AKENTEN APPIAH MENKA

UNIVERSITY OF SKILLS TRIANING AND ENTREPRENEURIAL

DEVELOPMENT

FACULTY OF TECHNOLOGY EDUCATION

DEPARTMENT OF ELECTRICAL AND ELECTRONIC

TECHNOLOGY EDUCATION

DESIGN AND CONSTRUCTION OF AN

AUTOMATED SOLAR-POWERED IRRIGATION SYSTEM

BY:

IDDISAH KAPAMBU ISSAHAKU

5181200007

SEPTEMBER, 2022
 DESIGN AND CONSTRUCTION OF AN

AUTOMATED SOLAR-POWERED IRRIGATION SYSTEM

IDDISAH KAPAMBU ISSAHAKU

5181200007

A PROJECT PRESENTED TO THE FACULTY OF TECHNOLOGY EDUCATION

AND DEPARTMENT OF ELECTRICAL/ELECTRONICS TECHNOLOGY

EDUCATION, AKENTEN APPIAH MENKA UNIVERSITY OF SKILLS TRAINING

AND ENTREPRENEURIAL DEVELOPMENT IN PARTIAL FULFILLMENT OF

THE REQUIREMENT FOR THE AWARD OF BACHELOR OF SCIENCE IN

ELECTRICAL/ELECTRONIC TECHNOLOGY

SEPTEMBER, 2022
 DECLARATION

STUDENT’S DECLARATION

I, Iddisah Kapambu Issahaku, hereby declare that except for references made to other people’s

work and quotations which I duly acknowledged and cited, this dissertation is my original work

as a result of my research and that no part of it has neither been presented in part nor whole

elsewhere for another degree.

Signature:……………………….……… Date……………………………

IDDISAH KAPAMBU ISSAHAKU

SUPERVISOR’S DECLARATION

I hereby declare that the preparation and presentation of this work were supervised by the

guidelines for supervision of project work as laid down by Akenten Appiah Menka University

of Skills Training and Entrepreneurial Development.

Signature:……………………….……… Date……………………………

MR. FRANCOIS SEKYERE

i
 DEDICATION

This project is dedicated to Allaah, The Exalted, for His infinite mercy and love for me, to my

father, Iddisah Issahaku, to my mother, Alhassan Hannah Ademu, and to the rest of my family

and friends.

ii
 ACKNOWLEDGEMENTS

Alhamdulillaah. All praises and thanks are due to Allaah, The Exalted. I sincerely appreciate

my beloved parents, Mr. Iddisah Issahaku and Mrs. Alhassan Hannah Ademu, for their love,

care, and all the spiritual and financial support they gave me throughout my life. I love you so

much. “My Lord, have mercy on them, as they raised me when I was a child.” [Qur’aan 17:24].

I really appreciate my lecturer and supervisor, Mr. Francois Sekyere, whose patience, cautious

guidance, constructive criticism and his time he had on me have helped me to make this

research work a pleasant rewarding.

And also, my gratitude also goes to all my lectures, teachers and mentors, Mr. Seebawai Abdur-

Rahim, Mr. Issah, Mr. Nazif, Mr. Samuel Gyapong, Mr Jacob Appiah, my aunty, Sandra

Krantomah, and my lovely sister, Nana Ayisha whose guidance and assistance has helped me

to reach this status.

Lastly, this goes to all my colleagues, friends, and loved ones, Ali Abdur-Rahman, Addo

Ernest, Awal Muhammad, Abdul Quddus, Ansah Simon, my main man, Abubakr Yusuf and

lastly, Salamatu Abdur-Rahman, for all their prayers, encouragements and support and also

devoted their time in correcting me through this project step by step to complete on time. And

to all those who contributed in diverse ways for me to succeed in my tertiary education but

their names are not mentioned, I really appreciate your efforts and am very grateful.

By Allaah, I wouldn’t have been able to make it without you all. I ask Allaah to bless you all

and grant you the best in this world and the next.

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 TABLE OF CONTENTS

DECLARATION ........................................................................................................................ i
DEDICATION ...........................................................................................................................ii
ACKNOWLEDGEMENTS ..................................................................................................... iii
LIST OF TABLES .................................................................................................................... vi
LIST OF FIGURES .................................................................................................................vii
ABSTRACT........................................................................................................................... viii
CHAPTER ONE ........................................................................................................................ 1
INTRODUCTION ..................................................................................................................... 1
1.1 Background of the Study ............................................................................................. 1
1.2 Problem Statement ...................................................................................................... 2
1.3 Research Objectives .................................................................................................... 3
1.4 Significance of Study .................................................................................................. 3
1.5 Limitations of Study .................................................................................................... 4
CHAPTER TWO ....................................................................................................................... 5
LITERATURE REVIEW .......................................................................................................... 5
2.0 Introduction ................................................................................................................. 5
2.1 Importance of Water and Plants .................................................................................. 5
2.1.1 Importance of Water ............................................................................................ 5
2.1.2 Importance of Plants ............................................................................................ 6
2.2 History of the Study .................................................................................................... 8
2.3 Review of Related Works ........................................................................................... 8
2.3.1 Automated irrigation system using solar power in Bangladesh........................... 9
2.3.2 Design and implementation of an Automatic irrigation system in Nigeria ......... 9
2.3.3 Automatic Plant irrigation system ....................................................................... 9
2.3.4 GSM based Automatic Irrigation Control System for Efficient Use of Resources
and Crop Planning by Using an Android Mobile in India ................................................ 10
2.3.5 Sensor-based Automatic Irrigation System ....................................................... 10
2.3.6 Smart Irrigation System using Arduino ............................................................. 10
2.3.7 Automatic Irrigation System for Sensing Soil Moisture Content ...................... 11
2.3.8 Identifying Soil Humidity Content by Automatic Irrigation Methods .............. 11
2.4 Theory of the Study ................................................................................................... 12
2.4.1 Composition of the Hardware ............................................................................ 12
2.4.2 Software Component ......................................................................................... 18

iv
CHAPTER THREE ................................................................................................................. 19
METHODOLOGY .................................................................................................................. 19
3.0 Introduction ............................................................................................................... 19
3.1 System Block Diagram.............................................................................................. 19
3.2 Hardware Specifications and Interfacing .................................................................. 20
3.2.1 ATmega328pu Microcontroller ......................................................................... 20
3.2.2 Soil Moisture Sensor .......................................................................................... 24
3.2.3 16x2 Lcd Screen with I2c Module ..................................................................... 27
3.2.3 1-Channel 5v Relay Module .............................................................................. 31
3.3 Software Development .............................................................................................. 34
3.4 Principle of Operation ............................................................................................... 35
CHAPTER FOUR .................................................................................................................... 37
TESTING, RESULTS AND ANALYSIS ............................................................................... 37
4.0 Introduction ............................................................................................................... 37
4.1 Testing ....................................................................................................................... 37
4.2 Test Results ............................................................................................................... 38
4.3 Analysis ..................................................................................................................... 38
CHAPTER FIVE ..................................................................................................................... 41
CONCLUSION AND RECOMMENDATION ....................................................................... 41
5.1 Conclusion................................................................................................................. 41
5.2 Recommendations ..................................................................................................... 41
5.3 Suggestions for Future Works ................................................................................... 42
REFERENCES ........................................................................................................................ 43
APPENDIX .............................................................................................................................. 46

v
 LIST OF TABLES

Table 3.1. ATmega328pu pinout description. ......................................................................... 22

