Hydroponic garden and technology enthuisast Paul Langdon has created an amazing automated hydroponic system that uses both Arduino and Raspberry Pi technologies to completely control a vertical hyrdoponic garden. Once completed, the system can monitor water levels, temperatures, the pH level of the water, offer remote control and monitoring from Internet-connected devices and alert the user when something is going wrong.
Several Arduino or compatible boards are used which are networked to a Raspberry Pi using I2C to allow all system parameters to be monitored and updated in real time. The Raspberry Pi is further used to maintain a historical log of all the systems running data and make it available via a set if web services. This really is the way of the future, and shown in the following video:
For a very interesting description, visit the project page. And for more, we're on facebook, Google+, and twitter - so follow us for news and product updates as well.
For projects that require interaction between an Arduino and a Raspberry Pi (such as the RUFS above) you can save time and space by using our new PiLeven board:
The PiLeven is an Arduino-compatible board based on the Arduino Uno, but with a few changes. Obviously it's a bit of a strange shape! The PiLeven fits right on top of a Raspberry Pi (either model B or B+) using the Raspberry Pi expansion headers.
The PiLeven also has a high-current switchmode power supply, so you can plug in anything from 7V to 18Vdc using the standard 2.1mm jack. The PiLeven can power the Raspberry Pi, so you don't need a regulated 5V USB connection anymore.
Serial communications on the PiLeven is linked through to the Raspberry Pi, so your Pi can upload new sketches straight to the PiLeven or send/receive data and commands. We've included level shifters so the 3.3V Pi can talk safely to the 5V PiLeven. And you can plug standard Arduino shields right into the PiLeven, giving your Raspberry Pi access to the huge range of shields already available. For more information about the PiLeven, including our tutorials - and to order yours today, visit the PiLeven webpage.
