Modular Garden System

Device

The Modular Garden System is a set of units that when combined create a self-managing garden system. It waters itself, gathers data from sensors, and connects via USB to a Unity program. They are also shaped as modular hexagons to be able to form any shape or size when combined. Even the piping system is designed with the same modularity in mind.

The microcontroller which manages the entire system soldered onto a PCB I designed and milled. Jumper wires connect pin headers to different inputs and outputs mounted elsewhere.

The Unity program I developed that displays water tank's water level, displays the moisture within the primary garden unit, and allows control of the pump in the water system.

Skills Used

Fusion 360

C++

Laser Cutting

Corel Draw

KiCad

Milling PCBs

Unity Engine

C#

3D Printing

Development

The Modular Garden System is a device I developed over the course of many weeks as my capstone project for the program Fab Academy that I completed. It utilizes many systems combined into one like motors, sensors, microcontrollers, serial communication, USB communication to a secondary device, and so much more. It is the culimination of almost all my skills at the time combined into one giant project.

Modularity & Expandability

As mentioned the system is delibratly designed in a hexagonal shape (all of the unnits) as well as the watering system so that the overall garden can be expanded to any shape or size that the user wants. The Units snap together and the water system includes six way intersections above each unit in order to deliver water to all connected Units.

Self-Watering and Soil Moisture

The Modular Garden System is equiped with a soil moisture sensor that detects the moisture of the soil of the nearest Garden Unit. When it detects a lack of water, it will send serial data to the pump to begin pumping water until the soil moisture sensor reads a high enough moisture level. The pump can also be manually triggered in the Unity program if needed, signaling to the device to trigger the pump for a fixed amount of time. This is demonstrated in the embedded video.