Table 3.2. Pinouts of the ATmega328pu and their corresponding Arduino UNO pins. ......... 22

Table 3.3. Connection of the soil moisture sensor pins to the microcontroller....................... 26

Table 3.4. Description of LCD pins. ....................................................................................... 28

Table 3.5. Connection of I2C module pins to the microcontroller. ........................................ 30

Table 3.6. Description of relay module pins. .......................................................................... 32

Table 3.7. Interfacing of the relay module with the ATmega328pu. ...................................... 33

Table 4:1. Results of the test. .................................................................................................. 38

Table 4:2. Moisture percentage appropriate for some vegetables and cereals........................ 39

vi
 LIST OF FIGURES

Figure 2.1. A waterfall. ............................................................................................................. 5

Figure 2.2. A Monestera Thai Constellations Plant. ................................................................. 7

Figure 2.3. ATmega328pu microcontroller and 16MHz crystal. ............................................ 13

Figure 2.4. Calibrated soil moisture sensor............................................................................. 14

Figure 2.5. LCD screen with I2C module. .............................................................................. 15

Figure 2.6. 1-Channel relay module........................................................................................ 15

Figure 2.7. 5VDC Submersible pump. .................................................................................... 16

Figure 2.8. 12V Solar panel. ................................................................................................... 17

Figure 2.9. TTL to USB convertor .......................................................................................... 17

Figure 3.1. Block diagram of the automated solar-powered irrigation system. ...................... 19

Figure 3.2. ATmega328pu microcontroller. ........................................................................... 21

Figure. 3.3. ATmega328pu pinout diagram. ........................................................................... 21

Figure 3.4. Circuit diagram of ATmega328pu microcontroller connected with 2x22PF

capacitors, 16MHz crystal, reset push button and a 10kꭥ. ...................................................... 24

Figure 3.5. Soil moisture sensor, drawn with proteus............................................................. 25

Figure 3.6. Diagram of the parts of the soil moisture sensor, drawn with paint. .................... 26

Figure 3.7. Diagram of connection of the soil moisture sensor pins to the ATmega328pu. . 27

Figure 3.8. Image and pin diagram of LCD screen. ................................................................ 28

Figure 3.9. LCD I2C module. ................................................................................................. 29

Figure 3.10. Connection of I2C module pins to the microcontroller. ..................................... 30

Figure 3.11. 1-Channel 5V relay module. ............................................................................... 31

Figure 3.12. Diagram of relay module connected to the ATmega328pu microcontroller. ..... 34

Figure 3.13. Programming codes. ........................................................................................... 35

Figure 3.14. Complete circuit diagram of the automated irrigation system. .......................... 36

vii
 ABSTRACT

Our ecosystem is designed in such a way that, living organisms inter-dependent on each other

in order to survive. For example, plants give out oxygen to animals and animals give out carbon

dioxide back to the plants, and also, animals eat plants as food and animals may die and become

decaying matter, serving as food to the plants, a very healthy mutual symbiosis. Since Man

seems to be the one responsible in controlling the affairs of some living things especially plants,

then there is the need that this responsibility must be carried out very consciously.

Agriculture is very important in the life of humans because it is one of the main sources of food

and also its effect causes stability in the ecosystem and regulation in the atmosphere. Therefore,

irrigation is very essential in the lives of human beings. An automatic solar-powered irrigation

control system has been designed to facilitate the automatic supply of adequate of water from

a water source to field or domestic crops in all agricultural seasons.

The purpose of this work is to see how human interference could be reduced from irrigation as

it could be tiring and time consuming and also, to optimize the use of water in the process, to

prevent or reduce water wastage. The system is essentially design and programmed in such

way that soil moisture sensor senses the moisture level of plants at particular instances of time,

if moisture level of sensor is less than the specified value of threshold which is predefined

according to the particular plant's water need then the desired amount of water is supplied till

it reaches to the predefined threshold value.

viii
 CHAPTER ONE

INTRODUCTION

1.1 Background of the Study

In recent decades, there is been an impressive advancement in the agricultural sector. Studies

show that agriculture has great importance worldwide. In Ghana for example, about 52% of

the labour force is engaged in agriculture and 54% of Ghana’s gross domestic product (GDP),

comes from agriculture [1]. In the past, irrigation used to be manual where watering cans were

used to water large areas of land. This was so tedious and time consuming so conventional

methods were later invented where mills were used to irrigate farms but the adequate amount

of water needed were not known. This caused either over-irrigation which led to wastage of

water and destruction of crops or under-irrigation which caused deficiency in the corps which

eventually die. However, with the rapid advancements in technology, new automated irrigation

systems have been innovated to help reduce physical intervention, save time, and prevent water

wastage.

The problem of irrigation doesn’t apply to large scale or industrial agriculture alone, domestic,

and local plantings are not left out. Plants are very beneficial to all human beings in many

aspects. They produce oxygen and helps in keeping the environment healthy. Because plants

serve as food to humans, animals and other micro-organisms, others use plants for medicinal

purposes and beautification for some others, many people like to have gardens of plants in their

backyards at home. A system which could keep plants alive and healthy would enable everyone

to grow their own food and herbs, all year round. It would provide a way to get fresh vegetables

and herbs with almost no manual input. Growing your own food is good for your health and

your wallet as well. These plants are dependent on breeding conventionally for instance,

1
provide the right amount of water supply to sustain life and growth. Many people forget to

water their plant on a busy schedule of day and due to that many plants suffers disorder and

ultimately died. Apart from that another big problem in the modern society is the shortage of

water and the unplanned use of water inadvertently results in wastage of water.

Since this problem of irrigating is now seen to affect both domestic and industrial agriculture,

automatic plant watering system have been seen becoming much more with the rise in the

everyday objects being connected to the advanced technologies these systems are implemented

at a growing rate in places like homes as well as on industrial levels. It is a big task to utilize

water supply or resource in a proper way thus, a system is required to handle this task

automatically. In automatic plant watering system, the most momentous advantage is that water

is only supplied when pre-set threshold value of the soil moisture sensor goes below. This saves

lots of water even in the bigger irrigation systems [2]. Intelligent irrigation systems beautify

watering schedules and automatically running times to meet the specific needs of the landscape

[3].

1.2 Problem Statement

The economy of many countries depends on agriculture. To achieve the best quality from this

research, it is important to focus on some vital characteristics such as the appropriate amount

of electricity as well as water supply and a suitable schedule for irrigation of crops. Farmers

are facing problems in meeting these standards, especially those living in poverty. This project

investigates developing an automated irrigation system that could be monitored on an LCD

screen. This system will work to minimize the number of workers in a crop field, control and

save electricity and water through preventing water wastage, increase agricultural production

using small quantities of water, minimize manual intervention in watering operations with

increasing watering speed and preserving plants from fungi. All these features make this

2
research a sustainable option to be considered to improve the agriculture and irrigation

efficiency.

