IoT-based-Soil-Moisture-Monitoring-System-using-HTTP-and-UART-communication-protocols

Solo Project: IoT-based Soil Moisture Monitoring System using HTTP and UART communication protocols

ESP-01-based IoT systems generally use AT commands to be able to perform actions in a network. These AT commands are known to be many. In addition, the combination of commands is difficult to understand for a beginner. Therefore, this project was created to improve the convenience of the ESP-01-based IoT system. In this case, the author used the UART protocol on the development board side. This project has been implemented and took approximately 2 weeks. Two types of development boards were used. Arduino Uno R3 is used to retrieve soil moisture data from the sensor which is then sent to ESP-01 via UART communication: Serial Software. Meanwhile, ESP-01 is used to receive data from Arduino Uno via UART communication: Hardware Serial and then send the data to Ubidots via HTTP protocol.

Project Requirements

Part	Description
Development Board	• Arduino Uno R3 • ESP-01
Code Editor	Arduino IDE
Programmer Tools	CH340-ESP01 USB
Driver	CH340 USB Driver
IoT Platform	Ubidots
Communications Protocol	• Hypertext Transfer Protocol (HTTP) • Universal Asynchronous Receiver-Transmitter (UART)
IoT Architecture	3 Layer
Programming Language	C/C++
Arduino Library	• SoftwareSerial (default) • Ubidots-ESP8266
Sensor	Capacitive Soil Moisture Sensor (x1)
Other Components	• USB type B cable - USB type A (x1) • Jumper cable (1 set) • ESP-01 Adapter (x1)

Download & Install

1. Arduino IDE

   https://bit.ly/ArduinoIDE_Installer

   
   

2. CH340 USB Driver

   https://bit.ly/CH340_USB_Driver

Project Designs

Block Diagram	Infrastructure

Pictorial Diagram	Wiring

Basic Knowledge

• Serial Communication

Basically, a device can be communicated with other devices either wirelessly or by cable. Communication between commonly used hardware is Serial Communication. It can be known that there are three types of Serial Communication, which include: UART (Universal Asynchronous Receiver-Transmitter), SPI (Serial Peripheral Interface), and I2C (Inter Integrated Circuit). Serial UART communication allows each device to act as a master or slave in a limited way. Master is the primary device that has full authority over the control of the Slave, while the Slave is the secondary device that is under the authority of the Master device. There are two kinds of UART Serial Communication, namely Hardware Serial and Software Serial. Hardware serial communication can be done by connecting the TX and RX pins crosswise on each development board, for example: RX-TX, then TX-RX. The TX pin is for sending data, while the RX pin is for receiving data. Serial Software Communication is more or less the same as Serial Hardware Communication in terms of cabling, but there are differences in terms of coding. By using this Serial Software you can overcome the constraints of the limitations of RX and TX pins on the development board. To communicate with this Serial Software is quite easy, namely by using certain Digital Pins as a substitute for TX pins and RX pins.

• Internet of Things

Internet of Things (IoT) is a concept where things connected to a network can perform one or more actions in achieving a goal. These actions include data collection, data transmission, data reception, or data processing. Every IoT project requires devices that can connect to WiFi such as ESP. ESP consists of 2 types, namely ESP8266 and ESP32. This is on the market very diverse models, for that you need to readjust to the needs in the project so as not to cause disappointment.

Arduino IDE Setup

1. Open the Arduino IDE first, then open the project by clicking File -> Open :

   • Master.ino • Slave.ino

   
   

2. Fill in the Additional Board Manager URLs in Arduino IDE

   Click File -> Preferences -> enter the Boards Manager Url by copying the following link : http://arduino.esp8266.com/stable/package_esp8266com_index.json

   
   

3. Board Setup in Arduino IDE

   i	How to setup the Arduino Uno board
   Click Tools -> Board -> Arduino AVR Boards -> Arduino Uno

   
   

   ii	How to setup the ESP-01 board
   • Click Tools section -> Board -> Boards Manager -> Install esp8266. • Then click Tools -> Board -> ESP8266 Boards -> Generic ESP8266 Module.

   
   

4. Change the Board Speed in Arduino IDE

   i	How to change the speed of Arduino Uno board
   Click Tools -> Upload Speed -> 9600

   
   

   ii	How to change the speed of ESP-01 board
   Click Tools -> Upload Speed -> 9600

   
   

5. Install Library in Arduino IDE

   Download all the library zip files. Then paste it in the: C:\Users\Computer_Username\Documents\Arduino\libraries

   
   

6. Port Setup in Arduino IDE

   Click Port -> Choose according to your device port (you can see in device manager)

   
   

7. Change the WiFi Name, WiFi Password, and so on according to what you are currently using.
   
   

8. Before uploading the program please click: Verify.
   
   

9. If there is no error in the program code, the next step is to use the ESP-01 programming tool according to the procedure. Then click: Upload. While Arduino Uno can be done directly without using programming tools.
   
