Automated  
Hydroponics  
Initial  Design  Proposal  

Group  Members  

• Justin  Walker  
• Matthew  DiLeonardo  
• Khalid  Al  Charif  
• James  Loomis  
Motivation  
Hydroponic  gardening  is  a  great  way  to  grow  plants  to  their  full  potential.  Plants  are  given  as  much  
nutrients  and  water  as  they  can  absorb.  In  the  past,  setting  up  a  hydroponic  system  required  research,  
many  installation  steps,  and  daily  monitoring  to  ensure  proper  growing  conditions.    

Currently,  implementing  a  hydroponic  system  requires  research  and  knowledge  about  the  type  of  plants  
to  be  grown.  Different  plants  require  different  nutrient  levels  as  well  as  PH  levels.  Once  this  information  
is  known,  a  gardener  must  choose  a  hydroponic  design  and  set  it  up  correctly.  This  process  can  take  
anywhere  from  a  day  to  a  few  weeks.  A  typical  deep-­‐water  culture  (DWC)  hydroponic  design  requires  
daily  PH,  nutrient  level,  water  level,  temperature,  and  conductivity  testing.    

For  the  average  gardener  with  a  busy  lifestyle,  this  amount  of  research,  initial  labor,  and  maintenance  is  
deterring.  At  the  moment,  most  gardeners  find  growing  in  soil  to  be  less  strenuous  and  easier  than  
hydroponic  gardening.  

Our  motivation  for  our  senior  design  project  is  to  create  a  DWC  hydroponic  system  that  lets  anyone  
have  the  ability  to  farm  his  or  her  own  hydroponic  plants  using  a  simple  automated  system.  This  system  
will  relieve  the  user  from  a  lengthy  setup  and  daily  maintenance.  The  user  will  be  able  specify  the  plants  
wanting  to  be  grown  through  a  web/mobile  interface  which  is  connected  to  the  microcontroller  running  
the  system.  The  plant  specific  settings  will  be  loaded  and  thresholds  for  each  sensor  calibrated  into  the  
microcontroller,  thus  eliminating  any  research  the  user  needs  to  do.  This  system  will  perform  all  daily  
testing  necessary,  adjust  system  levels  (PH,  nutrients,  water)  as  necessary,  notify  the  user  of  a  problem  
requiring  action,  and  log  all  testing  data  for  analysis.  Our  goal  is  to  make  hydroponic  gardening  just  as  
simple  as  soil  gardening  but  able  to  produce  better  results.  

This  design  will  include  sensors,  a  power  supply,  at  least  one  microcontroller,  and  a  web/mobile  
interface  for  users  to  monitor  sensor  data.  Our  group  consists  of  three  electrical  engineering  students  
and  one  computer  engineering  student.  This  dynamic  design  will  provide  a  sufficient  amount  of  work  for  
our  group  and  will  challenge  each  member  to  put  the  skills  we’ve  learned  in  our  college  careers  to  the  
test.  

Goals  and  Objectives  

Our  main  goals  for  this  project  are  to  create  a  system  that  lets  anyone  have  the  ability  to  farm  their  own  
hydroponic  plants  using  an  automated  system  in  their  back  yard.  We  also  believe  that  it  would  be  
possible  to  power  all  of  the  electrical  components  of  this  system  with  solar  power,  so  that  you  could  use  
this  product  in  places  where  electricity  is  not  easily  supplied.  

• The  system  will  be  solar  powered  

• It  will  wirelessly  update  with  your  phone  
• It  is  an  all  in  one  contained  solution  
• It  requires  low  maintenance  
• It  will  grow  plants  faster  than  conventional  means  

   

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Specifications  
Attribute   Value  
Battery  Life   24  hours    
Number  of  Plants   2-­‐4  
Weight  (empty)   Approx.  20  lbs.  
Dimensions   Approx.  4x4x4  ft.    
Water  Consumption   1-­‐15  liters  daily  
Water  Volume   30-­‐75  liters  
Working  Temperature   50-­‐105°F  
Working  Humidity   10-­‐100%  
Sensor  Measurements   At  least  once  per  hour  
Communication   Wi-­‐Fi/Bluetooth  
 

The  system  as  a  whole  shall  be  durable  and  weather  resistant.    Each  sensor  shall  interface  with  the  main  
microcontroller  and  be  easily  applied  or  re-­‐locatable.  In  the  event  that  user  action  is  required,  the  user  
shall  be  notified  via  text  message,  email,  and/or  mobile  app  notification.  