1.3 Research Objectives

The main objective of this project is to develop an automated system that solves most problems

related to irrigation and agriculture such as controlling and saving both the water and

electricity, increasing agricultural production using small quantities of water, minimize manual

intervention in watering operations with increasing watering speed, preserving plants from

fungi. The goals of this study are to discover the excellent automation technique for irrigation

system automatically controlled through software in a way that allows the user to monitor all

system activities on an LCD display.

The objectives to consider are:

1. Save energy by using solar power.

2. Optimize water consumption.

3. Fully automate the system.

4. Decrease the cost of system manufacturing and installation.

5. Make system easy for farmers to use.

1.4 Significance of Study

The study will help support investments in solar pumps for agricultural production. If justified,

options for beneficial use to fast-track returns to the investment would be provided to create

opportunities. This information will also be of significance to policy makers, scientists and

environmentalists especially in Ghana to help increase agricultural production in the region

especially vegetables such as tomatoes, onions and pepper the main cash crops at homes and

on large scales.

3
1.5 Limitations of Study

As technology advances every single day, inventions are being improved upon. These

improvements are always based on the shortcomings and deficiency of previous research

works. This project is not an exception. There are some features, components or systems, if

added would make this project of high quality. These options were not intentionally left out

but due to inaccessibility of some components and system complexification. The following are

the limitations of this study:

1. The microcontroller system is powered by 9VDC battery which needs to be changed

after long period of time.

2. The soil moisture sensor has a small scale of moisture measurement which makes it

difficult to measure moisture content of soil parts of plants with deeper roots.

4
 CHAPTER TWO

LITERATURE REVIEW

2.0 Introduction

The chapter focuses on reassessment and revision of previous studies and projects related to

this research. Functions, features and limitations of related works are also discussed briefly in

this chapter.

2.1 Importance of Water and Plants

Water and plants are so essential to life and are the main motivation to the initiation and construction

of this project. Therefore, it is appropriate to mention their importance. The following sub-chapters

discus the importance of water and plants.

2.1.1 Importance of Water

‘Water is life’ is a common saying and this is universally acclaimed. Water is the most

important natural resource in the world over.

Figure 2.1. A waterfall. [4]

Figure 2.1 shows a beautiful waterfall

5
The importance of water is so great that it has been given credence by the following statements:

1. Living things depend on water but water does not depend on living things; it has a life

of its own. [5]

2. Water is an integral part of the natural environment and the habitat for many forms of

life, be it human, animal and plant. [6]

3. Water is earth’s eye, looking into which the beholder measures the depth of his own

nature. [7]

4. Water’s importance on earth is therefore undeniable for human beings and is

increasingly so as water is becoming increasingly scarce in major parts of the world.

[8]

5. Next to air, the other important requirement for human life to exist is water. The

importance of water in human life is so much that the development of any city of the

world has practically taken place near some source of water supply. Water is nature’s

gift to humans, and its availability in various forms such as rivers, lakes, streams, etc.,

solid, liquid and gas is basically important for human beings‟ comfort, luxury, and

various other necessities of life. [9]

2.1.2 Importance of Plants

Plants are living organisms which make their own energy by using photosynthesis. The

substance chlorophyll makes them green and enables them to absorb energy from the sun. To

thrive, plants require water and sun in combinations with the right pH-level, surrounding

temperature and nutrition. They need to be placed where these requirements are met. Plants

have rigid cell walls which makes them stable. [10]

6
 Figure 2.2. A Monestera Thai Constellations Plant. [11]

Soil consists of the elements sand, silt, and clay. The clay particles are the smallest and the

sand particles are the largest. [12] The ratio of the three components affects the properties of

the soil. By changing the ratio, different properties can be achieved. Depending on the type of

plant you have, the soil needs to be adjusted accordingly.

There are pores between the soil particles, when these pores are completely filled with water

the soil is saturated. Volumetric water content, VWC, is used as a measurement for soil

moisture level. It is calculated as the volume of water to volume of soil percentage ratio. Field

capacity is the amount of water the soil can hold, the level of moisture after excess water has

drained away. At field capacity the plant growth is optimal, this is typically between VWC

20% for sandy soils and VWC 40% for clay soils [13]. Sandy soils are fast-draining, resulting

in dry soil. Since the Adiantum is to be kept in moist soil, clay soil was used. Clay soils have

a higher water-holding capacity and their ability to transport water from deeper layers through

capillary action is good. [14]

7
2.2 History of the Study

For some many past years, technology has been fascinating but nothing like what we are

experiencing currently. Several organizations and individual have made attempts in diverse

ways to counter the problem of getting water to spray farms automatically. This problem got

its solution after the first invention of the water pump in 1736 by H.A Wirtz which was driven

by the stream wheel in the Limmat river to raise water for a dye use. [2]

In 250 BC, in ancient Greece and Rome, they used a device called the Archimedean screw,

which was shaped like a giant screw. It worked by lifting water through the inside of the pump

for irrigation. The screw was turned by hand, and it usually took two workers to do so. Piston

pumps were also around in the same time period as the Archimedean screw. [2]

In 1580, the sliding vane pump was invented, followed shortly thereafter by the gear pump.

The piston vacuum pump came along in 1650. A Ural hydraulic machinery plant was built in

1738. This was the first instance of automated pump machinery. It would take a few more

years, but in 1790, Thomas Simpson would establish the first pump business in London. [2]

The following years were a whirlwind of new companies, including Grundfos in 1945. It would

be until 1948 when more serious advances were made, when Stenberg-Flygt AB designed the

first submersible drainage pump. [9]

2.3 Review of Related Works

Several organizations and individual have made attempts in diverse ways to counter the

problem of getting water to spray farms automatically. Therefore, there is the need to appreciate

the previous works of individuals.

8
2.3.1 Automated irrigation system using solar power in Bangladesh

The gadget specializes in rice fields in nations depending on agriculture within the economy,

such as Bangladesh. The primary concept in this gadget is to cognizance on the level of water

in agricultural fields because those fields lose lots of their merchandise due to floods. The

sensor sends a message from the field to the person approximately the extent of water within

the area if it will increase or decreases then the operator controls the pump to regulate or flip

off the telephone. The blessings of this machine are that it depends on the sun energy to get

hold of electricity. The dangers of this system are that it centred on one sort of sensor, the water

stage sensor, no matter whether the plant desires water or not. There may be no opportunity

source of energy in case there is no solar electricity to run the device. [15]

2.3.2 Design and implementation of an Automatic irrigation system in Nigeria

In this machine the basic idea is to rely on the type of soil and the amount of water needed by

each type of soil. This process is done by measuring the level of moisture in each type and

using the pump to supply water. The result indicates that sandy soil requires less water than

clay soils. The blessings of this device are to focus on soil moisture and water conservation.

