3 ms·

A raspberry pi is the wrong choice for this project from my perspective, complexity is far too high for a simple project. I looked at building the same thing (m

by grw_ 9y ago

A raspberry pi is the wrong choice for this project from my perspective, complexity is far too high for a simple project. I looked at building the same thing (minus watering) because it seemed commercial products were way too expensive (Parrot Flower Power is $60!). The cheapest DIY solution I could think of was ESP8266 ($2), Vreg ($.5), moisture sensor ($.5) and LiPo battery (i have many of these..) but I decided I didn't have time or inclination to write the software. I continued looking for commercial products, and ordered one of these: https://www.aliexpress.com/item/Chinese-Version-Original-Xiaomi-Flora-Monitor-Smart-Tester-Soil-Light-Water-Digital-Grass-Garden-Plant/32807893133.html https://www.aliexpress.com/item/Chinese-Version-Original-Xia... Pros- Cheap ($15). Has temperature, light and 'fertility' (capacitance?) sensor. Cons- Logs to phone app (in chinese) via BTLE instead of WiFi. After a few weeks it seems to be working satisfactorily and I will probably order a few more units.

kingosticks 9y ago
It's only wrong if you are optimising for cost, which they are not.
- grw_ 9y ago
  You are right, i edited my comment. I think it's wrong for most perspectives- cost, power use, complexity, security, but it's a good choice if you need high-level programming environment or extensibility.
urethrafranklin 9y ago
Come on. Maybe unless you live in India or Africa (and even then, still), $60 is nowhere near as expensive as designing and building your own device. Not that there's anything wrong with building your own device. Just don't lie about it.
- grw_ 9y ago
  True, I had discounted my time spent on DIY as 'hobby time', which I do for fun and learning. Had I included this then of course it would have been far greater. I have a few plants I wanted to monitor, so price is more relevant- $300 is more than I'm willing to pay. I think you underestimate how much of the world thinks $60 is unreasonable for such a device, but i don't suppose there's a way to know which of us is right :)

by grw_ 9y ago

kingosticks 9y ago

It's only wrong if you are optimising for cost, which they are not.

grw_ 9y ago
You are right, i edited my comment. I think it's wrong for most perspectives- cost, power use, complexity, security, but it's a good choice if you need high-level programming environment or extensibility.

urethrafranklin 9y ago

Come on. Maybe unless you live in India or Africa (and even then, still), $60 is nowhere near as expensive as designing and building your own device. Not that there's anything wrong with building your own device. Just don't lie about it.

grw_ 9y ago
True, I had discounted my time spent on DIY as 'hobby time', which I do for fun and learning. Had I included this then of course it would have been far greater. I have a few plants I wanted to monitor, so price is more relevant- $300 is more than I'm willing to pay. I think you underestimate how much of the world thinks $60 is unreasonable for such a device, but i don't suppose there's a way to know which of us is right :)