Some of our customers are currently using the following DurUntash sensors and hardware with their existing monitoring system:
Sensors
We originally designed the APAS T1 for measurements in the soil over fifteen years ago and since then, it has gradually evolved to provide very accurate measurements in both soil and soilless media. In the past five years, we have carried out numerous experiments to optimize the sensor for measurements in soilless media (i.e. rockwool). The current shape and size of the sensor, and mathematical equations developed for signal conditioning match that of rockwool characteristics. The sensor can take measurements in any rockwool size, however the best size to be used with the sensor is, 6” x 6” x 6” or larger. The measurement accuracy of the sensor matches that of scale / microlysimeter, but without any maintenance hassles.
The HITA E0 is younger compared to the APAS T1, but it was designed based on similar principle and experience. You can use the HITA E0 to measure EC (bulk or extract), TDS and temperature of the soil, soilless media, or nutrient solutions. The sensor is good for both spot and continuous measurements. The HITA E0 goes through two stages of general and sensor-specific calibration and therefore is highly accurate.
The INSHU LWS is the latest in our line of sensors that can measure leaf wetness, dew, ice formation and temperature. The INSHU LWS sensor can be used to decide when to spray pesticides in integrated pest management (IPM), or when to activate air-blast systems in cherry orchards to avoid cherry cracking after rainfall. The INSHU LWS can also be used as an accurate rain onset or heavy fog detector. The INSHU is capacitive (dielectric) and does not need to be painted.
Connecting Sensors to Raspberry Pi
For example, one of our customers has been using our substrate sensors (APAS T1 and HITA sensors) by integrating them into their lighting system. The sensors are connected to the ISHTAR Zero adapter that detects sensor type, takes sensor readings, processes the data, and sends strings of processed data to a Raspberry Pi board that is at the heart of their system. They also take spot measurements using the AVAN CT handheld reader. They are currently exploring different ways of using and displaying data that is collected using the soil moisture & EC sensor from DurUntash sensors.
You can connect these sensors to your Raspberry Pi board using the ISHTAR Zero adapter. Sensor is plugged into the sensor adapter and the sensor adapter into monitoring system. Please note, that DurUntash sensor adapters can potentially work with any existing monitoring system that can accept USB/serial data. One example is explained here in this recent blog post:
We also have a variety of handheld readers, wireless sensor nodes, and dataloggers you can use with any of DurUntash sensors:
Integration into PLC-based Control & Monitoring Systems
You can easily integrate the DurUntash wireless sensor network with a PLC (Programmable Logic Controller) based monitoring system. The architecture of our wireless monitoring system allows for easy communication with some commercial PLCs (e.g. Opto 22). You can access sensor data from the wireless network using UDP messaging and parse using Node-RED. If your control and monitoring system relies on a PLC, you'll be able to plug the wireless monitoring system into it and access sensor data just by doing some additional programming on the PLC side.