Game Changer: DIY Soil Sensor for Home Assistant Integration

День тому

I'm super excited to share with you this incredible project that will revolutionize your gardening experience! In this video, we're tackling a DIY soil sensor and ESPHome integration that will help you monitor your garden's moisture levels like a pro. No more guessing games - you'll be able to give your plants just the right amount of water they need to thrive.
We'll start by assembling the soil moisture sensor and connecting the necessary components. I'll break it down step-by-step, making it easy for anyone to follow along, even if you're new to DIY electronics. The best part? This entire project is budget-friendly, so you won't have to worry about spending a fortune to create a smarter and more efficient garden.
Once we've got our soil sensor up and running, I'll guide you through integrating it with Home Assistant using ESP Home. This seamless integration is a game-changer for garden enthusiasts, allowing you to automate your watering schedules based on real-time soil moisture data. Just imagine being able to kick back and relax, knowing that your garden is receiving the perfect amount of water it needs to flourish. So, let's dive in and take our gardens to new heights together!
Please mash that like button if you enjoyed this video and leave your comments below!
0:00 - Introduction to the HydroGuardian
2:32 - How to adopt an ESPHome device in Home Assistant
9:51 - HydroGuardian Firmware Setup & Flashing
15:52 - HydroGuardian Sensor Calibration
19:48 - Home Assistant Automations
22:08 - Wrap Up & Final Thoughts
Get the models on Thangs.com!
thangs.com/mythangs/file/844004
Wemos D1 - amzn.to/41WHOL1
Capacitance Soil Sensor - amzn.to/41PWMmg
Be sure to get one with good reviews as these sensors are produced very cheaply.
M3x25mm Screws (x2) - amzn.to/3oGmOKc
Stainless will perform better given the damp plant environments.
USB Cable & 5V Power Supply - amzn.to/3AyrRik
Knipex Wire Strippers
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Kester Solder
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КОМЕНТАРІ: 48

@gazzl3 3 місяці тому

Great video. I ran into an issue since the last update to ESPHome where you will get an error for using the same pin twice. If it helps others who ran into the same issue, the work around is replacing "pin: AO" with pin: number: AO allow_other_uses: true

@DoogieLabs 2 місяці тому

Thankyou so much for this, I'm glad you mentioned this. I applied this change to both places A0 was mentioned and then it compiled successfully. Should probably update the wiki with this trap for young players.

@chuc2rk 2 місяці тому

please give me wiki link. Thank you so much!@@DoogieLabs

@wootshka 8 місяців тому

USB cable is in a way of sensing plate - so it's a big design flaw if you would like to put in next to any plant

@jtjames79 Рік тому

Now going to need a self watering system that can be activated by these.

@paulhyland3528 11 місяців тому

This is fantastic just about to install an irrigation system into the garden and been looking for exactly this. I've read that you should seal the edge of the captive sensor pcb to stop corrosion. You can also buy an electronics waterproofing spray of which you could coat the esp and electronics of the sensor. Will be using this for my garden thanks for the great vid.

@MrCharwillbro 6 місяців тому

The sticky tack to hold the lil bits together for soldering is genius. I struggle to use my 3rd hand clips on my solder station for these little boards. Thank you for taking the time to put out this video!

@MakersMashup 6 місяців тому

I can't claim full credit, I saw another youtuber use it in a similar way and like you, after that I was hooked. Thanks for watching!

@DarkRehabOfficial Рік тому

Just what i looked for. Thanks! 😀

@jimd1617 7 місяців тому

Thanks!

@BBMando69 Рік тому

This is great! If you have little ones that love to help. You can teach them that when the blue light comes on to water the plants.

@ivolol 2 місяці тому

A LOT of these sensors come with faulty manufacturing so their reading is either vacuously slow or super unstable. There's a couple videos talking about it if you search "soil moisture sensor problem" principally one by Flaura. Any one you buy it's possible you might have to do some very simple solder fixes to correct properly.

