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Thanks- glad my observations were helpful😊. The bike is still going strong 👍. Cheers.

I understand and respect your comment but the fact is I moved into her backyard so it’s me that’s the guest. The idea is to not to interact. I don’t interact with these animals when they are raising their young (not that Avery would tolerate any attention from me) so I avoid my yard as much as possible during her brief stays. For more details, please advance to minute 14:50 of this video: th-cam.com/video/VYAYMaNQnFA/w-d-xo.htmlsi=x-b4flanR2j8ufhn . For more details about living in harmony with urban bobcats as explained by a seasoned wildlife biologist, please see this video: th-cam.com/video/4b8A71Weolg/w-d-xo.htmlsi=fUBHTjW_vt3h3VBv . Cheers!

Difficult to say the source from such little information but I would recommend checking your jumpers for continuity; checking your wiring; and ensuring the right libraries are installed.

@ModestMaker all connection and library are correct it showing sensor detected but not fetching the data

I would try searching the online forums with a copy of your error or replacing your sensor. Adafruit had a great support forum if you need a place to start. forums.adafruit.com

Nice! I need to make something similar for a solar panel- too many ideas, not enough time!

Glad you enjoyed it! Agreed and check out chapter 3 for the best footage 😻. Cheers.

Appreciate your compliment- I give it my best!😊

Hah! Cats aren't back yet but they are around. Neighbors send me photos all the time and the kitties are getting BIG! Thanks for reaching out Donald- Merry Christmas to you as well!

Thanks for your interest. Here is an updated version that goes into more detail: th-cam.com/video/_t02pB-fwHE/w-d-xo.htmlsi=H_AOUTaYPUbB67QB . Cheers.

I wouldn’t know. For this kind of processing, you shouldn’t need a more advanced board. Do you have an older board you can use?

@ModestMaker yes but I'm using Arduino UNO R4 Wifi because I want to send the data to a mobile app vía internet and I want to use a lote of variables

I see. I haven’t worked with that board, but I do have other videos that use different Wi-Fi boards for telemetry without issue. I am surprised this doesn’t work 🤔

Thanks- been a while since this was posted. The video as updated here- th-cam.com/video/KHrTqdmYoAk/w-d-xo.html . I will have to revisit the code- was working okay in tests, but not something tested over long periods of time since this design is not ideal for summer monsoons here in AZ. Cheers.

Thanks. That’s interesting- didn’t know that was an option🙄. Anyway- it was fun and has since found a new home.

Awesome! Makes the video worthwhile to know it worked out for you👏👏👏.

Except for the 70 mile ride, your experience mirrors mine precisely.

👍

You're welcome!

Glad it might help with your project😊.

Awesome- I have a 1970s juicer I am going to experiment with per your recommendation. It’s a great alternative to sugary sodas when added to sparkling water- somewhat addictive actually.

@@ModestMaker Good deal! 👍🏼 I borrowed my MIL's Breville, holy smokes, I'm not processing anything like this again if I don't have one or something similar. It cut down prep by hours. Hitting Amazon now. BTW, just ran a small.batch of your syrup using half the sugar, wonderful!! Having Margaritas here this evening. Cheers! 🍹

Awesome. I would recommend cutting the sugar and citric acid in half (2 cups sugar, 1 tablespoon citric acid to 4 cups juice). It lets a little more of the fruit flavor come through and you can always add more if needed. I have been adding it to sparking water and it’s amazing. Cheers!

Thanks! Knowing someone enjoyed it makes it worthwhile!

Thanks Jim for your thoughtful comments. Our HOA has been very successful in using these strategies over the years- more details here: th-cam.com/video/sI1wfKOF99o/w-d-xo.htmlsi=ap5hOdEJdoCeucpZ . Through careful accounting relative to baseline conditions, we've managed to save over five-million gallons of water over the years by doing simple things like applying mulch; installing water harvesting basins; and paying close attention to our irrigation with volunteers shutting things down after monsoons to avoid waste. Regarding sonification, your points are reasonable with the understanding that I'm brand new to this so still working on how to make this approach "sing". Being an avid water conservation guy and music lover, it was a natural thing to see how I might marry them both 😋. Appreciate your interest in all this!

Agreed! Chuck and I are really interested in calculating equivalencies. I am pushing three different project right now but hope to return to this one shortly.

I have another video where the solar part is explained for a similar setup - scroll around on this one of details: th-cam.com/video/93ipPhr7QtQ/w-d-xo.htmlsi=iXXM4SP04Ul9B8nm

@ModestMaker I'll check it out, thanks!

Agreed, but I realize we can’t force interests either. As long we can encourage and keep them engaged in the real world, it’s good.

Bitte!

Thanks Greg - would be cool to do something like this for Biosphere 2😉.

Thanks for checking it out! It was a fun project.

