👤Author

Thomas SXT
IoT·gardening automation·embedded prototyping 분야에서 꾸준히 활동하는 메이커.
스마트 농업 자동화, 기상 관측, 원격 제어 시스템을 중심으로 다양한 프로젝트를 공개하고 있다.

🔗 Instructables( IOT Farm + Timelapse Cayenne Arduino/Raspberry)
https://www.instructables.com/IOT-Farm-Timelapse-Cayenne-ArduinoRaspberry/
🔗 Hackster.io:
https://www.hackster.io/thomassxt/automated-garden-77bee8

🧩Components

• Arduino Uno / Mega / Ethernet shield
• Raspberry Pi (Camera-enabled)
• DHT11 / DHT22 (Temperature & Humidity)
• Soil Moisture Sensor
• Relay Module
• Water Pump
• 5V / 12V Power Supplies
• Raspberry Pi Camera Module (Daily Timelapse)

🌐 Cloud / Software

Cayenne IoT Dashboard

• MQTT communication
• Python Timelapse Script

🎯Project description

1️⃣ Overview

This project builds a smart, automated indoor/outdoor garden system where:

• Arduino controls watering and sensor inputs
• Raspberry Pi captures daily timelapse images
• Cayenne IoT displays real-time environmental data
• Pump, sensors, and camera work together to monitor plant growth over weeks or months

The system enables hands-free gardening, remote monitoring, and visual growth analysis.

2️⃣ System Architecture

[Sensors]
  - Soil Moisture
  - Temperature & Humidity
         ↓
[Arduino]
  - Reads sensors
  - Controls pump via relay
         ↓
[Mqtt/Serial Communication]
         ↓
[Raspberry Pi]
  - IoT gateway to Cayenne
  - Timelapse camera automation
         ↓
[Cayenne Cloud Dashboard]

3️⃣ Key Features

🌱 Automatic Irrigation

Arduino reads soil moisture.
If water level is below threshold → relay activates pump.

🌡 Environmental Monitoring

Arduino continuously sends:

• Temperature
• Humidity
• Soil moisture

to Cayenne IoT for live visualization.

🎥 Daily Timelapse Capture

Raspberry Pi camera takes photos on a schedule to track growth over time.

🌐 IoT Dashboard (Cayenne)

• Remote ON/OFF for pump
• Real-time sensor charts
• Project logs & alerts
• Mobile/desktop access

🧠 ENGINEERING – FOCUSED INSIGHTS

1) Arduino & Raspberry Pi Hybrid Control

Arduino handles real-time hardware I/O, while Raspberry Pi manages networking + imaging.
This division ensures reliable performance without sensor lag or camera freezes.

2) MQTT as a Lightweight Cloud Bridge

MQTT makes sensor updates efficient even on weak Wi-Fi or outdoor setups.

3)Low-Cost, Scalable Smart Farming

The system can be expanded with:

• Light control
• Ventilation fans
• pH sensors
• Multi-zone irrigation
• A foundation for full smart-farm automation.

4) Visualization as a Learning Tool

The timelapse gives users immediate feedback about:

• Plant stress
• Growth rate
• Watering effectiveness

Great for STEM education and horticulture.

🧪User notes & Practical Advice(from the author)

⭐ Tutorial Difficulty

“The tutorial is long but very easy. Only a few devices need to be connected and configured.”

🔌 Wiring Note

“In the picture you can see a big mess — I used wires that were far too long.”

📸 Timelapse Output

“I will post the resulting timelapse once the plants finish growing.”

⚠ Important Ethernet Shield Warning

The Arduino Ethernet Shield may show ‘DHCP FAIL’ when connecting.

The author shared the solution found on the Arduino Forum:

✔ Fix:

“You must solder two 100Ω resistors on the Ethernet shield."
This resolves DHCP initialization issues and stabilizes network connectivity.

🧪 USE CASES

• Home hydroponics
• Classroom plant growth experiments
• Greenhouse environmental monitoring
• Automated irrigation systems
• Long-term biological observation projects

📘 REFERENCE LINKS

Instructables: https://www.instructables.com/IOT-Farm-Timelapse-Cayenne-ArduinoRaspberry/

Hackster.io: https://www.hackster.io/thomassxt/automated-garden-77bee8

Cayenne IoT Platform: https://developers.mydevices.com/cayenne/