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🌱 SeedStarter

Intelligent Raspberry Pi-Based Environmental Controller for Seed Starting Systems

Python License Tests

SeedStarter is a comprehensive automation solution designed to optimize seedling growth conditions through intelligent environmental monitoring and control. Built for Raspberry Pi, it seamlessly integrates multiple sensors, external APIs, and relay-controlled devices to create the perfect growing environment for your seeds.

Key Features

  • 🌡️ Multi-Sensor Monitoring: Temperature, humidity, light levels, and pH sensors
  • 🔄 Automated Control: Smart relay management for heat mats, lights, and dosing systems
  • ☁️ Weather Integration: OpenWeatherMap API for sunrise/sunset timing and environmental data
  • 🌿 Plant Database: Integration with Trefle API for species-specific growing conditions
  • 📊 Data Logging: SQLite database for historical tracking and analysis
  • 🔧 Multiple Controller Types: From simple sensor monitoring to advanced ADC-based systems
  • 💻 Cross-Platform Development: Mock hardware support for Windows/macOS development

System Architecture

Hardware Components

Component Purpose GPIO Pin Interface
DHT22 Temperature & Humidity GPIO17 Digital
TSL2561 Light Sensor GPIO4 I2C
LM35 Soil Temperature GPIO27 Analog
pH Sensor Soil pH Monitoring GPIO22/ADC Analog
ADS1015 12-bit ADC Module I2C I2C Bus
Relay Module Device Control GPIO18,26,19,13,6,5 Digital Out

Software Architecture

┌─────────────────────┐    ┌──────────────────────┐    ┌─────────────────────┐
│   Sensor Layer      │    │   Control Layer      │    │   External APIs     │
│ ┌─────────────────┐ │    │ ┌──────────────────┐ │    │ ┌─────────────────┐ │
│ │ DHT22 (Temp/Hum)│ │    │ │ Relay Controllers│ │    │ │ OpenWeatherMap  │ │
│ │ TSL2561 (Light) │ │◄──►│ │ Heat Mats       │ │    │ │ Trefle Plant DB │ │
│ │ LM35 (Soil Temp)│ │    │ │ Grow Lights     │ │◄──►│ │ SQLite Database │ │
│ │ pH Sensor       │ │    │ │ Dosing Pumps    │ │    │ │                 │ │
│ └─────────────────┘ │    │ └──────────────────┘ │    │ └─────────────────┘ │
└─────────────────────┘    └──────────────────────┘    └─────────────────────┘

Applications Included

1. SeedStarterSetup.py - Basic Environmental Controller

  • Simple sensor monitoring with relay control
  • Weather API integration for daylight detection
  • Configurable temperature and light thresholds
  • Best for: Basic setups, learning, and prototyping

2. GreenhouseControllerV1.py - Advanced Multi-Relay Controller

  • ADS1015 ADC integration for precise analog readings
  • Multi-relay control with independent timing
  • pH monitoring and automated dosing
  • Threading for concurrent operations
  • Best for: Production greenhouses, advanced monitoring

3. RaspPIControl.py - Comprehensive Sensor Suite

  • Full sensor array support (DHT22, TSL2561, LM35, pH)
  • Individual sensor calibration and control
  • Modular sensor library integration
  • Best for: Custom sensor configurations, research applications

4. APIconnection.py - Plant Database & API Integration

  • Trefle API integration for plant-specific data
  • SQLite database management for seed tracking
  • Optimal growing condition recommendations
  • Best for: Species-specific automation, data analysis

Quick Start

Prerequisites

  • Hardware: Raspberry Pi 3B+ or newer
  • Python: 3.10 or higher
  • OS: Raspberry Pi OS (recommended) or compatible Linux distribution

Installation

  1. Clone the repository

    git clone https://github.com/secretengineer/SeedStarter.git
cd SeedStarter

  2. Set up Python environment

    python -m venv .venv
source .venv/bin/activate  # Linux/macOS
# or
.\.venv\Scripts\Activate.ps1  # Windows PowerShell

  3. Install dependencies

    # For development/testing (any OS)
pip install -r requirements.txt

# For Raspberry Pi deployment (additional hardware libraries)
pip install adafruit-blinka adafruit-circuitpython-ads1x15 RPi.GPIO

  4. Configure environment variables

    cp .env.example .env
# Edit .env with your API keys and settings

Running the Applications

Basic Environmental Control

python SeedStarterSetup.py

Perfect for getting started - monitors sensors and controls relays based on environmental conditions.

Advanced Greenhouse Controller

python GreenhouseControllerV1.py

Full-featured controller with ADC support, pH monitoring, and multi-relay management.