But making the machine much less powerful is to measure the moisture of soil from one

location in the agricultural land. It’s far viable that the vegetation at the other end of the rural

land does no longer need watering. Also, the water source isn't constant. [16]

2.3.3 Automatic Plant irrigation system

This gadget works with two probes insert within the soil. When the soil is dry then the probes

will now not behaviour and while the soil is wet then the probes will behaviour. Thy used HEX

inverter and this offers the complement output for its input, i.e., whilst the enter is high it offers

low output. the running of the 2 probes in the soil relies upon on the resistance for instance if

the resistance is high manner the soil is dry and whilst the soil is wet then the resistance is low

and the voltage given to the two probes is given from the battery linked to the circuit. [17]

9
2.3.4 GSM based Automatic Irrigation Control System for Efficient Use of Resources

and Crop Planning by Using an Android Mobile in India

This device works by using Bluetooth or GSM. This device is placed in the agricultural land.

The idea of this device is to monitor the humidity and temperature in the agricultural land in

addition to monitoring the state of the climate through the temperature of the weather and

humidity and dew drops after the device to send a text message to the user's machine. [18]

2.3.5 Sensor-based Automatic Irrigation System

This system also depends on the measurement of soil humidity and temperature. The system

works by sending a signal from farm controller to user phone and the phone must be in

automatic reply in case that soil needs water. a signal from phone send to farm controller again

to switch on or off the system.

Step 1: Start the process.

Step 2: Initialize power is supplied to GSM.

Step 3: Check the moisture level (less than or more than).

Step 4: If the level will be more than fixed criteria, no Need for irrigation.

Step 5: If the Moisture level is less than fixed criteria, start irrigation.

Step 6: Initialization of pump and rain gun.

Step 7: After the process completed, it moves to the original state.

Step 8: Stop the process.

I think the only disadvantage of this study is that it works with Wi-Fi. Often agricultural land

is far from the city so the network is not good in these areas. Also, this system needs to enter

the farmer via his phone. [15]

2.3.6 Smart Irrigation System using Arduino

This system makes a specialty of the proper distribution of insecticides in agricultural land to fight the

sickness. This machine includes flora linked to the sensor and an analytical device. The multi-sensor is

10
an aggregate of a temperature sensor, humidity sensor, motion sensor, light sensor, vibrating sensor,

and UV sensor. An analytical device which functions to analyse a pattern for the presence of a particular

compound is referred to as a sensor. The moisture and pH value detected by way of the multi-sensor is

taken by interfacing Arduino which is exceeded to the farmer’s mobile the usage of GSM. [19]

2.3.7 Automatic Irrigation System for Sensing Soil Moisture Content

The aim of this study is also to develop a system that turns on and off the engine automatically

through moisture. On this consider, I failed to find out sufficient facts around the source of

water and the approach of controlling the withdrawal of water from the supply furthermore did

not discover enough information nearly the supply of power applied in this study. [20]

2.3.8 Identifying Soil Humidity Content by Automatic Irrigation Methods

An extraordinary plan is done on "Identifying Soil Humidity Content in Automatic Irrigation

Methods" is proposed in an effort to enhance an automatic irrigation strategy that controls the

pumping motorized via turn it the machine On or Off due to detecting the moisture quantity of

the soil. Proved that using automated irrigation techniques enables to minimize the mistakes of

operation due to employees and apply suitably automated irrigation to the agriculture field.

This project conveys by Arduino board called (ATmega328 micro-controller), which is

assemble input sign of variable moisture conditions via special moisture sensing method. The

project illustrates that water can be controlled and corrected in the amount of usage in crops by

using a moisture sensor, to protect the valuable soil and to maintain the quantity of water

needed for crops irrigation.

Vagulabranan, Karthikeyan, and Sasikala applied an automation irrigation machine based on

sensing of soil moisture. This study focused on the development of an automatic device through

the operation of the pump in a manner depending on the level of soil moisture. the use of

programmed irrigation scheme on this prototype on detecting soil humidity content material

inside the agricultural subject makes irrigation quick and more correct. whereas, difficulties

11
confronted in measuring dry soil and water fields may be solved. This automatic irrigation

application for this assignment is to store farmers’ time. further, it covers the needed for person

inside the agricultural discipline. also, this challenge may be utilized in greenhouses to cowl

farmers location. [21]

2.4 Theory of the Study

Almost every Electrical or Electronics project consists of a circuit which cannot be without

both the hardware and software components and this solar powered automatic irrigation system

is not an exception. Therefore, there is the need to appreciate the components that make up the

hardware and the programming codes that make up the software as well.

2.4.1 Composition of the Hardware

The hardware aspect of this project consists of the following; ATMEL ATmega328pu

microcontroller chip, a 16MHz crystal and 2x22PF capacitors to enhance the speed and

performance of the ATmega328pu microcontroller, a 9v batter to serve power to the

microcontroller board with an L7805CV 5v voltage regulator to maintain the voltage from the

9v batter at 5v, an ICQMCU 3pin soil moisture sensor to read the level of the moisture content

present in the soil, a 16x2 LCD display with I2C module to show the active status of the system

at every particular instance, a 5v dc submersible pump to spray water to the plants, a 1-channel

5v relay module which serve as a switch to either turn the pump on or off, a 12v solar panel to

serve power to the submersible pump with a 9v rechargeable battery to store power from the

solar panel and an L7805CV 5v voltage regulator to maintain the voltage from the solar panel

at 5v, LEDs, 2.2k ohms resistors and lastly, a 10k ohms resistors.

2.4.1.1 ATmega328p Microcontroller

The ATMEGA328P is a popular microcontroller due to it being a major component in the

Arduino board products. The ATMEGA328P is the 8-bit RISC heart of the Arduino Uno and

Nano, with a maximum clock frequency of 20MHz, 32KB program FLASH, and 2KB of RAM.
12
The ATMEGA328P contains many on-board peripherals, including UART, SPI, timers, ADC,

comparators, and a watchdog, and is housed in a 28-DIP package which enables designers to

easily prototype their designs before committing to surface mount technology. With a

temperature range of -40°C to 105°C and voltage range of 1.8V to 5.5V, the ATMEGA328

truly is a versatile, cost-effective microcontroller. [22] To enhance the speed and performance

of the ATMEGA328P microcontroller, 2 of 22PF capacitors and a 16MHz crystal is connected

to it. Figure 2.3 shows examples of the 16MHz crystal and ATMEGA328P microcontroller.

Figure 2.3. ATmega328pu microcontroller and 16MHz crystal. [25]

2.4.1.2 Soil Moisture Sensor

Soil moisture sensors measure the volumetric water content in soil. Since the

direct gravimetric measurement of free-soil moisture requires removing, drying, and weighing

of a sample, soil moisture sensors measure the volumetric water content indirectly by using

some other property of the soil, such as electrical resistance, dielectric constant, or interaction

with neutrons, as a proxy for the moisture content. 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. Reflected microwave radiation is affected by

the soil moisture and is used for remote sensing in hydrology and agriculture. Portable probe

instruments can be used by farmers or gardeners. Soil moisture sensors typically refer to

sensors that estimate volumetric water content. Another class of sensors measure another

13
property of moisture in soils called water potential; these sensors are usually referred to as soil

water potential sensors and include tensiometers and gypsum blocks. [2]

Figure 2.4. Calibrated soil moisture sensor.

