ESP8266 Tutorial: Build An Automatic Plant Watering System

Recently, I saw many people creating smart-home equipment on the Internet, which aroused my interest, and then I created an automatic watering artifact which could surf the Internet. Programming of my device is based on DFRobot automatic watering kit. With ESP8266 module, the flower-watering kit could realize real time monitoring.

Required hardware:

ESP8266 Wifi Bee (Arduino Compatible)

Xbee USB adapter (FTDI ready)

EcoDuino - An Auto Planting Kit

12 Battery

As for mobile phone software, I used Blynk which is easy to build up and providing Arduino library. Throughout the communication, ESP8266 WiFi Bee module was used as communication module. Arduino is the main controller here. 

1. Create A Blynk Item

Open Blynk software.

Add the following controls:

Value Display * 2
LED * 2
Slider * 1
Gauge * 1

Adjust the size and arrangement of controls, and then set their parameters respectively, as follows:

Control Name	Nature	Channel	Name
Value Display	Displaying humidity	V2	HUMIDITY
Value Display	Displaying temperature	V0	TEMPERATYRE
LED	Displaying watering condition	V4	WATERING
LED	High temperature warning	V5	HIGHTEMPERATURE
Slider	Setting watering threshold	V3	SETWATERINGTHRESHOLD
Gauge	Displaying soil moisture	V1	SOILMOSTURE

Interface after adjustment is as follows:

Channels (pins) used in controls are virtual, which transmit data to ESP8266, and then ESP8266 transfers data to watering kit motherboard.

2. Download program to ESP8266

Switch ESP8266 WiFi Bee module to UART port, and plug it into xbee USB Adapter board, then connect to the computer. Select board FireBeetle-ESP8266 on Arduino IDE.(here is the link of how to install the ESP8266 development environment.)

Download program to WiFi Bee ESP module, as follows:

After downloading, switch WiFi Bee ESP module to BOOT port.

Note:before downloading program, you need to change your WiFi and password as well as the corresponding AUTHTOKENS code.

3. Download Program to Watering Kit Motherboard

Program source code can be found here.

Open Arduino programmer, select Leonrdo motherboard and download source program to motherboard:

4. Hardware Connecting
Plug WiFi Bee ESP module into watering kit motherboard in right direction:

Connect each sensor according to the silk screen of connection mode on motherboard:
Assemble the watering kit:

Check the effect of watering…