Plant Database Integration

# First, create test database
python create_test_db.py

# Then run the API integration
python APIconnection.py

Development & Testing

The project includes mock hardware support for development on non-Pi systems:

# Run tests
python -m pytest tests/ -v

# Check syntax
python -m py_compile *.py

# Simulate sensor input (development only)
python -c "import RPi.GPIO as GPIO; GPIO._pin_values[7] = True"

Configuration

Environment Variables

Create a .env file from the template and configure the following variables:

Variable Description Example Required
WEATHER_API_KEY OpenWeatherMap API key your_api_key_here ✅
WEATHER_CITY City for weather data Denver ❌
TREFLE_API_KEY Trefle plant database API key your_trefle_key ✅
RPI_BASE_URL Raspberry Pi base URL for remote monitoring http://192.168.1.42 ❌

Hardware Configuration

GPIO Pin Mapping (BCM Mode)

# Digital Sensors
DHT22_PIN = 17        # Temperature & Humidity
TSL2561_PIN = 4       # Light Sensor (I2C)
LIGHT_SENSOR_PIN = 7  # Digital Light Sensor

# Analog Sensors (via ADS1015 ADC)
PH_SENSOR_ADC = ADS.P0    # pH Sensor
LM35_ADC = ADS.P1         # Soil Temperature

# Relay Controls
RELAY_PINS = [26, 19, 13, 6, 5]  # Heat mats, lights, dosing pumps
SEEDLING_HEAT_MAT_PIN = 11
GREENHOUSE_LIGHT_PIN = 13

I2C Configuration

Enable I2C on your Raspberry Pi:

sudo raspi-config
# Navigate to Interfacing Options → I2C → Enable

Control Thresholds

# Temperature Control
TEMP_THRESHOLD = 20.0      # °C
PH_LOW_THRESHOLD = 5.0     # pH units  
PH_HIGH_THRESHOLD = 7.0    # pH units

# Timing Configuration
CONTROL_INTERVAL = 60      # seconds
PH_DOSE_INTERVAL = 3600    # seconds (1 hour)

Production Deployment

Systemd Service Setup

  1. Create service file

    sudo nano /etc/systemd/system/seedstarter.service

  2. Service configuration

    [Unit]
Description=SeedStarter Environmental Controller
After=network.target

[Service]
Type=simple
User=pi
WorkingDirectory=/home/pi/SeedStarter
Environment=PATH=/home/pi/SeedStarter/.venv/bin
ExecStart=/home/pi/SeedStarter/.venv/bin/python SeedStarterSetup.py
Restart=always
RestartSec=10

[Install]
WantedBy=multi-user.target

  3. Enable and start service

    sudo systemctl enable seedstarter.service
sudo systemctl start seedstarter.service
sudo systemctl status seedstarter.service

Monitoring & Logs

# View service logs
sudo journalctl -u seedstarter.service -f

# Check service status  
sudo systemctl status seedstarter.service

# Restart service
sudo systemctl restart seedstarter.service

Hardware Assembly

Required Components

Component Model/Type Quantity Purpose
Raspberry Pi 3B+ or 4B 1 Main controller
Temperature/Humidity DHT22 1 Environmental monitoring
Light Sensor TSL2561 1 Ambient light detection
Soil Temperature LM35 1 Root zone temperature
pH Sensor Analog pH probe 1 Soil pH monitoring
ADC Module ADS1015 (12-bit) 1 Analog signal conversion
Relay Module 5V 8-channel 1 Device switching
Power Supply 5V 3A + 12V 2A 1 System power

Wiring Diagram

Raspberry Pi 4B
┌─────────────────────────┐
│  3V3  5V   GND         │
│   │   │     │          │
│   │   └─────┼──── Relay Module VCC
│   │         └──── Relay Module GND
│   └─────────────── DHT22 VCC
│                    │
│  GPIO17 ──────────── DHT22 Data
│  GPIO4  ──────────── TSL2561 SDA  
│  GPIO5  ──────────── TSL2561 SCL
│  GPIO7  ──────────── Digital Light Sensor
│                    │
│  SDA ───────────────┴─ ADS1015 SDA
│  SCL ───────────────── ADS1015 SCL
│                    │
│  GPIO26 ────────────── Relay 1 (Heat Mat)
│  GPIO19 ────────────── Relay 2 (Grow Light)
│  GPIO13 ────────────── Relay 3 (Dosing Pump 1)
│  GPIO6  ────────────── Relay 4 (Dosing Pump 2)  
│  GPIO5  ────────────── Relay 5 (Fan/Ventilation)
└─────────────────────────┘

ADS1015 ADC Module
┌─────────────────┐
│ A0 ←─── pH Probe │
│ A1 ←─── LM35    │  
│ A2              │
│ A3              │
└─────────────────┘

Troubleshooting

Common Issues

GPIO Permission Errors

# Add user to gpio group
sudo usermod -a -G gpio $USER
# Reboot required
sudo reboot

I2C Device Not Found

# Check I2C devices
i2cdetect -y 1
# Should show ADS1015 at address 0x48

Import Errors on Development Machine

# Expected - use included RPi.GPIO shim for development
# Or install mock libraries for testing
pip install fake-rpi

API Connection Issues

  • Verify API keys in .env file
  • Check internet connectivity
  • Review rate limits for external APIs

Contributing

  1. Fork the repository
  2. Create a feature branch (git checkout -b feature/amazing-feature)
  3. Commit your changes (git commit -m 'Add amazing feature')
  4. Push to the branch (git push origin feature/amazing-feature)
  5. Open a Pull Request

Development Guidelines

  • Follow PEP 8 style guidelines
  • Add tests for new functionality
  • Update documentation for API changes
  • Use environment variables for configuration
  • Never commit API keys or secrets

📄 License

This project is licensed under the MIT License - see the LICENSE file for details.

Acknowledgments

  • Adafruit for excellent sensor libraries
  • OpenWeatherMap for weather API
  • Trefle for their comprehensive plant database
  • Raspberry Pi Foundation

Support

Happy Growing! 🌱

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Environmental controller for seed-starting rack using Raspberry Pi

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