2.4.1.3 16x2 LCD Display with I2c Module

An LCD (Liquid Crystal Display) screen is an electronic display module and has a wide range

of applications. A 16x2 LCD display is very basic module and is very commonly used in

various devices and circuits. A 16x2 LCD means it can display 16 characters per line and there

are 2 such lines. In this LCD each character is displayed in 5x7 pixel matrix. The 16 x 2

intelligent alphanumeric dot matrix display is capable of displaying 224 different characters

and symbols. This LCD has two registers, namely, Command and Data. The Command register

stores various commands given to the display. Data register stores data to be displayed. The

process of controlling the display involves putting the data that form the image of what you

want to display into the data registers, then putting instructions in the instruction register. In

your Arduino project Liquid Crystal Library simplifies this for you so you don't need to know

the low-level instructions. Contrast of the display can be adjusted by adjusting the

potentiometer to be connected across VEE pin. [17] The I2C module is programmed to receive

4 input pins from the microcontroller and transmit 16 output pins to the LCD display.

14
 Figure 2.5. LCD screen with I2C module.

2.4.1.4 1-Channel 5v Relay Module

5V Relay Module is a relay interface board, it can be controlled directly by a wide range of

microcontrollers such as Arduino, AVR, PIC, ARM and so on. It uses a low-level triggered

control signal (3.3-5VDC) to control the relay. Triggering the relay operates the normally open

or normally closed contacts. It is frequently used in an automatic control circuit. To put it

simply, it is an automatic switch to control a high-current circuit with a low-current signal. 5V

relay signal input voltage range, 0-5V. VCC power to the system. JD-VCC relay in the power

supply. JD-VCC and VCC can be a shorted. [17]

Figure 2.6. 1-Channel relay module.

2.4.1.5 5VDC Submersible Pump

A submersible pump (or electric submersible pump (ESP)) is a device which has a hermetically

sealed motor close-coupled to the pump body. The whole assembly is submerged in the fluid

15
to be pumped. The main advantage of this type of pump is that it prevents pump cavitation, a

problem associated with a high elevation difference between the pump and the fluid surface.

Submersible pumps push fluid to the surface, rather than jet pumps, which create a vacuum and

rely upon atmospheric pressure. Submersibles use pressurized fluid from the surface to drive a

hydraulic motor downhole, rather than an electric motor, and are used in heavy oil applications

with heated water as the motive fluid. [17]

Figure 2.7. 5VDC Submersible pump.

2.4.1.6 6x2V Solar Panel

A solar cell panel, solar electric panel, photo-voltaic (PV) module or solar panel is an assembly

of photo-voltaic cells mounted in a framework for installation. Solar panels use sunlight as a

source of energy to generate direct current electricity. A collection of PV modules is called a

PV panel, and a system of PV panels is called an array. Arrays of a photovoltaic

system supply solar electricity to electrical equipment. Photovoltaic modules use light energy

(photons) from the Sun to generate electricity through the photovoltaic effect. Most modules

use wafer-based crystalline silicon cells or thin-film cells. The structural (load carrying)

member of a module can be either the top layer or the back layer. Cells must be protected from

mechanical damage and moisture. Most modules are rigid, but semi-flexible ones based on

thin-film cells are also available. The cells are usually connected electrically in series, one to

another to the desired voltage, and then in parallel to increase current. The power (in watts) of

16
the module is the mathematical product of the voltage (in volts) and the current (in amperes)

of the module. The manufacturing specifications on solar panels are obtained under standard

condition, which is not the real operating condition. [17]

Figure 2.8. 12V Solar panel.

2.4.1.8 TTL to USB Converter

The TTL-USB Serial convertor and cables are a range of USB to serial converter cables which

provide connectivity between USB and serial UART interfaces. A range of cables are available

offering connectivity at 5V, 3.3V or user specified signal level with various connector

interfaces. All cables feature an FTDI FT232R device integrated within the cable USB type

‘A’ connector, which provides access to UART Transmit (Tx), Receive (Rx), Reset (RST),

CTS, VCC(5V) and Ground (GND) connections. All cables are fully RoSH compliant and are

FCC/CE approved. [23]

Figure 2.9. TTL to USB convertor

17
2.4.2 Software Component

All the hardware components mentioned in the sub-chapter above are controlled by the

ATmega328pu microcontroller chip. This Arduino has a complementing software programme,

where the coding and programming takes place. The programming software employed in this

programme is the Arduino IDE (1.8.19).

The Arduino Integrated Development Environment (IDE) is a cross-platform application (for

Windows, MacOS, Linux) written in the Java programming language. It is used to write in the

java programming language. It is used to write and load programs on the Arduino board. The

source code for the IDE is published under the GNU General Public License, version 2. The

Arduino IDE supports the C and C ++ language using special code structuring rules (Souza et

al., 2017). The Arduino IDE provides a software library of the wiring project, which provides

many input and output procedures. [24]

The open-source Arduino Software (IDE) makes it easy to write codes and upload them on the

board. This software can be used with any Arduino board.

18
 CHAPTER THREE

METHODOLOGY

3.0 Introduction

The chapter seeks to discuss the detailed presentation of each component used in the building

of this project and also the methodology and topology of bringing all these components

together as one functioning system. The chapter includes the block diagram of the system, a

detailed elaboration of each hardware and software component and sub-system used, and

finally, the step-by-step interconnection of each of the individual components.

3.1 System Block Diagram

A block diagram is a diagram of a system in which the principal parts or functions are

represented by blocks connected by lines that show the relationship of the blocks. This is

usually employed in engineering in hardware design, electronic design, and process flow

diagrams. Below is the block diagram of this project.

Figure 3.1. Block diagram of the automated solar-powered irrigation system.

19
As shown in Figure 3.1, the operation of the system begins when the soil moisture sensor reads

the moisture content of the soil. The sensor sends the recorded value to the ATmega328pu

microcontroller which sends a signal to the LCD display and the relay module at the same time.

The LCD display prints a text on the screen indicating whether there is moisture in the soil or

not and also whether the pump is on or not. For example; “Pump is: ON”, “Pump is: OFF”,

“Moisture Level: HIGH”, “Moisture Level: LOW.” The relay module, which acts as a switch,

receives a signal from the microcontroller to either turn the pump on or off. The dc pump is

interconnected between the relay module and the solar panel which is the main energy source

for the pump.

3.2 Hardware Specifications and Interfacing

In this sub-chapter, the reason why specific components were chosen will be discussed and

later, how they are interfaced with the microcontroller. The idea is to build a fully functioning

automated solar-powered irrigation system and to do this, electronic components must be

chosen very carefully and to ensure that all the chosen components are interfaced correctly with

the microcontroller. The following are the various hardware components, their specifications

and individual connections to the microcontroller.

