Analog Conductivity Soil Moisture Sensor - Gravity Series

Whether you’re an eco-conscious Maker or not, it’s hard to argue against the fact that plants are pretty darn great to have around. Not only do they provide us with fresh and healthy air to breathe (which is quite important for our oxygen-loving Maker brains) but some of them can even produce tasty fruits, vegetables and other nutritious produce too. Fortunately though, as Makers, even if our strengths don’t lie in gardening or plant care, we can use our particular skills to make up for it, and with cool Electronics like these Gravity Series Analog Conductivity Soil Moisture Sensors, we can even do it automatically as we continue to craft, create and Make all of our fun projects.

These Soil Moisture Sensors are relatively basic in their design, using simple conductivity between two spikes that measure the electrical resistance between them and come up with a loose estimation of how much moisture is in the soil or other similar matter. This is ideal for integrating into automated gardening and plant watering systems, as it can signal precisely when your plants need more water to stay hydrated, healthy, and continuously producing the oxygen (and fruits or veggies!) that we need to keep on Making. These units are designed to be somewhat disposable, with the conductive electrodes slowly wearing out and losing their copper tracks over time as they are exposed to moisture, but the low cost means that they can be easily replaced as needed. And while the alternative Analog Capacitive Soil Moisture Sensor may not quite experience this same level of wear and tear, these units take a stronger focus toward prototyping and experimentation, rather than long-term solutions.

So if you’ve been wanting to experiment with automated gardening and watering systems, or if you’ve got other ideas of how you might be able to take advantage of the simple but effective conductive electrode sensing style, these Gravity Series Soil Moisture Conductivity Sensors are an excellent place to start before moving on to more advanced version or testing out various other sensor styles and techniques.

Additional Resources:

• For better insights into precisely how these cool sensors work, as well as other handy resources to get you started, visit the DFRobot Analog Soil Moisture Sensor for Arduino Wiki.

As self-proclaimed “Robo-holics”, DFRobot is a company comprised of over 100 staff members, of which 30% are engineers who love to build robots. It was started in 2008 with the goal of embracing and promoting open-source hardware, with a core focus on Arduino, Raspberry Pi and their very own LattePanda development boards. Since then, DFRobot have manufactured over 1300 unique modules, sensors and components that all work together and complement each other, allowing users like us to enjoy a full spectrum of cutting edge robotics and electronics without having to pay premium prices.

With the primary goal of developing and manufacturing great quality products, while making them accessible to as many people as possible, DFRobot are rapidly becoming one of the most common-place brands in the world of open-source robotics and electronics. With more than 1300 products developed in-house, and an impressive range of different categories and specialisations, there are few brands in the world who can compete in terms of quality, accessibility and genuine innovation.