   

10. If there is still a problem when uploading the program, then try checking the driver / port / programmer tool / others section.

CH340-ESP01 USB Setup

1. Programming Mode :

   • Attach the ESP-01 to the CH340-ESP01 USB.

   • Press and hold the button on the CH340-ESP01 USB, and plug it into computer/laptop.

   • Release the button when the device is recognized by the computer/laptop.

   • Please upload the program.
   
   
   

2. Operating Mode :

   • Release the CH340-ESP01 USB from the computer/laptop.

   • The program code that has been embedded in this ESP-01 board is ready for operation (no more programming activities).

   • Release the ESP-01 from the CH340-ESP01 USB. Do the wiring as shown in the pictorial diagram.
   
   
   

Notes :

• To upload the program, besides using the CH340-ESP01 USB, you can also use other programming tools such as: CP2102 USB, CH340 USB, FTDI USB, or with PL2303 USB. • Based on experience, I admit that using the CH340-ESP01 USB is much better than other programming tools because it does not require a cable to be connected to a computer/laptop.

Ubidots Setup

1. Getting started with Ubidots :

   • Please Log in to access the Ubidots service. • If you don't have a Ubidots account yet, please create one.

   
   

2. Creating devices :

   • After logging into the account -> click Devices. • Click + (Create a device) -> then select Blank Device. • Device name customize according to your needs. • Device label customize what was on Ubidots when it successfully sent the data the first time, in which case it will usually be an ID. • Select ✅ Checklist to save.

   
   

3. Creating dashboards :

   • Click Data -> then select Dashboards. • Click Add new Dashboard. • Name, Tags, Default time range -> customize it to your needs. • Dynamic Dashboard -> change it to Dynamic (Single Device). • Default Device -> select the device you want to display. • Leave the other settings alone -> then click SAVE.

   
   

4. Creating widget :

   • Make sure you are in the Dashboards menu. • Click + Add new widget. • Please choose according to your needs. In this project, the author uses Line chart for data visualization. • Please set the variables that you want to display on the widget by clicking + Add Variables, then click ✅ Checklist to save. • If you want to change the content of the widget, please click the pencil symbol -> if so, then click ✅ Checklist to save.

   
   

5. Firmware configuration :

   • Click the User section in the top right corner -> then select API Credentials. • Copy the Default token -> paste it into the firmware code. An example is as follows: const String token = "BBUS-aRZvtYRMM7IWbrKFcICR30YYP7dh5Q"; // define ubidots token

Get Started

1. Download and extract this repository.
   
   

2. Make sure you have the necessary electronic components.
   
   

3. Make sure your components are designed according to the diagram.
   
   

4. Configure your device according to the settings above.
   
   

5. Please enjoy [Done].

Highlights

Hardware	Serial Monitor & IoT Platform: Ubidots

Appreciation

If this work is useful to you, then support this work as a form of appreciation to the author by clicking the ⭐Star button at the top of the repository.

Disclaimer

This application has been created by including third-party sources. Third parties here are service providers, whose services are in the form of libraries, frameworks, and others. I thank you very much for the service. It has proven to be very helpful and implementable.

LICENSE

MIT License - Copyright © 2024 - Devan C. M. Wijaya, S.Kom

Permission is hereby granted without charge to any person obtaining a copy of this software and the software-related documentation files to deal in them without restriction, including without limitation the right to use, copy, modify, merge, publish, distribute, sublicense, and/or sell copies of the Software, and to permit persons receiving the Software to be furnished therewith on the following terms:

The above copyright notice and this permission notice must accompany all copies or substantial portions of the Software.

IN ANY EVENT, THE AUTHOR OR COPYRIGHT HOLDER HEREIN RETAINS FULL OWNERSHIP RIGHTS. THE SOFTWARE IS PROVIDED AS IS, WITHOUT WARRANTY OF ANY KIND, EITHER EXPRESS OR IMPLIED, THEREFORE IF ANY DAMAGE, LOSS, OR OTHERWISE ARISES FROM THE USE OR OTHER DEALINGS IN THE SOFTWARE, THE AUTHOR OR COPYRIGHT HOLDER SHALL NOT BE LIABLE, AS THE USE OF THE SOFTWARE IS NOT COMPELLED AT ALL, SO THE RISK IS YOUR OWN.