Blog 12 - Wrap up, conclusions, next steps, lessons and more

Where it started

Blog posts / updates 1-4 all follow on from my original design challenge entry and set out what i wanted to do, why I wanted to do it, then some excitement on arrivals before then getting to the time to think more about this with some functional and non functional requirement specifications. You are not going to find user stories, epics and sprints in this, but instead, how I approached the need and moved into the middle of the good story (as they all have a beginning, middle and end).

Links should open new tabs / windows

Sections 1-4. Initial thoughts, requirements,excitement and unboxing.

• Blog 1 - The what and why (Garden pond monitoring Background and Introductions)
• Blog 2 - My Method or WWHW (What, Why, How, When)
• Blog 3 - excited as its on the way
• Blog 4 - Arrivals, Unboxing, Github and requirements

Blog posts and updates are very much the middle of this story. From the hello word of LoRA, to testing the heck out of the enclosures before moving into desining, building, testing, fault finding, building some more ... all of which leads into the final event of launch and evaluate.

Sections 5 -10, design build, code and test, so much testing

• Blog 5 - Getting started with the MKR 1300 (and LoRa Sender Starting LoRa failed!)
• Blog 6 - The Soak Test UPDATE 2 (Test 3 - sump pump and soak)
• Blog 7 - Sensors, connections and starting some code - draft / wip
• Blog 8 - Measure, send, receive, transform, store, display (updated with code)
• Blog 9 - Bringing the hardware all together - Part 1 (updated)
• Blog 10 - Bringing the hardware all together Part 2 (updated)

Sections 11-12+ the launch, final code, final build instructions and ce fin!

• Blog 11 - The launch! Floaty Mc Test Face.
• Blog 12 - Wrap up, conclusions, and appendicies.- this blog.

High Level Requirements

So I went into this with the vision of building a pond monitoring solution which was then expanded into a set of high level requirements.

Below I run though each of those requirements and outline what I did and was the requirement met. sorry for the wall of text, TLDR: yes! I did.

• Ascertain if any nearby The Things Network gateways (if so, consider vs. at home solution)
  • Initial investigations to connect to any nearby LoRa gateway found that none were near and so would need to consider and further investigate how to connect and pipe data.
  • Requirement - done.

• Must provide a remote environmental monitoring solution
  • A now launched Floaty McTest Face has been launched and now floats about in the pond returning monitoring data.
  • Requirement - done.

• Must explain / provide rationale for each sensed data point and the hardware selection
  • Blog on the sensor choices and reasons for inclusion published.
  • Requirement - done.

• Must be weather proof and make use of a Hammond Manufacturing Enclosure
  • Extended testing of the Hammond Manufacturing Enclosures completed to satisfaction that they do exactly what is needed and live up to that IP67 rating
  • Already considering an ugrade to a larger housing to I can add additional sensing capacity to the platform
  • Requirement - done.

• Must demonstrate the weatherproofness of the enclosure and protect the project equipment
  
  • Potential submergence testing prior to deployment
  • Tested, tested, tested. The single failure experienced was user error and not the enclosure 
  • Requirement - done and demonstrated with video.
  • Without cable glands, 100% sealed test
  • Requirement - done. and demonstrated with video
  • With cable glands and sealed stubs, for sealed test
  • Requirement - done and demonstrated with video

• Must be capable of being battery or mains powered
  • Use of the Arduino MKR connector board enables 5v power to be used for sensors which require it.
  • Considering the environmental impact of using batteries galore, I went for mains powered.
  • Requirement - done.

• Must provide the defined monitoring parameters - for water and environment
  • Blog on sensor choices and shennanigans along the way documented.
  • Desired sensors now used and Floaty McTest Face deployed
  • Requirement - done.

• Must use Lora connectivity, no gateway but point to point.
  • 100% LoRA connectivity from bottom of garden to my office, works an absolute treat.
  • Requirement - done.
  • I wish that I had time to have undertaken a survey on a walk about before progressing this far.
  • I will still be doing this and have a MKR1300 on the way
  • Requirement - done.

• Must be built around the Arduino MKR 1300 (see above requirement)
  • Requirement - done.

• Needs to use a 3.3v input for the Arduino
  • Requirement - done.

• Must be in place for sufficent time to record data
  • Requirement - done.

• Must demonstrate solution
  • Requirement - done.

• Must provide data connectivity to store recorded values
  • Requirement - done.

• Must provide sample data every n-minutes - provide rationale on sample period selection, also work through storage reqs
  • Yes! Every metric measured every 30 seconds, every day and logged
  • Requirement - done.

• Must provide data visualisation of parameters recorded
  • Yes version 1, done however I updated to Influxdb 2.1 (and then broken a load of things which I am now fixing
  • Version 2 now being done.
  • Requirement - done.

• Must provide code for final solution
  • Yes! Instation and Outstation
  • Requirement - done.

• Must provide build instructions
  • Yes! The physical build has been documented and shared, lots of pictures and a few videos along the way.
  • Requirement - done.

• IF home solution, must provide detailed design and deployment information (to be repeatable)
  • Yes! There is the software part for the MKR1300 <-> Raspberry Pi documented in Blog 10 (part 2)
  • Yes! There is the Arduino code for the MKR1300 outstation and a github repo
  • Yes! There is!
  • Requirement - done.

Solution specification

Monitoring parameters, Must be capable of monitoring and providing absolute values for:

• Air temperature
  • Requirement - done.
• Humidity
  • Requirement - done.
• Air pressure
  • Requirement - done.
• Water pH
  • Requirement - done.
• Water turbidity
  • Requirement - done.
• Total Disolved Solids (TDS)
  • Requirement - done.
• Water temperature (potentially at surface and at depth)
  • Requirement - done.

