Month 2... ish (May-June)

We have the pleasure to announce that our project was funded by the Experiment foundation! and the funds transferred by the beginning of July 2023!.

Now comes the real work!

We appreciate all the support and help from our supporters and from the "Mycological Innovations Grant" to make this project possible. Our appreciation video and welcome board will be uploaded soon! We plan not just to let you how much we care for your support, but you can also have a direct platform to interact with us during this journey. A journey for discovery for you and us, walking together, sharing the goals and advances of the project in a visual journey you can interact with.

I apologize for the delay, since I (David) recently relocated to Arizona due to a change in my professional career, a very fortuitous move that will help me to connect with our collaborators here.

The hard work begins.

Below there is a update about the construction of an upgraded version of AgrIoT-LoRa that will help us with the current project. The original AgrIoT-LoRa has been acconditioned to fulfill further variables that are needed for the project in which different sensors and communication protocols would be needed to incorporate. I leave you with Ross Satchell's briefing, whose team will start building this marvel in the following days

AgrIoT-LoRA 1.2v (By Ross Satchell)

Project Overview: The engineering team has submitted a proposal to build an initial proof-of-concept (POC) sensor node, which will be placed inside a plastic dome to preserve the environment contained within. The variables to be measured are divided into soil and atmospheric types. The soil variables to be measured are: soil moisture, soil temperature, soil pH. The atmospheric variables to be measured are: air temperature, humidity, carbon dioxide, and rain. The initial data collection granularity is to be within 2-5 days. The sensor node will use low-power techniques to extend battery life. The sensor node will need to operate for several months without opening the dome. Communication with the sensor node will use a wireless device to avoid opening the dome.

Hardware Selection:

Microcontroller: AVR64DD32 Curiosity Nano development board

pH Sensor: EZO pH Sensor with EZO Circuit Interface Module

Soil Moisture Sensor: Capacitive soil moisture probe modified to minimize effect of soil salinity

Soil Temperature Sensor: MCP9808 Temperature sensor with I2C interface

Air Temp,Humidity,CO2 Sensor: Sensiron SCD-40 sensor with I2C interface 

Rain Sensor: Argent Weather Systems Tipping Bucket Rain Gauge

Wireless communications: NRF24L01+ Radio

Time Keeping: NXP PXF8523 Real Time Clock Calendar (RTCC) with I2C interface

Power Considerations: Once the POC has been developed and its power consumption characterized, a suitable battery chemistry and capacity will be determined.

Prevention of Moisture Ingress:

The engineering team will experiment with conformal coatings and other waterproofing methods to determine which is most suitable for this application.

Total Hardware POC Cost: $295.50 (as of 04/07/2023 - prices may have changed due to inflation)

Total Estimated POC Software Development Time: 18 hours

Future meetings/deployments:

Desert Botanical Gardens (DBG) site visit should be taking place in August once the monsoon (hopefully) arrives.