Investigatory Project

Water Detector
“Aqua Spotter”
with sprinkler system
Project by:
Beta Aquarii

Miguel Antonio L. Abaño

Gaiea B. Aranas
Gabriel M. Collado
Yani Suzette B. Gamulo
Elson Vince D. Pasco
I. Problem
I. Problem

How to detect moisture in soil to

make it useful for planting?
II. Hypothesis
II. Hypothesis

If a water detector was used as a planting

tool, it would help farmers in the fields
take care of their plants and water them
every time there is insufficient water.
III. Background
Information
III. Background
Information

Sometimes, people have busy lives and as a result,

they forget about taking care of their plant. Our Aqua
Spotter solves the problem of people forgetting to provide
water for their beloved plants. This device works by
detecting the presence of water in the plant’s soil. If the
device detected low water in the soil it beeps alerting the
person who is taking care of the plant. It uses the fact that
watered soil conducts better than dry soil.
III. Background
Information

A low conductivity across two conductors planted in the

soil means that the soil bears little water and may need to be
watered. High conductivity means that there is a high flow of
electricity. This electricity will light up the light bulb (the
brightness will depend on the amount of water present; the
higher the moisture, the brighter the light) and will trigger the
pump to sprinkle water onto the plant’s soil. This detector is
useful not only to people who are busy and forgetful but it
can also be used by farmers to monitor how much water is
present in the soil that bear their crops.
III. Background
Information

Our group, the Beta Aquarii, thought of this project

because some plants can die quickly without the presence of
enough water. We all know that plants play a big part in our
society. They are the reason why we can breathe in clean,
fresh air. People forgetting to water their plants cause plants
to die. This problem causes a decrease in the number of
plants worldwide. Plants should be watered properly and our
device will help prevent plants from withering.
III. Background
Information

The advantage of using of our group’s device is that it

will automatically sprinkle water once it detects low
moisture in the soil. This will eventually lessen the number
of withering plants and will result in an increase of plants in
the world. Also, the materials used for our device are all
recycled and readily available in broken devices and junk
shops. Therefore, our device is user-friendly and very
affordable.
IV. Methodology
A. Materials
IV. Methodology
A. Materials
1) Transistor - a semiconductor device used to increase or
switch electronic signals and electrical power. It is
composed of semiconductor material with at least three
terminals for a connection to an external circuit.
Parts of a transistor:
Base, Collector, Emitter
Types of transistor:
NPN (negative-positive-negative)
PNP (positive-negative-positive)
IV. Methodology
A. Materials

2) Resistor - a passive two-terminal electrical component.

They act to reduce current flow and to lower voltage levels
within circuits.
Kinds of Resistor:
1k resistor
47k resistor
Adjustable Resistor
IV. Methodology
A. Materials

3) Relay – is an electrically powered switch.

4) Breadboard - is used as a construction base for
prototypes of electronics. It is also known a protoboard.
5) Battery (9-volts) - is a device that converts the chemical
energy stored inside it to electrical energy
6) Wire - a strand of drawn metal used especially in
electrical conductors and fencing.
IV. Methodology
A. Materials

7) LED Light Bulb - a light bulb that is shines brighter and

lasts longer than most fluorescent bulbs.
8) Pump – a device that moves fluids.
9) Battery Connector – a wire that has a crown to connect
the battery to other electric materials.
IV. Methodology
B. Procedure
IV. Methodology
B. Procedure

Step 1: Get the bread board and arrange it horizontally. Get the transistor
and put its emitter on the coordinate f10, its collector on f9, and its base
on f8. Make sure that its flat side is facing you.
IV. Methodology
B. Procedure

Step 2: Get the 1k resistor and align its left leg to the transistor’s
collector.
IV. Methodology
B. Procedure

Step 3: Get the LED light bulb and align its left leg to the transistor’s
base.
IV. Methodology
B. Procedure

Step 4: Get the 47k resistor then align it’s left leg to the LED light
bulb’s right leg and the resistor’s right leg on the positive column.
IV. Methodology
B. Procedure

Step 5: Get the adjustable resistor and put its middle leg on the
coordinates h11 and its right leg connected to the transistor’s
emitter.
IV. Methodology
B. Procedure

Step 6: Use a jumper wire to connect the right leg of the 1k resistor
to the middle leg of the adjustable resistor.
IV. Methodology
B. Procedure

Step 7: Get the PNP transistor and put its emitter on the coordinate
f20, its collector on f19, and its base on f18.
IV. Methodology
B. Procedure

Step 8: Use a jumper wire to connect the right leg of the LED bulb to
the base of the PNP transistor.
IV. Methodology
B. Procedure

Step 9: Get another jumper wire to connect the emitter of the PNP
transistor to the negative column, and another jumper wire to
connect the right leg of the adjustable resistor to the positive
column.
IV. Methodology
B. Procedure

Step 10: Connect the negative wire of the battery connector to the
negative column and the positive wire to the positive column.
IV. Methodology
B. Procedure

Step 11: Get the relay and connect its left wire to the collector of the
PNP transistor and connect the other wire to the positive column.
IV. Methodology
B. Procedure

Step 12: Get the probe wires and connect one of them to the 1k
resistor and the other to the positive column. Tape them together
near their ends.
IV. Methodology
B. Procedure

Step 13: Plug the battery into the battery connector. The device is
now ready to use!
V. Experiment
V. Experiment

We conducted two experiments: one with

dry soil and another with wet soil. Before any
experimentation we made sure that all the
electronic parts are fixed and are in position.
V. Experiment
Wet Soil
We plugged the two probes
into the soil. The LED bulb lit up
and the sprinkler did not release
water since there is enough water
in the soil.
Dry Soil
We plugged the two probes
into the soil. The LED light bulb
did not light up and the sprinkler
released water onto the soil. The
LED bulb lit up after the sprinkler
stopped releasing water since
there is now enough water in the
soil.
VI. Analysis and
Results
VI. Analysis and
Results

The results were really simple. The dry soil

received moisture because of the water
released from the sprinkler. The sprinkler will
only release water if the soil is dry and the
only way to know if it is dry without touching
the soil is to use the water detector.
VII. Conclusion
VII. Conclusion

Our hypothesis was that the detector will

work well and will be useful among farmers
and gardeners. The result supports the
hypothesis.
VII. Conclusion

The water system worked and it watered

the soil when more moisture was needed. We
think that we still need to improve it but for
now this detector will be useable and will
surely be helpful to farmers and gardeners.