3.2.1 ATmega328pu Microcontroller

The ATMEGA328P is the 8-bit RISC heart of the Arduino Uno and Nano, with a maximum

clock frequency of 20MHz, 32KB program FLASH, and 2KB of RAM. The ATMEGA328P

contains many on-board peripherals, including UART, SPI, timers, ADC, comparators, and a

watchdog, and is housed in a 28-DIP package which enables designers to easily prototype their

designs before committing to surface mount technology. With a temperature range of -40°C to

105°C and voltage range of 1.8V to 5.5V, the ATMEGA328 truly is a versatile, cost-effective

microcontroller. Figure 3.2 shows a sample image of the microcontroller.

20
An alternative for the ATmega328pu is the whole Arduino UNO R3. The ATmega328pu was

selected because it is less expensive and takes up lesser space in the packaging.

Figure 3.2. ATmega328pu microcontroller. [25]

3.2.1.1 ATmega328pu Pin Configuration

The ATmega328pu has 28 pins and each pin has a special task it carries. Figure 3.3 shows the

labelling of all the pins and Table 3.1 shows the description and functions of the pins.

Figure. 3.3. ATmega328pu pinout diagram. [26]

21
 Table 3.1. ATmega328pu pinout description.

ATMEGA328PU PIN DESCRIPTION

VCC Digital supply voltage

GND Ground

PC6 Reset

PD0 RXD

PD1 TXD

PB6 Crystal 1

PB7 Crystal 2

AREF Analog reference

Though the Arduino UNO uses the ATmega328pu as microcontroller which has 28 pins, the

layout of their pinouts is different. Table 3.2 show the pinouts of the ATmega328pu

microcontroller and their corresponding pins on the Arduino UNO.

Table 3.2. Pinouts of the ATmega328pu and their corresponding Arduino UNO pins.

ATMEGA328PU ARDUINO UNO ATMEGA328PU ARDUINO UNO

1 Reset 15 Digital pin 9

2 Digital pin 0 (RX) 16 Digital pin 10

3 Digital pin 1 (TX) 17 Digital pin 11

4 Digital pin 2 18 Digital pin 12

5 Digital pin 3 19 Digital pin 13

6 Digital pin 4 20 VCC

7 VCC 21 AREF

22
 8 GND 22 GND

9 Crystal 1 23 Analog input 0

10 Crystal 2 24 Analog input 1

11 Digital pin 5 25 Analog input 2

12 Digital pin 6 26 Analog input 3

13 Digital pin 7 27 Analog input 4

14 Digital pin 8 28 Analog input 5

3.2.1.2 ATmega328pu Setup

Every ATmega328pu microcontroller runs on a speed of 8MHz. To increase its speed and

improve its performance, it has to be coupled with 2x22PF capacitors, a 16MHz crystal and a

10uF capacitor. the speed and performance enhancement of the microcontroller on the Arduino

UNO has already been catered for on the board. To use the ATmega328pu microcontroller

independently as used in this project, it is therefore necessary to couple it with 2x22PF

capacitors, a 16MHz crystal and a 10uF capacitor. Figure 3.4 shows how these components are

connected.

23
 Figure 3.4. Circuit diagram of ATmega328pu microcontroller connected with 2x22PF

capacitors, 16MHz crystal, reset push button and a 10kꭥ. [27]

3.2.2 Soil Moisture Sensor

Soil moisture sensors measure the volumetric water content in soil. Since the

direct gravimetric measurement of free-soil moisture requires removing, drying, and weighing

of a sample, soil moisture sensors measure the volumetric water content indirectly by using

some other property of the soil, such as electrical resistance, dielectric constant, or interaction

with neutrons, as a proxy for the moisture content. Figure 3.4 shows a sample image of the soil

moisture sensor.

24
 Figure 3.5. Soil moisture sensor, drawn with proteus.

3.2.2.1 Parts of the Soil Moisture Sensor

The soil moisture sensor consists of two main parts; the main sensor and the control board.

Sensor part of the soil moisture sensor consists of a couple of conductive probs that can be used

to measure the volumetric content of water in soil. The control board mainly consists of LM393

IC, which is a voltage comparator. The board also consists of other components like LED,

resistors, and connectors to measure the soil moisture. Figure 3.6 shows the diagram of the

parts of the soil moisture sensor.

25
 Figure 3.6. Diagram of the parts of the soil moisture sensor, drawn with paint.

3.2.2.2 Soil Moisture Sensor Setup

The sensor part of the soil moisture sensor has two pins which are connected to the control

board. The control board has three output pins; VCC, GND and the signal pin, which are

connected to the microcontroller. Table 3.3 shows the connection of the soil moisture sensor

pins to the microcontroller and Figure 3.7 shows the diagram of connection of the soil moisture

sensor pins to the ATmega328pu.

Table 3.3. Connection of the soil moisture sensor pins to the microcontroller.

SOIL MOISTURE SENSOR PIN ATMEGA328PU

VCC Pin 7 (VCC)

GND Pin 8 (GND)

Signal Pin 22 (Analog pin A0)

26
 Figure 3.7. Diagram of connection of the soil moisture sensor pins to the ATmega328pu.

3.2.3 16x2 Lcd Screen with I2c Module

The Liquid Crystal Display (LCD) uses transistor at each end to produce energized current on

a crystallize layers. Then 16 x 2 liquid crystal display has an LED backlight and can display

two rows with up to 16 characters on each row. The rectangles for each character and the pixels

that make up each character can be clearly seen on the display. The display is just white or blue

and is intended for showing text. The 16 x 2 LCD was selected because it uses the low

consumption of power and also, it is super-twisted system which is a type of monochrome

passive-matrix display. It also supports 4-bit or 8-bit system interface and can display a clear

16 characters on each of the two rows. It has a very high efficiency range of DC power supply

with a tolerance of 10%. Figure 3.8 show the image of the LCD screen and the pin diagram of

the LCD.

27
 Figure 3.8. Image and pin diagram of LCD screen.

3.2.3.1 16x2 Lcd Pinout Description

The 16x2 LCD screen has 16 pinouts and each of the pins has its own function or purpose.

Table 3.4 shows the various pins and their respective descriptions.

Table 3.4. Description of LCD pins.

LCD PIN DESCRIPTION

D0 to D3 Input/output 4 lines of low order data bus. Bi-directional transfer of

data between microcontroller unit and module is done through these

lines. In 4bit operation, these are not used and should be grounded.

28
 DB4 to DB7 Input/output 4 lines of low order data bus. Bi-directional transfer of

data between microcontroller unit and module is done through these

lines. In 4bit operation, these are not used and should be grounded

VSS Power Supply 0V (GND)

VCC Power Supply +5V

VEE Power Supply terminal for LCD drive power source.

RS Input microcontroller unit Register Select.