@MakersMashup 2 місяці тому

Heard that too. Not sure about others but the ones I've got are still working fine. I think like any china products you get some good and bad vendors.

@peejayw 5 місяців тому

This is great, going to use in my little glasshouse. The usb cable is easier to bend out of the way if you use a flat type rather than the round type. I have a small solar panel and a power bank that can act as a UPS so going to try that setup, thanks.

@peejayw 2 місяці тому

I haven't got the solar panel running yet but I now have a watering valve working in Home Assistant and the soil sensor activates the watering system when soil moisture drops to 20%, works perfectly.

@kherhitesh 4 місяці тому

nice video sir, i do as well as your code , but after update ESPHome platform - adc duplicate error show , so what to do any other way?

@juliansr0517 5 місяців тому

There is no Addons area in my Home assistant. I am running it on docker, does anybody know how I can manage to install it without the need of an addon? Or how I can install addons while running Home Assistant on docker? I've googled a lot but I can't find a solution. I am using a raspberry pi 3b. Great Video and thanks for your work

@marauder0223 10 місяців тому

I have been looking for just this type of sensor so i can stop taking my plants to the brink of death. My only issue is that the location is not conducive to a power cord (aka: Middle of the dining room table). I am thinking of powering with a CR123 battery or 2. I know 3v is enough for the ESP8266 but can not find mah needs. Would you have an idea what i would need for the complete sensor or be able to guide me to the specs for the parts?

@MakersMashup 10 місяців тому

The easiest option is to use one of the rechargeable battery packs you buy at dollar or discount retailers. Just plug it in USB and you're good to go. You can also modify the YAML to put the ESP32 into sleep mode. You will need to wire a pin to reset it from sleep mode. Just google it I don't remember off hand but the Deep sleep only needs .17ma of power. Combine that with only reading the sensor a couple times a day and you'll get a lot of battery life out of those batteries. You'll need to replace them and recharge them but probably the simplest way. For your use case however I would recommend just to have another sensor on a similar plant of size and shape and use that as your sensor plant. When you water that plant water the rest of them. I use this technique myself with outdoor plants because I would need tons of sensors all over different places. This gets you what you need without having to find alternate solutions. Good luck with your build!

@user-ob5ss8xk1b Місяць тому

where do i find the toppic? i tried alot of things all day (4hours) no succes

@ocio466 2 місяці тому

thank you very much for this video. Can i ask for the fusion 360 files? I want to modify it so the cable gets out on the top part. What do you think about it? Thanks!!!

@MakersMashup 2 місяці тому

Yeah, I can hook you up, pop into the discord and @mention me. I'll get them to ya.

@user-ob5ss8xk1b Місяць тому

Question: Pin 17 is used in multiple places. yet i did nothing but follow instructions. also , the wifi and ssid that we 'need to copy' is your internet , shouldnt we need to change it to ours? i've been running anything but smooth operating here...

@MakersMashup Місяць тому

I suggest watching the video in a bit more detail. I called out at 11:40 in the video that you should connect to your network. The Pin 17 error, review the pinned comment on the video which calls out that Home Assistant through an upgrade changed the behavior of pin assignments that require you to stipulate it can be used in multiple places in YAML. As with all my videos, the best place for support on these projects is Discord.

@hapklaar 4 місяці тому

I wish they would make longer probes. These only suffice for small pots. For larger pots they only measure the top layer, which does not have to be indicative for the moisture the roots are dealing with. Maybe anyone knows a solution for this?

@MakersMashup 4 місяці тому

For a larger pot you could 3d print a cylinder and use that to reach deeper in the pot. Basically creating a well in the pot. The insert the probe deeper down.

@ivolol 2 місяці тому

Permanently attach some wires, cover the whole top electronics and wire connections in epoxy, and also run epoxy down all the side edges of the PCB board. Then you can dig it in far deeper and it should stand up to moisture for a good long while.

@Almorris4212 5 місяців тому

What do I do if I got to the part where I installed the stuff onto my device on ESPhome but it would not connect to my network? (Won’t get past provisioning phase)

@MakersMashup 5 місяців тому

Make sure it's connecting to a 2.4 network. The web installer can be used to connect back to the device to change wifi settings.

