.cc 2017).
The Arduino is an open source hardware prototyping platform supported by
an open source software environment. It was first introduced in 2005 and was
designed with the goal of making the hardware and software easy to use and
available to the widest audience possible. The original target audience included
artists and hobbyists who needed a microcontroller to make their designs and
creations more interesting. However, given its ease of use and versatility, the
Arduino has quickly become the choice for a wider audience and a wider variety
of projects. This means you can use the Arduino for all manner of projects from
reacting to environmental conditions to controlling complex robotic functions. The
Arduino has also made learning electronics easier through practical applications.
(Bell 2013)

Microcontroller

The desktop computer you are using is a "general purpose computer" that
can run any of thousands of programs. Microcontrollers are "special purpose
computers." Microcontrollers do one thing well. There are a number of other
common characteristics that define microcontrollers. If a computer matches a
majority of these characteristics, then you can call it a "microcontroller".
Microcontrollers are "embedded" inside some other device (often a consumer
product) so that they can control the features or actions of the product. Another
name for a microcontroller, therefore, is "embedded controller."
 Microcontrollers are dedicated to one task and run one specific program.
The program is stored in ROM (read-only memory) and generally does not change.
Microcontrollers are often low-power devices. A desktop computer is almost
always plugged into a wall socket and might consume 50 watts of electricity. A
battery-operated microcontroller might consume 50 milliwatts.

A microcontroller has a dedicated input device and often (but not always)
has a small LED or LCD display for output. A microcontroller also takes input from
the device it is controlling and controls the device by sending signals to different
components in the device. For example, the microcontroller inside a TV takes input
from the remote control and displays output on the TV screen. The controller
controls the channel selector, the speaker system and certain adjustments on the
picture tube electronics such as tint and brightness. The engine controller in a car
takes input from sensors such as the oxygen and knock sensors and controls
things like fuel mix and spark plug timing. A microwave oven controller takes input
from a keypad, displays output on an LCD display and controls a relay that turns
the microwave generator on and off.

A microcontroller is often small and low cost. The components are chosen
to minimize size and to be as inexpensive as possible.

A microcontroller is often, but not always, ruggedized in some way. The

microcontroller controlling a car's engine, for example, has to work in temperature
extremes that a normal computer generally cannot handle. A car's microcontroller
in Alaska has to work fine in -30 degree F (-34 C) weather, while the same
microcontroller in Nevada might be operating at 120 degrees F (49 C). When you
add the heat naturally generated by the engine, the temperature can go as high as
150 or 180 degrees F (65-80 C) in the engine e compartment. On the other hand,
a microcontroller embedded inside a VCR hasn't been ruggedized at all (retrieved
form https://electronics.howstuffworks.com/microcontroller1.htm).
Jumper wires

A jump wire (also known as jumper, jumper wire, jumper cable, DuPont wire,
or DuPont cable – named for one manufacturer of them) is an electrical wire or
group of them in a cable with a connector or pin at each end (or sometimes without
them – simply "tinned"), which is normally used to interconnect the components of
a breadboard or other prototype or test circuit, internally or with other equipment
or components, without soldering. Individual jump wires are fitted by inserting their
"end connectors" into the slots provided in a breadboard, the header connector of
a circuit board, or a piece of test equipment.

Breadboard
A breadboard is a solderless device for temporary prototype with electronics
and test circuit designs. Most electronic components in electronic circuits can be
interconnected by inserting their leads or terminals into the holes and then making
connections through wires where appropriate. The breadboard has strips of metal
underneath the board and connect the holes on the top of the board. The metal
strips are laid out as shown below. Note that the top and bottom rows of holes are
connected horizontally and split in the middle while the remaining holes are
connected vertically.

Arduino IDE
Arduino is an open-source platform used for building electronics projects.
Arduino consists of both a physical programmable circuit board (often referred to
as a microcontroller) and a piece of software, or IDE (Integrated Development
Environment) that runs on your computer, used to write and upload computer code
to the physical board.
The Arduino platform has become quite popular with people just starting out
with electronics, and for good reason. Unlike most previous programmable circuit
boards, the Arduino does not need a separate piece of hardware (called a
programmer) in order to load new code onto the board – you can simply use a USB
cable. Additionally, the Arduino IDE uses a simplified version of C++, making it
easier to learn to program. Finally, Arduino provides a standard form factor that
breaks out the functions of the micro-controller into a more accessible package
(retrieved from https://learn.sparkfun.com/tutorials/what-is-an-arduino).
 CHAPTER 3
METHODOLOGY

1. Conceptual Framework
The figure below shows the concept of the procedures to attain the objectives
of the study. The concept of the whole study is to create soil moisture content tester
by the use of Arduino.

Figure 1 Conceptual Framework

2. Preparation of Component Materials

2.1 Purchasing of Microcontroller and Sensor

The study will begin by the purchasing of necessary microcontroller and
sensor that has the necessary specifications. A microcontroller is a single
integrated circuit containing a processor core, memory, and programming
input/output peripherals. The microcontroller be used will be Arduino Uno R3 with
ATMega328P microcontroller. Since the latter has enough General Input/Output
(GPIO) pins and readily available in the market. As for the sensor, a soil moisture
sensor will be implemented and LCD for displaying of the results, it utilizes I2C
(Inter-Integrated Circuit) protocol to make the displaying of results easier.

2.2 Preparation of the Program for the Microcontroller

The microcontroller will be programmed by using Arduino Integrated
Development Environment (IDE) by using C++ as the programming language. All
necessary codes, including the calibrations and calculations will be implemented
to the microcontroller and sensor. Necessary connections must be implemented in
order the program to work correctly.

3. Collecting of Disturbed Samples

Disturbed and undisturbed soil samples will be collected from a designated
point particularly at Barangay Lorega, Kitaotao, Bukidnon. All the samples to be
collected will be brought to College of Engineering for safe keeping.

4. Drying, Pulverizing and Sieving of Soil Samples

The collected soil samples will be air-dried, pulverized and will be sifted
through sieve no.8 and be prepared for the oven drying.

5. Assembly of Prototype
The sensor will be assembled with the microcontroller and the program
developed will be uploaded to the microcontroller. LCD will be attached to the
microcontroller for the display of the moisture content together with the buttons and
the battery.

6. Calibration of Sensor
The prototype will undergo calibration in order to provide accurate readings
and minimize errors. During the calibration the sample soil will undergo two
process. The sample soil will be weigh and the data will be recorded. Using the
soil moisture sensor, the data will be collected from the sample soil before the soil
will be put on the controlled oven. After drying it, the sample soil will be weigh again
and calculate the result. Comparing the result of data from soil moisture sensor
and the oven dry soil will be used to make the device accurate and precise and
this will be done by conducting ten (10) trials in every 10 percent increment to
determine the analog values in each percentage increment.

7. Implementation of Microcontroller and Sensor

After slump height will be measured, the device will be attached to the
sample and LCD will display the moisture content result.

Testing the System

After implementing the device it will undergo calibration to insure the
accurateness of the result. This will undergo several testing which is the important
part of making a project. In this test, identification of errors will be done.