R/W Input microcontroller unit Signal to select Read or Write

E Input microcontroller unit Enable - Operation start signal for data

read/write

3.2.3.2 LCD I2C Module

I2C Module has an inbuilt PCF8574 I2C chip that converts I2C serial data to parallel data for

the LCD display. These modules are currently supplied with a default I2C address of either

0x27 or 0x3F. To determine which version, you must check the black I2C adaptor board on the

underside of the module. If there are 3 sets of pads labelled A0, A1, & A2, then the default

address will be 0x3F. If there are no pads the default address will be 0x27. The module has a

contrast adjustment pot on the underside of the display. This may require adjusting for the

screen to display text correctly. Figure 3.9 shows a sample image of the I2C module.

Figure 3.9. LCD I2C module.

29
3.2.3.3 LCD and I2C Setup

The LCD has 16 input pins, as shown in Table 3.4, which are connected to the 16 output pins

of the I2C module. The I2C has 4 input pins; VCC, GND, SDA and SCL. These are the input

pins connected to the microcontroller. Table 3.5 shows how the 4 input pins of the I2C module

are connected to the microcontroller and Figure 3.10 shows the connection of I2C module to

the ATmega328pu microcontroller.

Table 3.5. Connection of I2C module pins to the microcontroller.

I2C MODULE PIN ATMEGA328PU

VCC Pin 7 (VCC)

GND Pin 8 (GND)

SDA Pin 27 (Analog pin 4)

SCL Pin 28 (Analog pin 5)

Figure 3.10. Connection of I2C module pins to the microcontroller.

30
3.2.3 1-Channel 5v Relay Module

5V Relay Module is a relay interface board, it can be controlled directly by a wide range of

microcontrollers such as Arduino, AVR, PIC, ARM and so on. It uses a low-level triggered

control signal (3.3-5VDC) to control the relay. Triggering the relay operates the normally open

or normally closed contacts. It is frequently used in an automatic control circuit. To put it

simply, it is an automatic switch to control a high-current circuit with a low-current signal. 5V

relay signal input voltage range, 0-5V. VCC power to the system. JD-VCC relay in the power

supply. JD-VCC and VCC can be a shorted.

Figure 3.11. 1-Channel 5V relay module.

3.2.3.1 Relay Module Pinout Description

The 1-channel relay module has 3 input pins and 3 output terminals. The 3 input pins are; signal

pin, VCC pin and GND pin, which are connected to the ATmega328pu microcontroller. The 3

output terminals are; normally open (NO), common (com) and normally close (NC). These

terminals are the switching parts of the relay which are connected to the load which needs

switching. Table 3.6 shows all the input pins and output terminals of the relay module.

31
 Table 3.6. Description of relay module pins.

RELAY PIN DESCRIPTION

Signal pin It is utilized to control the hand-off. This pin can be dynamic low

or dynamic high. In the event of dynamic low, the hand-off will

actuate when we apply a functioning low sign to the sign pin.

Despite what is generally expected, on account of a functioning

high, the hand-off will actuate when we apply a functioning high

sign to the sign pin. Be that as it may, typically, these modules

work on a functioning high sign. This sign will invigorate the

transfer loop to connect with the normal terminal with the

typically open terminal

VCC As its name recommends, it's anything but a 5V transfer. That

implies it requires 5V DC to work. Subsequently, associate the 5v

DC power supply to this pin

GND Connect it with the ground terminal of 5V force supply. Besides,

in the event that you are driving a transfer module with a

microcontroller, additionally associate this pin with the ground

terminal of the microcontroller

Normally open (NO) This pin is typically open except if we apply an initiation sign to

the sign pin of the 5V single channel hand-off module. For this

situation, the COM pin breaks its association with the NC pin and

makes an association with the NO pin

Normally close (NC) As the name of the regularly close terminal recommends, it is

ordinarily associated with the COM pin and structures a shut

32
 circuit. However, this typically shut association breaks when the

hand-off is initiated by applying a functioning high or dynamic

low sign to the sign pin of the transfer module from a

microcontroller

Common (COM) Common is an intermediary terminal between the N0 and NC

3.2.3.2 Relay Module Setup

The 3 input pins of the relay connect to the ATmega328pu microcontroller. These pins are;

VCC, GND and the signal pin. Table 3.7 shows the interfacing of the relay module with the

ATmega328pu and Figure 3.12 shows a diagram of how the relay module is connected to the

ATmega328pu microcontroller.

Table 3.7. Interfacing of the relay module with the ATmega328pu.

RELAY MODULE PIN ATMEGA328PU

VCC Pin 7 (VCC)

GND Pin 8 (GND)

Signal pin Pin 13 (Digital pin 7)

33
 Figure 3.12. Diagram of relay module connected to the ATmega328pu microcontroller.

3.3 Software Development

All the hardware components mentioned in the sub-chapter above are controlled by the

ATmega328pu microcontroller chip. This Arduino has a complementing software programme,

where the coding and programming takes place. The programming software employed in this

programme is the Arduino IDE (1.8.19).

The Arduino Integrated Development Environment (IDE) is a cross-platform application (for

Windows, MacOS, Linux) written in the Java programming language. It is used to write in the

java programming language. It is used to write and load programs on the Arduino board. The

source code for the IDE is published under the GNU General Public License, version 2. The

Arduino IDE supports the C and C ++ language using special code structuring rules. The

Arduino IDE provides a software library of the wiring project, which provides many input and

output procedures. [24]

34
The open-source Arduino Software (IDE) makes it easy to write codes and upload them on the

board. This software can be used with any Arduino board. Figure 3.13 shows the sample of the

programming codes. See appendix for full codes.

Figure 3.13. Programming codes.

3.4 Principle of Operation

A soil moisture sensor is placed in the soil which measures the moisture content of the soil.

When the moisture content of the soil is low, the soil moisture sensor sends a signal to the

Arduino Uno through the I2C module. The Arduino Uno then sends a signal to the 16x2 LCD

Display through a I2C to display a message indicating a low soil moisture level. For example,

the LCD will display, “Moisture Level: LOW.” The Arduino UNO then sends a signal to the

1-channel 5v relay which acts as a switch to supply the 5v DC pump with voltage. When the

pump is turned on, a signal from the Arduino Uno is sent to the LCD to display a message

35
indicating that the pump is on. For example, “Pump is ON.” The pump pumps water to spray

the plants until the soil is well moisturised according to a pre-set value. Then the soil moisture

sensor sends a signal to the Arduino to stop the pump. The LCD then display a message

indicating that the soil moisture level is high and that the pump is off. For example, “Moisture

Level: HIGH.” And “Pump is OFF.” And all this will be powered by solar energy. Figure 3.14

shows a complete circuit diagram of the system.

Figure 3.14. Complete circuit diagram of the automated irrigation system.

36
 CHAPTER FOUR

TESTING, RESULTS AND ANALYSIS

4.0 Introduction

This chapter of the project provides information about the design requirements, design

implementation, testing of the product and demonstration of the output functionality of the

artifact construction. A real focus on converting the design ideas into a prototype is manifested

in this chapter. The research method adopted in the previous chapter, provided a means of

implementing the design on a software platform to achieve key findings and design lapses

which will help me in the practical implementation. In addition to the main research point, the

chapter provides much information about how to interact with the design and the environment

which the user is. Limitations and other constrains through which the design was realized are

all shown in this section.

