RE: Project: ferris farm post 2

Former Member — Thu, 30 Jul 2015 17:23:22 GMT

I like this concept, I have seen it done with a single cooltube light running through the center. Inverted planters so the plants point towards the center of the circle vs outside, means 360* light. Maybe inside/outside grow, with young plants growing inside 18h light, plants on the outside facing out can be light isolated from the interior. By having two 'zones' you can cycle crops throughout lifespan/light phase & change environmentals independent, increasing planting diversity

keep in mind that thing will need a high torq motor or gear/chain reduction. You can buy a stepper or servo or use a motor with gear reduction case built in. Alternative, you can build a gearbox with sprockets and chain/belts/pulley. Also, 12v wench motor might be a great solution. Cheap enough @ Harbor Freight, and should have enough torq to spin the wheel. The winch should also have a built-in method for preventing back-drive from the load (mechanical holding). You can power the system with a standard car battery or smaller, and you can charge the batter via solar or hydro/wind. (diy hydro example: https://www.engineeringforchange.org/static/content/Energy/S00070/5%20Gallon%20Bucket%20Build%20Manual.pdf ) Powering from the battery is smart because any motor you choose is going to have to have have good torq, and any motor with good torq draws lots of current. The car battery (12v@50Ah) can handle the current demands and you can scale up the system by connecting more batteries in parallel (12v@100Ah) to power pump's or T5 grow lights. You can also scale the system/sensor voltage by connecting batteries in series (24v@50Ah). Increasing voltage has the positive effect of reducing current draws. Sourcing high current is usually wasteful so reducing system wide current demands is worth considering.

Thinking about it for a sec. Buy an electric bike motor kit and you will have everything you need. http://electricbikereport.com/electric-bike-direct-drive-geared-hub-motors/

easy to adapt to your design via the wheel or shaft. Arduino speed control examples available online.

be sure to have a method for the water to drain from the planters, standing water is not a good thing.

looking fwd to this build

RE: Project: ferris farm post 2

jw0752 — Thu, 30 Jul 2015 05:47:42 GMT

Hi Shane,

You are off to a great start. You could have moisture sensors in each planter and then have wiper brushes make connection to the contact points on the outside of the planter as it rotates into watering position. This would simplify from the mechanism needed to insert a single moisture sensor.

John

RE: Project: ferris farm post 2

sftwrngnr — Thu, 30 Jul 2015 04:05:31 GMT

Very cool design!

RE: Project: ferris farm post 2

DAB — Wed, 29 Jul 2015 17:25:15 GMT

Interesting idea, but I worry about the plants in the back not getting enough light.

It is also hard to judge scale on your drawing. Are you planning to use this system just for seedlings or full sized plants?

I also worry about just automatically watering plants without first checking the soil moisture for need. You could easily overwater with your proposed design.

Just a thought,

DAB

RE: Project: ferris farm post 2

balearicdynamics — Wed, 29 Jul 2015 13:42:40 GMT

Great starting and clear explanation!

Enrico