experimental chamber

Projects General Guidance
1

Dear experts, I would ask you to help build an experimental chamber.
I wanted to make a modular set of controllers, but I do not succeed.
I want to make a DIY chamber for growing rare plants. My goal is to imitate the conditions of their natural habitat (altitude, humidity, concentration of oxygen, CO2, methane, light,composition of the land) in a box of plywood 1x1x1m.
I bought 4 pcs arduino nano,RTC DS3231, LCD16x2 on I2C, DHT22, 3 pcs BMP280,3x4 keyboard, micro SD card module, pH module, CO2 sensor, O2 sensor, methane sensor, LDR, vacuum pump, fan, valves, gas bottle, LEDs of various wavelengths, UV bulb.

Control should look like this:

  1. Menu for setting the duration of the day/night and the intensity of the light (RTC - LDR) via PVM with arduino on light sources LED -UV lamp.
  2. Menu for setting the volume of the air flow for a specific time (RTC -2xBMP280) via PWM with arduino to the fan.
  3. Menu for setting the temperature and humidity from hour to hour during the day (RTC-BMP280-DHT22) via PVM from the arduin to the heater or cooler and valv for sprinkler water.
  4. Menu for setting humidity and soil temperature (soil moisture sensor-NTC or PTC sensor) via PWM arduino to heater, vacuum pump and irrigation valve.
  5. The menu for adjusting the concentration of CO2, O2, methane (sensors for measuring these gases) through the arduin to the electro valves.
  6. recording the collected data on the SD card every hour and the camera trigger once in 24 hours.
  7. Countdown timer for the expiry time of plant breeding and alarm if the measured values deviate significantly (due to malfunction of one part or gases for regulation of conditions)

Any advice, idea or solution is welcome. Thank you

3

I have to agree with Delta_G, start with something you can make work.

first, get something to live, water, light, etc
and take all of your sensors and monitor it, data-log it,
then make a second one, do the same, and make them so you can monitor soil moisture, you should get daily ph readings, things like that.

add fertilizer and monitor how the environmental changes occur.
as you get more data, and build more boxes, you will become a true gardener with better understanding.

a scale and keyboard, you can note what you added and log the quantities, watch the CO2 and O2 change.....

as you datalog and review what you found, you will naturally figure the next thing to control. CO2 to get it as high as it was 10,000 years ago, or even all the way up to where it was during any of the last warmer periods.

add CO2 to reach 4,000 PPM to make the atmosphere like it was during the Jurassic period.

try different soil types and moisture levels...

I would offer that watching what happens and logging the actual results is much more scientific and rewarding than trying to guess and be wrong.

4

dave-in-nj:
first, get something to live, water, light, etc
and take all of your sensors and monitor it, data-log it,

Even before all of that I reckon it would be wise to write short programs to learn how to work with each of your sensors and other devices on its own.

If you get stuck it is always much easier to get help with a short program that only tries to do one thing.

...R
Planning and Implementing a Program

6

Delta_G:
and there's a folder on my computer with about 200 .ino files from testing various little bits of code involved.

Mine gets like that also.

I have taken to keeping a record of my work in a text file so I don't get hopelessly confused - especially if I have to reverse out of a cul-de-sac. But the record would be completely meaningless to anyone else. You have to LIVE through it. :slight_smile:

...R