Automaticplantsystem

Total Time Spent: 44 Hours

April 5th- This is the first day! I came up with this idea while discussing starting projects with a friend, and it just randomly came to me to make an automatic grow box. I made a diagram today, researched components, and that's about it. I'll start work on the frame later on.

Time Spent: ~5 Hours

April 10th- After designing the bottom part frame in Fusion 360, I 3-D printed a prototype that didn't line up properly.

After checking again, it turns out that the 4 pieces were not exactly identical and were way too deep. This meant that the panels would've never fit and nothing would've worked.

Time Spent: ~4 Hours

April 29th- I had to stop for a bit due to an influx in work and exams from school, but I started work on the frame again today. I used some aluminum right angles to make the frame sturdier and J.B. welded the revised version together. There's a lot of messy J.B. weld splatter everywhere, and it looks pretty bad. I did do some cleanup with a cheap rotary tool and sanded some globs down.

Time Spent: ~2 Hours

May 23rd- Once again, I had absolutely no time to work on my project. However, I'm back in full swing now! I spray painted the whole frame (with some blue tape over the metal bits) with Rustoleum to make it look cleaner! This worked out really well except there was a LOT of fluff in the air that got in it, however I pulled out most of it.

Time Spent: ~2 Hours

May 24th-

I did some cleanup after the frame mostly dried, and it's looking sharp! I did a lot of sanding on the right angles to make them look a bit nicer as well.

Time Spent: ~1 Hour

May 28th-

I scrapped the humidifer part today due to mold. In a small, enclosed, heated space it would've been unwise to keep it and risk making everything moldy. I went through many solutions, but I believe that getting rid of the humidifer entirely is the best option. I'm a little disappointed that I had to do this, but I want to make my machine as reliable as possible.

Time Spent: ~2 Hours

May 31st-

Today did not go well. I designed and printed the entire air filtration system. But then, I realied that it used those cheap, small DC brushed motors that don't last very long and are pretty weak. I messed with it a bit before deciding that I was going to change it to brushless DC motors that are much larger and would last a lot longer. At least I have a cool thing to display in my room now.

Time spent: ~10 Hours

June 1st-

I made a lot of design changes today. Instead of putting the control panel on the bottom slanted in the inital design, I'm putting it on top for easier access and simplicity. I also removed one switch and 5 LEDs because it was pretty crowded. Also, the water reservoirs are now on the bottom to I don't have to link them up and hook them to the side of the grow box. It also makes them easier to remove and refill as well as puts the electronics less at risk.

Time Spent: ~1 Hour

June 2nd-

I chose the SHT40 Temperature/Humidity sensor over the BMP280 Temperature/Pressure sensor due to pressure not being a super valuable statistic to know in this case. Also, the SHT40 is a ton more precise. The water level sensor got chucked out in favor of the soil moisture sensor. Instead of using the water level sensor, I could just use the soil moisture sensor to check how much more water to put AND I'll know if its out of water because the soil will be dry.

Time Spent: ~1 Hour

June 3rd-

I spent a lot of time designing, printing, and JB Welding the upper part of the frame together. It turned out really well, and the frame is finished at this point. Also I spilled super glue on one side and it dried up and looked white so I painted over it with acrylic paint. I used super glue for the smaller supports because JB weld is too thick and wouldn't have fitted.

Time Spent: ~9 Hours

June 12th-

I finished the entire updated wiring diagram. I'm glad to have gotten it down, as it felt really overwhelming but now I feel like I have a lot more direction and straightforwardness.

Time Spent: ~3 Hours

June 13th-

Today I finished the table verison of the BOM. I then completely finished the model in Fusion 360!!! Now, all I need is the parts and I'll be able to get this thing up and running! The part that I added that completed the model was the top casing. It basically houses all the main electronics and control panel at the very top. There's room for 5 toggle switches, 1 button, 1 rotary encoder, and the LCD screen. I really like the tactile-ness of the control panel.

Time Spent: ~4 Hours

June 22nd-

I 3d printed the control panel area and started the wiring, I got most of the visible stuff done and the outside looks pretty cool!

Time Spent: ~4 Hours