Building the irrigation system from Make: Getting Started with Arduino

Hello:

I am a beginner with Arduino and have been doing some projects from the Make book. Since I know very little about the programming involved I've had a rough go. My question is this: I'm building the irrigation system in chapter 8. The thing is, all I really want to do is use a single valve and turn the water on and off at a certain time each day(for a plant). I don't need the humidity and temperature sensor part. So in the final sketch in the book I thought I would try revising it so it runs a single valve and excludes the humidity/temp stuff. I wasn't successful and have far too many errors for me to understand yet. Is there a revised/simplified sketch for the purpose of running a single valve with on and off times? Or does anybody have any suggestions on how to alter the code for that purpose?
Thanks!!!

My question is this: I'm building the irrigation system in chapter 8.

You want to share that book with us? Most of us do not have, or need, that book. So, most of us have no idea what you are talking about.

I wasn't successful

You have some code that you didn't post. It does something. You expect it to do something. Not being successful implies that what it actually does is not what you want/expect. But, without seeing the code, knowing what it actually does, and what you expect, we can't explain why your expectations are wrong.

Or does anybody have any suggestions

I do. But, I'm going to see if you can recognize and properly deal with a hint first.

Being that your application is so much simpler than the example you're looking at, I think it might be easier to build it from the ground up, rather than trying to tear down the complex example.

PaulS:
You want to share that book with us?

Just a guess: https://www.amazon.com/Getting-Started-Arduino-Electronics-Prototyping/dp/1449363334/ref=pd_lpo_sbs_14_t_1?_encoding=UTF8&psc=1&refRID=QAP5AT1PJ2T859G7JTRP

gfvalvo:
Being that your application is so much simpler than the example you're looking at, I think it might be easier to build it from the ground up, rather than trying to tear down the complex example.

I kind of figured as much. Initially, I tried to just remove the sections of the sketch (final sketch linked below)for the DHT11 temp/humidity sensor to see if it would even verify. No luck. Since I'm so new to programming it was too hard for me to know if I was removing something necessary to basic functionality.

Anyways, I think you're right in that I need a simpler approach until I have better knowledge. Hardware, no problem! Software I have a ways to go. :slight_smile:

Since I'm so new to programming it was too hard for me to know if I was removing something necessary to basic functionality.

If you had posted your code, and your error messages, you'd have functioning code by now.

You posted a "link" to the original code (without using the really-simple-to-use link icon), but we have no way of knowing what you removed, and what the results were.

I don't need the humidity and temperature sensor part.

That code is pretty poorly written, in my opinion. getTimeTempHumidity()? Who the f**k thought that getting the time and temperature/humidity were linked actions? Two completely different pieces of hardware, accessed using two completely unrelated libraries.

On the other hand, it really isn't that difficult to rename the function to getTime() and delete the code that reads from the temperature/humidity sensor and the code that prints the temperature/humidity data.

Changing the number of valves is trivial.

Post YOUR code, and your error messages, and you'll learn what you need to do to make it right, in jig time.