This is Javier García, I am pleased to greet you all.
Let me explain the reason of my message: I want to make my first prototype (for farming projects) that I am intending to start and market further on. Details are as follows:
It is a project in which I intend to control remotely (from any place) through an APP Inventor 2 application that I am developing. The connectivity to be used will be: Bluetooth LE between sensors-sink node & mobile data connectivity from gateway to cloud.
I would need the following components:
"Water pressure indicator for 4 mm diameter tube".
"Small electric engine to push the water inside the water tank with a pressure between 1-1.5 bar (approx. range 600 l/h -1000 l/h).
"12V solenoid valve to manage the irrigation system (through remote control with the APP).
My questions are:
Which is the most complete ARDUINO Kit to develope my prototype (for beginners)?
With regard to connectivity (as I am going to use both Bluetooth LE and mobile data connectivity) which are the main points to keep in mind before buying the ARDUINO Kit?
Are the sink node and gateway normally included inside ARDUINO Kits?
Is there already an ARDUINO component to create a water pressure indicator like the one described above?
Hello, Javier. First, I'd like to say welcome to the wonderful world of microcontrollers! The project you described sounds really interesting, and it will be a lot of fun developing it. I don't have much personal experience with Bluetooth or IP (I use simple SMS for all of my projects that require remote communication). I found a paper that might interest you, though. Here's the link. The full text is available at that link, and you can also contact the authors.
As for getting started, I strongly encourage you to start small. The simplest arduino starter kit you can find can take you a long way. This is the newer version of the book I started with. It's probably not what you want to hear, but starting slow is going to be very beneficial in the long run. Once you've got your first arduino set up, play with the onboard LED and play with the serial monitor. Then play with an external LED, then maybe a small servo motor, etc. Then you can tackle the components of your project. Control a 12v water pump using a 5v relay like this one. Then find the most basic bluetooth project you can find and do that separately. The point is that your first project absolutely should not be a super awesome pump controlling, data collecting, industrial farm tool. If you start with the basics and then work on each component individually as its own project, you'll have a much better time putting them all together in the end.
First of all, I want to thank you a lot for your sincere message and the info you have provided me. It has been an eye opener for me, truly. I have just bought the book from Simon Monk you have recommended. For sure it will be helpful for me right now. I will follow the instructions step by step to get my first Arduino set up in order to approach to my idea.
In relation to your comment about remote communication with SMS, it sounds interesting also for my project (probably for first stage). I hope the book "Programming Arduino" contains about it.
Lastly, I would like to ask you about the components I would need further on and I described in my first message. Still I don not find distributors in Spain that have these articles to be developed with Arduino:
"Water pressure indicator for 4 mm diameter tube"
"Small electric engine to push the water inside the water tank with a pressure between 1-1.5 bar (approx. range 600 l/h -1000 l/h)".
Generally, you won't need to look for Arduino specific devices. If you can find a suitable 12V pump and power supply, you can control it from an arduino. Similarly, you can figure out a way to read most sensors although some will be harder than others.
Take a look at some ordinary suppliers of electronic/electrical components. It'll be easier if your sensors are 5V or 3V3 compliant, but if you have to, you can work around that too.
garciamoreno122:
I would need the following components:
[....]
My questions are:
Which is the most complete ARDUINO Kit to develope my prototype (for beginners)?
Creating a project controlled by an Arduino (or any microprocessor) is very different from building something from a kit of parts. As well as the parts you need to design the logic. And the approach to the logic might influence the choice of some of the parts.
It seems to me you are at the very earliest stage of your learning about Arduinos so I suggest that you spend some time learning to program an Uno and to use one or two external devices with it before you start seriously designing your project. That way you will gain experience of the capabilities and limitations of the Uno and the devices. Then maybe try some of the other Arduino programmable microprocessors to learn if their capabilities are better suited to your project.
If you eventually want wireless control for your system there are (fortunately or unfortunately) several options including Bluetooth (generally a 1 to 1 system), nRF24L01+ transceivers (can communicate with several Arduinos), HC12 transceivers (longer range than nRF24) and WiFi (using ESP8266 or ESP32 microprocessors that can be programmed with the Arduino IDE). If you are seriously planning a commercial product then IMHO it would be wise to spend time to get some experience with these different options before making a final decision.
Another important issue for a commercial product is whether it should be capable of being upgraded using software you send to the customer. Again there are various options that you will need to consider.
Get an arduino and a breadboard. You will need some jumper wires (you can get kits), some leds, some buttons and a resistor starter pack. For power you can initially use the usb from your computer but better to get a proper power supply unit. You can buy a sensor or 2 off ebay designed for arduino also. You now have enough to get started and prototype your project. You don't need pumps, motors, solenoids etc. The arduino basically turns things off and on (digital) or receives or sends digital or analog signals. If you can turn an led off and on you can turn a pump off and on, as far as logic is concerned.
Once you have this stuff start working through tutorials. Keep a mind to the end project but don't focus on it. Learn to use millis, do several things at the same time, blink without delay etc. Learn to code in iterations, debugging with serial.print and saving in an organised file system. Use buttons as your input to start then move to sensors. Think about coding in functions rather than all in loop and having clear and easily read code.
When you are confident turning on LEDs, accepting inputs both digital and analog and have a prototype for your system on a breadboard then start thinking about the hardware.
Actually, not a UNO, because they are not suitable for breadboards. The Nano is generally cheaper and with its pin strips soldered, fits the common (larger) size of breadboard called a "MB102".
You power it with either the PC for simple things or a common USB "phone charger" when you separate it from the computer.
As has been explained previously, there are no components such as water pumps which are specific to microcontroller control, let alone specific to Arduino(!) and you will need to find pressure sensors appropriate to your task and figure out how to interface them with the Arduino though - having their specification from the Website selling them - we can certainly advise on how to do that.
There are readily available (and cheap) relay modules which can be used to switch a pump - depending on its power requirements, so that should not be too much of a problem apart from necessary rules for how you lay out the power wiring.
There will be considerable design and programming work involved to interface a project with Bluetooth or the mobile phone system.
Every project is created by small steps.
Get a sensor. Get it to work.
Get a second and then get that to work.
Add one thing at a time.
Do not worry about 5 thing away.
As your abilities grow each new thing will be easier to do
buy a pump and pressure sensor that fit your need, then rig some electronics to make it work with arduino, you might never find arduino specific high end items in a kit, maybe the sensor but anyway get a "non arduino" pump and maybe an arduino motor control shield to run it. if you are making a marketable prototype you will probably have to desighn the circuits and boards yourself. You will eventually need to ditch even the arduino board and bootloader, and put the Atmel chip directly onto your design...
Semtex9:
and maybe an arduino motor control shield to run it.
The motors for pumps generally need a lot of current and often draw close to the stall current when starting. I doubt that any shield would have the ability to handle the motor current.
