🌱 GrowMax - Smart Plant Watering Automation

Micropython library for automated plant watering and environmental monitoring

Transform your plant care with intelligent automation! GrowMax provides everything you need to build a sophisticated plant monitoring and watering system using affordable microcontrollers.

🚀 Why Choose GrowMax?

• 🎯 Plug & Play: Get started in minutes with pre-configured settings
• 🔧 Highly Configurable: 20+ configuration options for any setup
• 📊 Multi-Sensor Support: Soil moisture, pH, CO2, water level monitoring
• 💧 Smart Watering: Automated pumping with safety features
• 📱 Remote Monitoring: WiFi connectivity with cloud data collection
• 🖥️ Visual Feedback: OLED display support with motion activation
• ⚡ Power Efficient: Designed for 24/7 operation
• 🛡️ Safety First: Built-in water level checks and pump protection

🛒 Get Your Hardware

Purchase GrowMax boards and complete kits at opensensor.io

⚡ Quick Start

1. Install Firmware

Choose your microcontroller:

• Raspberry Pi Pico: Download Firmware
• Raspberry Pi Pico W: Download Firmware
• ESP32S3 (BananaPi): See ESP32S3 Setup Guide

2. Install GrowMax Library

1. Install Thonny IDE
2. Connect your device and launch Thonny
3. Go to Tools → Manage Packages
4. Search for growmax and install the latest version

3. Create Your Main Program

Create main.py on your device:

from growmax.routine import main

main()

4. Configure Your System

1. Copy /lib/growmax/config.py to your device root as config.py
2. Customize settings for your setup (see Configuration Guide)
3. Run main.py in Thonny to test

5. Deploy

Connect 5V USB power - your system is now autonomous! 🎉

📖 Documentation

Guide	Description
🚀 Quick Start	Get running in 10 minutes
⚙️ Configuration Reference	Complete settings guide
🔧 Hardware Setup	Assembly and connections
💡 Examples	Real-world use cases
🔍 Troubleshooting	Common issues & solutions
📚 API Reference	Technical documentation

🌟 Key Features

💧 Smart Watering System

• 8-channel soil moisture monitoring with individual thresholds
• Automated pump control with configurable duration
• Water level safety checks prevent dry pumping
• High-power pump support via I2C relay boards

📊 Environmental Monitoring

• CO2 monitoring with Adafruit SCD4X sensors
• pH measurement using Atlas Scientific probes
• Temperature and humidity tracking
• Real-time data logging to OpenSensor.io cloud

🖥️ Display & Interface

• OLED display support (SSD1327, SH1107)
• Motion-activated display for power efficiency
• Real-time status updates showing all sensor readings
• Visual pump and sensor status indicators

🌐 Connectivity & Remote Control

• WiFi connectivity for remote monitoring
• Cloud data collection with opensensor.io integration
• Remote pump control (experimental feature)
• Device management through web dashboard

🔧 Basic Configuration

Here are the most commonly used settings:

# Soil moisture threshold (0-28, lower = wetter)
SOIL_WET_THRESHOLD = 10

# Enable water level safety check
WATER_SENSOR_LOW_ENABLED = True
WATER_SENSOR_LOW = 22  # GPIO pin

# Pump settings
PUMP_WHEN_DRY = False  # Safety: only pump when water detected
PUMP_CYCLE_DURATION = 30  # seconds

# WiFi for remote monitoring
WIFI_ENABLED = True
WIFI_SSID = "YourNetwork"
WIFI_PASSWORD = "YourPassword"

See the complete configuration guide for all 20+ options.

🏗️ Example Setups

🌿 Basic Single Plant

Perfect for beginners - monitor and water one plant automatically.

🏡 Home Garden (8 Plants)

Full 8-channel setup with individual moisture thresholds per plant.

🏭 Greenhouse Monitoring

Advanced setup with CO2, pH, temperature monitoring and cloud logging.

💪 High-Power Irrigation

Using relay boards to control large pumps and irrigation systems.

View detailed examples →

⚡ Power & Safety

Important Safety Information:

• Pico Power Limit: 300mA max current (shared 5V rail)
• Onboard Pumps: Use 5V pumps drawing <200mA each
• Higher Power Applications: Require I2C relay boards (not direct connection)
• Water Sensors: Designed for Optomax liquid sensors with 4V→3.3V conversion
• Always Enable Water Level Checks: Prevents pump damage from dry running

🆘 Need Help?

• 📖 Documentation: Check our comprehensive guides
• 🐛 Issues: Report bugs on GitHub Issues
• 💬 Community: Join discussions on opensensor.io
• 📧 Support: Contact us through opensensor.io

🤝 Contributing

We welcome contributions! Whether it's:

• 🐛 Bug reports and fixes
• 📖 Documentation improvements
• ✨ New features and sensors
• 💡 Example projects and use cases

📄 License

MIT License - see LICENSE file for details.

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Made with ❤️ by OpenSensor.io

Automate your garden, monitor your plants, grow smarter! 🌱