It's my first time working with Arduino because of our capstone project. Our project is about greenhouse monitoring using an Arduino Uno as the microcontroller. We are using a DHT11 sensor and a soil moisture sensor, and the project was supposed to be working well. However, our adviser wants to add a feature to notify the user, so we are using the GSM SIM800L V2 module for SMS notifications and solar power (12V) with a battery as the energy source.
We are having a hard time designing the circuit and finding the right materials. Our main problem is powering the Arduino and getting the GSM module to work because the SIM800L only blinks every second, and our solar circuit is not providing power.
How can we power both the Arduino and the GSM module using solar energy? What materials do we need to achieve this result? We have done our research, but we can't find the specific answer we need. We really need help, and we are looking for a cost-effective yet reliable solution. Thank you in advance!
And what are the results of your research? How much voltage, how much amperage, how many watt-hours are needed? Are you powering the system 24/7 or just when the sun is shinning? No one can help until you tell us what you have done.
Yes powering the adruino for 24 hours. Its said adruino needed a 7 to 12v as a stable power supply plug in through the DC jack. So we're searching for a circuit that cater the Arduino and GSM at the same time without the possibility of Arduino board to explode because we cant afford that loss Arduino is quite expensive for us. Thanks.
No, nothing is said about a stable power supply. The Uno has a it's own regulator to produce a stable 5 volt power from an unstable 7-12 volts. What does your GSM require?
Is this relevant, because I don't know what it is?
So you have a setup, did you do any calculations before getting the hardware? How much sunlight is there per day, does it vary depending upon the seasons. How much does the Arduino and the module draw, that decides how big / effective the PV panel must be, and how to size the charger and the battery.
Capstone is a subject required to graduate a thesis in the other course. We did not do any calculation we just bought it its the less expensive and supposedly easy to use according to the video in youtube. Sun is not a problem because we're in tropical country. And lastly adruino worth is my 7 days allowance. Thanks
So pick something to get started with, like that SIM800L. The sensors next, they are not hard to interface with the Arduino. Last and hardest part I'd say is the PV, charger and battery. Something crucial is that the charger must cut-off when battery is full. When all that is under control you can focus on details, like putting the Arduino, the module and the sensors to sleep etc.
Yes that exactly. At first we just want to use a 7-12 voltage adaptor but our adviser want to use the solar as power supply, we don't have choice but to obliged. Thank you
Power them from a 12v lead-acid battery. Use solar power to charge your battery. You'll need:
A solar panel, 18-22v
Buck converter to convert your solar panel voltage to 14.3v
Lead-Acid battery charge controller, which connects solar panel & the buck converter to the battery when battery voltage drops below 11v and disconnects once battery reaches 14v
An "ideal diode" module to protect your buck converter from being "charged" by your battery.
Two stepdown converters, 5v, one of them - high current. Power your Arduino from low power converter, power your SIM800 from second converter
Lead-Acid battery (from a motorbike)
All abovementioned components (except for the battery) are available from aliexpress (or lazada) at 1-2-3 dollars per module.
. We're going to try this.