Power  supply  
The  power  for  this  hydroponics  system  is  generated  by  solar  panels.  Similar  hydroponics  systems  have  
used  20W  of  generation  with  solar  cells.  A  12V  battery  will  store  power  so  that  the  microcontroller  can  
access  a  steady  power  supply,  even  when  the  panels  are  not  exposed  to  the  sun.  The  system  will  run  for  
at  least  a  day  when  the  battery  is  fully  charged.  Certain  functions  of  the  system  might  toggle  on  and  off  
periodically  based  on  the  available  power.  This  logic  will  be  managed  by  our  controller.  

Control  
In  order  to  analyze  the  data  coming  from  the  sensors  in  a  proper  way,  we  need  to  pass  them  to  a  
microcontroller.  This  microcontroller  will  receive  data  from  sensors;  analyze  them  and  send  them  over  
Wi-­‐Fi  or  Bluetooth  to  a  phone  or  computer  to  display  graphs  about  the  plants  growth.    It  will  also  make  
decisions  about  when  to  add  nutrients  based  on  the  sensor  measurements.  Statistics  about  the  plant  
growth  will  be  sent  over  the  communications  system  to  a  companion  app  or  website  for  the  user  to  
view.  

Communications  
There  is  a  real  time  link  between  the  microcontroller  and  the  connected  phone  or  computer,  and  this  is  
facilitated  by  an  adapter  which  allows  the  controller  to  talk  to  other  devices.  A  local  Bluetooth  
connection  allows  the  user  to  receive  data  from  the  microcontroller  and  a  software  application  displays  
graphs  from  this  communication.  

Sensors  
We  are  including  many  different  sensors  to  interface  with  our  microcontroller.  Many  properties  of  the  
water  need  to  be  measured  to  make  sure  that  the  plant  will  grow  in  an  optimal  environment.  The  PH  
level,  solid  nutrient  density,  and  conductivity  of  the  water  can  all  be  measured  with  electronic  sensors.  A  
camera  is  included  to  provide  pictures  of  the  plants  stages  of  growth,  and  photosensitive  sensors  will  
determine  the  system’s  exposure  to  the  sun.  

2  |  P a g e  
 
Hardware  
The  hardware  of  the  system  consists  of  a  containment  system  for  the  growth  environment,  and  various  
pumps  and  filters  that  will  be  used  to  clean  and  add  nutrients  to  the  water.  We  are  designing  a  
hydroponics  system  that  has  minimal  maintenance  required,  and  does  not  create  a  mess  in  the  area  that  
it  is  located.  The  pumps  and  nutrient  containers  are  connected  and  driven  to  the  microcontroller,  which  
determines  when  the  systems  need  to  operate.  

Software  
The  system  has  companion  app  for  any  smartphone  which  will  allow  the  user  to  change  configuration  
options  of  their  system.  The  app  will  also  display  information  about  the  plants  growth  in  the  form  of  
graphs.  The  user  will  also  be  able  to  look  at  the  progression  of  their  plant  through  pictures  that  the  
camera  on  the  unit  takes,  like  a  time  lapse  video.  

Milestones  
We  have  broken  the  project  up  into  major  subsystems,  and  assigned  a  few  members  to  each  section  
according  to  their  interests.  We  have  also  made  sure  that  work  is  distributed  evenly,  so  that  each  person  
contributes  a  fair  portion  of  work  towards  completion  of  the  systems  design.  

The  portions  are  also  organized  so  that  we  are  designing  components  of  the  project  in  the  right  order.  
For  instance,  the  power  supply  can  be  scaled  easily  and  is  to  be  mainly  determined  by  how  much  power  
will  be  consumed.  So  the  sensors  and  microcontroller  which  consume  the  power  will  be  designed  first  or  
in  parallel  with  the  power  supply.    

After  we  have  designed  all  of  the  major  components,  we  will  spend  time  reviewing  the  budget  and  
design  decisions  we’ve  made  to  be  sure  that  our  initial  goals  and  specifications  have  been  met.  
Due
Activity Components Member 1 Member 2 Week
week
1 2 3 4 5 6 7 8 9 10 11 12
Define Goals and
Specifications

Researcb and Design

Container, Water pumps, Soil + basket,
Hardware 4 Mike Matt
Hoses, Nutrients Dispenser
PH, Nutrients, Water Level, Camera,
Sensors 4 Matt Khalid
Temperature, Conductivity