Potential Solution specification additions

• Ambient light level measurement, LUX
  • Requirement - done.

• Oxidisation Reduction Potential (ORP) if i can find a vendor with any stock that isnt £140

How it performed

Since launch  we have had storms:

• Arwen
• Barra
• Corrie
• Dudley
• Eunice
• Franklin

With Franklin havign passed and it being a mostly windy week, we are now at 10+ since launch .

Since Storm Franklin passed the windest day was on Friday night / saturday evening with some 80+mph winds and rain from every direction! The good news, Floaty McTest Face kept on reporting in!

The week following has been a real mix of weather, low of -3C, high of 10C. We have had rain, wind, hail, snow, sunshine and as i write this it is a glorius Sunday morning, blue skies, sunshine, and windy.

As I can see from my dashboard, the ensclosure is at at snug 9.3C compared with an air temp of 7.8C, enclosure humidity at 56% compared with external humidity at 62% and the ambient light falling on the pond is at 9k LUX. Thats the above water stuff. If I had a garden weather station, great I would know this, but I now do - a hyper local update.

Now for the main thrust of doing this - whats happening in the pond?

Well for starters the smallest suggestion of sunshine has given rise of duck week like no tomomorrow. Just as this has plagued other pond endeavors, I had not considered how this might impact on my project. It seems that when launching, despite my best efforts at least 1 single duck weed managed to get inside the water area enclosed my Floaty McTest Face, this has now turned into probably close to 7-8000 pieces of duck weed (I see some pond gardening today).

At present, pH is at a 7.29, TDS at 213, Turbidity at 4.3 and water temp at 4C.

These are good parameters for my pond and look healthy, this is further confirmed by the newly dropped off frog spawn (sometime in the week), the frogs have been busy and this pleases me. It also however means that I have now have limited time to spring clean before tadpoles, I will be interested in seeing how parameters change as i stir up the deepest depths of the pond and haul out of the overwinter detritous, leaf drop and invaraibaly, dog toys!

Lesson Learnt

OK, so here goes, its a bit of a ramble, but I have taken my time, considered and highlighted what has been valuable for me. I hope you find something in this to take away.

Enclosures

For my own projects that have needed some kind of enclosure, these have typically been indoor, or mobile things which needed protection mostly from me or for ease of moving about. When it has come to garden or exposed environments I have pretty much gone with the IP65 - IP65 bracket of enclosures which have proven to be far from it at the best of times. Recent example would be the generic low price, but claims IP67 junction box in my garden. fed from a spur from the house power supply I was suprised to find that despite seals being intact, glands being tight ... that it was also part filled with water. Now said junction box had been out for around 36 months ...

With the Hammond Maufacturing Enlosures kindly provided as part of this challenge when first unboxing the heft / weght of the enclosure was immediately noticable. When first fitting the seal, it was hand in glove, a perfect fit. Drilling the compression gland holes, a good wall thickness. internal stand off, 6mm clearance from the enclosure bottom. In all, a solid unit. Not all enclosures are equal. This is one thing I will not skimp on in future and already look to get my next one. (Also very pleased to see they do an enclosure that would be a perfect stomp box for an effects pedal!)

Don't cheap out on your enclosure.

LoRA

LoRa was a new one on me. I had previously had some hands on with some Cisco kit but my project finished up before I had a chance to do anything interesting. With the whole smart city, IOT fluff its something I am just not a fan of, in anyway. I did not expect to find LoRA carving out a special place for quite how outstanding it is. Its a technology with a clear purpose in mind, problem, solution. It doesnt get better than that as far as I am concerned. Call me a fan from here on in.

Planning

Its been a long time since I last did anything C++ / Arduino coding language (a sumo bot for a summer of robots with my son and newphews), it has really rang true that if you dont use it, you lose it. The same can be said for soldering, whilst my project has limited soldering required, I have had to get back into the flow of it (pun intended). Practice, Practice, Practice. Dont know something, learn about it, do it, practice it. DO this for each part of your solution, your design, your software. This is the way that I have gone with things and I am better for it.

Test stuff - not all [insert component, library, piece name here] are the same. Do your homework and dont cheap out on things, they will be a time sink (not to say expensive elements are higher quality, its still possible to buy rubbish with a premium assosciated with it.

Make notes - what worked, what didnt.

Mark up your code - what was that for, what is this function doing, think of it as being kind to your future self :)

Fun - Enjoy yourself

I work full time and that is now full time from home. I no longer have the drive to and from work, on an average day 75minutes each way. COVID has made me value my time ever more than before, what is work time, very clearly delineated for me, what is my time, the same. For the most part I enjoy my work, like any job it has its ups and down. Why do I tell you this? Time is precious. Rest and Relaxation for me isnt having a nap, or laying back on the sofa to watch TV, its usually doing something, if I enjoy that something, even better.

Pre COVID I had quite a backlog of projects which I had started which had been put aside for when I have time, for that time not to come and consequently to remain unfinished. A lot of these have now either been finished, or the WHY I was doing something was no longer relevant, so mentally I end the project and recycle the parts, ideas and dont beat myself up over it.

The Just Encase design challenge has been fun and I can say that I have enjoyed the time spent on it. My project has a beginning, a middle and an end. I now have a pond monitoring solution in place which I have build myself and it tells me whats happening, no more guess work required.

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Closing note:

My sincere thanks to the E-14 team and to Hammond Enclosures for this challenge.

I think I can say I earnt my mission patch :)