4.1 Testing

Based on the method used in designing this piece of work, it became necessary for it to be

tested and evaluated according to engineering characteristics. The outcome of the circuit was

therefore simulated using Proteus Professional 8.1 software before the hardware construction.

Following the steps involved in the circuit drawings, individual components with reference to

the characteristics. With the help of the microcontroller-based Arduino platform of the

software, the circuit was simulated according to the irrigation duration and soil dryness to give

out a better automatic irrigation of the field. As seen in the circuit, experiment verifies that the

two push buttons A & B initialize the system either to operate on vegetables mode or cereals

mode respectively.

37
4.2 Test Results

Table 4:1. Results of the test.

No Component Output Voltage

1 Solar Panel Cloudy Weather: 10V

Clear Weather: 12.3V

2 Charge Controller Minimum: 6.5V

Maximum: 18V

3 Battery 11.1V

4 Voltage Regulator (LM7805) 5.01V

5 Moisture Sensor Update Time 5 seconds

6 DC Pump 5V

4.3 Analysis

Table 4.1 above shows the various test results obtained after the system was tested in a field.

The moisture sensor from the test of ordinary water when fully immersed reads 100% and

reduces in percentage when gradually withdrawn from the water and finally settle at 0% when

completely removed from the water. In a dry soil, the moisture sensor records 0% content of

water, but reads the water content value in the soil immediately I began watering the dry soil

while the sensor was in the soil.

38
The system updates to changes in moisture content values on the display based on the set time

(i.e., 5 seconds) but in the update process, the system records constant values continually when

there is no significant change in the soil content. These responds time can be varied or altered

to suit the systems application.

Table 4:2. Moisture percentage appropriate for some vegetables and cereals.

MOISTURE AVERAGE

CROPS CONTENT IN MOISTURE

PERCENTAGE PERCENTAGE

CABBAGE 75.5%

VEGETABLES CARROT 65.5% 70%

TOMATO 70%

RICE 15%

CEREALS MAIZE 13.5% 15%

WHEAT 14.5%

After the experiment, I observed that when button A (for vegetables) is pushed the pump

operates between 0% and 69% whiles when button B (for Cereals) is pushed the pump operates

from 0% to 14% of moisture level ranges respectively. Within these ranges of moisture

percentage, the sensing component (moisture sensor) feeds a signal to start the pump.

The main functional requirement on the user point of view is that, flexibility of the system must

be attained, the installation of the system, and the system settings during the installation phase

it was made much friendly by providing simple menu directions on the LCD display. Priority

39
settings on phases for desired operation of the system were left as a user choice for flexibility’s

sake.

40
 CHAPTER FIVE

CONCLUSION AND RECOMMENDATION

5.1 Conclusion

The solar powered automatic irrigation system has been design, implemented and tested

successfully, in accordance to the characteristic features of all the hardware components used.

Step-by-step procedures were carefully observed in assembling all the units embedded in the

control of the entire system to ensure effective operating condition. The overall aim of

developing a more efficient, cheap, and productive irrigation system capable of helping both

small- and large-scale farmers to carry out their farming practices as well as efficiently

contributing to a higher production of agricultural products with lower cost, thereby making

the industry to be more competitive and sustainable, have been actualized.

Finally, the system was organized in a hardware model, tested, and submitted to the lab for

further evaluations, analysis and other studies by future students and technicians of the same

field of study.

5.2 Recommendations

As a research work for academics’ purposes, the full realization of the circuit and packaging

was made simple and moderate in size to expose it to better understanding and analysis during

its presentation. This project is recommended to local farmers and at large to the ministry of

agriculture (Ghana) for a method of flexible control of soil irrigation.

In addition, this project is recommended to farmers planting various crops thus, practicing mix

cropping since the appropriate moisture content of the field is displayed on the LCD that suits

more than a crop. The Arduino platform can be programmed such that it makes provisions for

41
more push buttons to be added and thereby give the farmer the choice to alter the operation of

the pump according to the desired crop selected (e.g., tubers, tree plants, shrubs etc.)

5.3 Suggestions for Future Works

1. The entire project was powered using only solar energy but I realized that there can be

multiple sources to secure the system in continuous operation.

2. In the case of a large field, more than one sensor can be situated within well verified

positions in order to have accurate irrigating of the field.

42
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Journal. Internationaljournalssrg.org. Available at: http://www.internationaljournalssrg.org

[20] Scribd. (2017). Automatic Irrigation System on Sensing Soil Moisture Content Irrigation

Soil. Available at: https://www.scribd.com/document/362464538/Automatic-Irrigation-

System-on-Sensing-Soil-Moisture-Content.

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[21] Vagulabranan, R., Karthikeyan, M., & Sasikala, V. (2016). Automatic Irrigation System

on Sensing Soil Moisture Content. International Research Journal of Engineering and

Technology (IRJET), 3.

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 APPENDIX

#include <LiquidCrystal_I2C.h>

LiquidCrystal_I2C lcd(0x27,16,2);

const int sensorPin=0;

const int limitHigh=650;

const int limitLow=400;

int pumpON_led = 9;//green

int pumpOFF_led = 8;//red

int relayPin = 7;

int delayTime = 1000;

int delayIntro = 10000;

void setup() {

// put your setup code here, to run once:

pinMode(pumpON_led, OUTPUT);

pinMode(pumpOFF_led, OUTPUT);

pinMode(relayPin, OUTPUT);

lcd.init();

46
 lcd.clear();

lcd.backlight();

lcd.setCursor(0,0);

lcd.print("Automated Solar");

lcd.setCursor(0,1);

lcd.print("Irigation System");

delay(delayIntro);

void loop() {

// put your main code here, to run repeatedly:

int value;

value=analogRead(sensorPin);

if (value > limitHigh)

digitalWrite(relayPin, LOW);

digitalWrite(pumpON_led, LOW);

digitalWrite(pumpOFF_led, HIGH);

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 lcd.setCursor(0,0);

lcd.print("MoistLevel: HIGH");

lcd.setCursor(0,1);

lcd.print(" Pump is: OFF ");

delay(delayTime);

else if (value > limitLow && value < limitHigh)

digitalWrite(relayPin, HIGH);

digitalWrite(pumpON_led, HIGH);

digitalWrite(pumpOFF_led, LOW);

lcd.setCursor(0,0);

lcd.print("MoistLevel: MID ");

lcd.setCursor(0,1);

lcd.print(" Pump is: ON ");

delay(delayTime);

else

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 {

digitalWrite(relayPin, HIGH);

digitalWrite(pumpON_led, HIGH);

digitalWrite(pumpOFF_led, LOW);

lcd.setCursor(0,0);

lcd.print("MoistLevel: LOW ");

lcd.setCursor(0,1);

lcd.print(" Pump is: ON ");

delay(delayTime);

49