Control 6 Microcontroller Khalid Justin

Power Supply 6 Solar Panel, Battery Mike Justin

Communications 8 Wifi/bluetooth adapter Khalid Justin

Time lapse pictures, Plant growth

Software 10 Matt Mike
statistics
 

3  |  P a g e  
 
Block  Diagrams  
Hardware  
WIFI
Power Supply Microcontroller Web Interface
Connectivity
(ML, J) (K, J) (MD,ML)
(K, J)

Sensors
(K, MD) PH Level Nutrient Drain/Fill
Power Control Correction Distribution Resevoir
(ML, J) (J, MD) (MK, MD) (MK,MD)

Solar Panel Battery Mechanical Mechanical Nutrient

Water Pump Drain Valve
Acid Pump Base Pump Despenser

Microcontroller

Photoelectric
Temp Sensor PH Sensor Nutrient Sensor Camera
Sensor

 
The  Block  Diagram  above  is  a  basic  layout  of  the  hardware  design  that  will  be  used  for  the  Automated  
Hydroponics  System.    The  power  supply  will  consist  of  a  battery  and  a  solar  panel  that  will  charge  the  
battery  while  in  the  sunlight.    Designing  the  power  supply  with  a  solar  panel  to  power  the  system  makes  
more  sense  than  other  methods  because  the  system  will  be  designed  for  outside  growing.    The  power  
supply  will  give  power  to  a  central  unit  that  will  house  the  microcontroller  board  that  we  will  be  using  
for  this  project.    The  microcontroller  will  receive  data  from  the  hypotonic  system  via  many  sensors  
located  throughout  the  system.    Using  this  data,  the  microcontroller  will  control  the  PH  level  of  the  
nutrient  water  in  the  system  by  adding  Acids  and  Bases  and  also  adding  more  nutrients  when  needed.    
This  will  require  two  small  pumps  for  the  acid  and  base  additions  and  then  a  third  type  of  dispenser  for  
adding  the  nutrients.    Also,  it  will  have  the  ability  to  drain  and  refill  the  hydroponic  system’s  water  if  
needed  for  various  reasons  which  will  require  a  water  pump  and  a  valve  that  can  be  opened  to  drain  the  
water  out  of  the  reservoir.    Finally,  using  the  microcontroller’s  WIFI  connectivity,  it  will  send  the  data  
acquired  from  the  sensors  in  the  system  to  a  web  site  and  a  mobile  app.    This  is  a  very  basic  outline  of  
the  hardware  required  for  the  system.  

4  |  P a g e  
 
Software  

Sensors Data
Received Website
(K,MD) Display
(MD,ML)

PH PH Level
Grow
Differential Correction
Condition
Settings
Check Sensor
Data

Nutrient Nutrients
Differential Added

Drain &
Refill
 
The  block  diagram  above  is  a  basic  representation  of  how  the  software  used  for  the  automated  
hydroponics  system  will  work.    It  starts  off  by  taking  the  data  from  the  sensors  located  in  the  system  and  
displaying  the  data  on  the  website.    Then,  with  the  settings  for  the  grow  system  that  are  programmed  
into  the  microcontroller,  it  can  find  the  difference  between  the  desired  value  and  the  actual  value  for  
the  PH  and  nutrient  levels.    With  this  calculation  the  software  should  know  the  approximate  amount  of  
Acid/Base  or  nutrients  that  is  needed  to  be  added  to  the  system.    The  last  step  should  be  to  display  the  
updated  PH  and  nutrient  levels  on  the  website  along  with  the  temperature  of  the  water.    Then  program  
starts  over  and  should  be  in  a  continuous  cycle  so  it  can  maintain  the  PH  and  nutrient  levels  in  the  
hydroponics  system.  

Project  Budget  
Item   Cost  
Solar  Panels  20W   $150.00  
Battery  power  storage   $20.00  
Nutrients  and  water  quality  sensors   $45.00  
Camera   $20.00  
Microcontroller   $100.00  
Wireless  adapters   $50.00  
Miscellaneous  construction  materials   $200.00  
   
  Total:  $585.00  
We  intend  to  submit  a  proposal  to  the  Duke  Energy  program  to  sponsor  our  project.  If  we  do  not  gain  
any  sponsors,  the  project  is  low  enough  cost  so  that  we  can  pay  for  it  as  a  group.    

5  |  P a g e  
 
Similar  Projects  
GroBot  Evolution  is  an  automated  greenhouse  management  system,  which  uses  a  variety  of  sensors  to  
control  when  various  nutrients  are  added  to  the  plants  being  grown.  This  system  uses  multiple  storage  
units  for  the  different  nutrients,  and  even  pairs  with  your  smartphone  so  that  you  can  manage  your  
greenhouse  while  you  are  away  from  home.  

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