@user-ob5ss8xk1b 2 місяці тому

so u would advise this over some others?

@KSullivan86 7 місяців тому

Nice video but there is a design flaw in your case. You really need to turn the esp 90 degrees so the usb c port is on the side. I have one similar that I bought for $20 that includes a battery and the port is on the side(although it’s still towards the bottom and I’d rather it be near the top so it’s farther from the soil). It uses a esp32 s2 mini so maybe the board isn’t at long and fits sideways, I can see why you didn’t turn the board as it might have looked awkward. I think I’d try to just put the esp board in line with the power cable and keep the sensor free. Granted I am picturing shrink tubing maybe marine grade around the sensor so it’s basically water proof so it could be buried deeper. The issues is I’m also picturing the espboard incased in shrink tubing and that would make any access to the board a lot harder than just removing a few screws although if it’s done correctly it shouldn’t be an issue with OTA updates.

@schilling3003 17 днів тому

What is the power draw on these? You might be able to but some cheap solar path lights on sale to use as a power source.

@MakersMashup 17 днів тому

I don't remember but I can try and throw it on the bench supply this weekend. I had small solar cells but couldn't get enough power when WiFi kicked in.

@schilling3003 17 днів тому

@@MakersMashup yes, but the solar path lights use a battery just like the larger solar panel you showed.

@MakersMashup 17 днів тому

Cool. I'll check it out.

@786ashiqmomin 3 місяці тому

Can it be run with cr2032 battery.

@MakersMashup 3 місяці тому

Probably not for very long. Your best bet battery operation is to use a USB battery pack. Alter your yaml to put the device into sleep mode. Can use it for a week or More depending on how many wakes you do.

@mrmondo8073 6 місяців тому

do you sell your sensors?

@MakersMashup 6 місяців тому

I do not.

@the_smart_home_maker 7 місяців тому

Nice project! I just don't like the USB cable which is required.

@MakersMashup 7 місяців тому

You can power it any way you like. I used USB but any power going to the sensor works.

@the_smart_home_maker 7 місяців тому

@@MakersMashupyes I know 🙂it's just the cable that I don't like. I would prefer a battery powered solution.

@MakersMashup 7 місяців тому

Yeah, me too. I tried a number of solar solutions as well, the best was a USB solar no power panel for video cameras but it drives the cost way up.

@user-ob5ss8xk1b Місяць тому

i cant seem to make this work , idont find it

@superslash7254 10 місяців тому

You're getting ripped off BADLY with those links. Those soil sensors should be under a dollar each, not $11 a piece, and they're virtually always defective and using the wrong components.

@MakersMashup 10 місяців тому

Not sure which ones you're buying but the linked ones are the same in the video and clearly work fine. The link is also for 5 for $11 which makes them just a little over $2 each. I think I've run into 1 bad one out of 15. They seem to work fine to me. If you have a better sensor for the money I'm interested.

@joaofonseca6083 10 місяців тому

@@MakersMashup I think he's referring to the issues mentioned in ukposts.info/have/v-deo/gXeBZ26ZsWN8lWw.html can you confirm that's not a problem on the ones you've sourced?

@MakersMashup 10 місяців тому

I did see that video as well when I started the project. I havent however experienced the issues he spoke about with any of the sensors I sourced. When videos like that come out I think it puts a lot of the sketchy vendors on notice. They then generally improve the product. From what I could tell the ones on amazon (I tried 3 vendors) all worked well (or well enough). My goal was to create a reasonable sensor at low cost and provide enough accuracy not to kill my plants. With that use case in mind these may be several % points off of accurate (I have no way to know or test) but for basic monitoring, knwoing when to water, for months now these have run great. I have had a few that are over a year now and still producing good results. I think perhaps he was sourcing them from Aliexpress vs amazon as well. To answer you question though (sorry for the rambling) the ones I linked too I can attest worked fine. :)