My bad, there is already a paper titled "Towards low cost soil sensing using wifi" by Jian Ding and Ranveer Chandra, 2019. But, it seems simple to implement it.

Interesting! You could make a map of your yard's soil moisture using wifi emitters placed strategically around your yard. If you send me some data, I'd be happy to sonify for it you 😉.

​@@ModestMakerI think I will try the wifi method. I live in the southern hemisphere, in a subtropical region where it starts to rain in november. I would first prepare a single sensor and measure only at one point, to check some relationship between wifi signal attenuation and rainy days. Only if there is a logical correspondence would I put more sensors. I have a good amount of esp8266 that I can use.

Keep us posted!

Agreed. I'm sure I can make them work with a little more investment of time and effort. For the time being, I've pivoted to looking at temperature as an indicator for which I'll be sharing details shortly. Appreciate you subscribing - stay tuned!

Not sure really. Probably have about 2K to date with no issues. 👍

It’s easy to make, rather it’s the mess that’s a bit of a pain to clean up afterwards-purple everywhere😂. Which cliffs in CA?

@@ModestMaker That would be a difficult one to answer as I traveled from San Diego up past San Fransisco and always made lunch stops along the coast. I did find a great place, I believe it was near Malibu on the beach (no cliffs there), where they actually had GREAT Chicago Dogs. Funny that is probably the only place that sticks out other more the cliffs, but the walking path with roller bladers in bathing suits) and a dog with Pepsi, well that is hard to combo to beat.

So much stock- made more today.

Dangerously- I am into my third jar.

2N2222 according to the documentation that came with the original kit.

Agreed- great recommendations. I have gotten many helpful tips- yours included- which I will visit in a future chapter. Right now, focused on temperature as an analog for soil moisture. More about that soon- learning how to sonify the data as a means to convey information 😊.

Wonderful! Hope it helps.

@@ModestMaker Thanks, I am not very proficient in coding, maybe you have some suggestions for a couple of my problems? The forums did not seem very helpful. I am using 4 ESP32's - A BASE and 3 remote stations. My first issue is I have a water meter connected to a remote unit that I want to send a signal back to BASE when water flow starts and again when water flow stops, (to timestamp / data log them. The next issue is I want to have the shortest ESPNow sketch to send variable to remote units, at a specific time (RTC connected to BASE only), to start / stop pumps / valves. Any Ideas or suggestions?

I cover a little bit of coding in an Arduino series I developed for a local maker space here in Tucson, Arizona. It's meant for people who have no background in electronics or programming so it might be helpful. It should apply equally to ESP32 which uses the same Arduino IDE and you can watch it here: th-cam.com/play/PLqJ5k4cakypwMUFxZ1ckiiUfp1Ngf6o29.html&si=eBSlLWoPfaMSTSew . You can also download a free book I put together for the State of Arizona which includes details regarding water detection and live queued links to other videos I've made. A video summarizing the same is available here with a link to the free PDF in the video description: th-cam.com/video/jEO_OjcrRfM/w-d-xo.htmlsi=gWXF4KczaN_bqkHQ My series on datalogging is available in this link: th-cam.com/play/PLqJ5k4cakypw0eztQbuEvwswTYlY-sXvD.html&si=1snu5vwIxjRoup_l It's all free for anyone who is interested developed from the POV of a non-electrical engineer who had to learn this stuff the hard way (lots of trial and error). Hope this helps!😄

@@ModestMaker Thanks

Thanks- happy to share! 😊

Me too- needed a break😊.

Thanks again! It was a great team to work with😊.

Me too. Years later, still finding useful applications. For creative people, it never stops giving 😊. Thanks for the support.

E-bikes are cool 👍

That was my first interaction with ChatGPT- won’t be the last I’m sure.

@@ModestMaker looking forward!

Great question! So, I believe the easiest way to measure rainfall electronically is by counting tips on a tipping bucket rain gage. I have a couple videos that explain how to do this, but the challenge is in that accuracy is questionable during the intense summer monsoons we get here in Tucson, Arizona. Specifically, the tips just can't keep up with the rainfall intensity. This results in under-estimation of rainfall. Another approach is in measuring accumulated rainfall weight to back out rainfall depth That is totally independent of intensity, but it creates other challenges having to do with strain-gages being influence by temperature and having to compensate for the same. I haven't given up on that approach but it's a little tricky given I then have to figure out a way to empty your weighted sample when you are away. It's doable but will take some engineering. Overall, I found the best way to do this is to use a high quality rain gage like the one shown in my video. I purchased my Stratus rain gage from this vendor which helps challenged individuals with job placement: productivemn.org/product/best-rain-gauge/?Search&Google&Rain%20Gauge&gad_source=1&gbraid=0AAAAACVkaB7luX6qvtZiDT-yZxNLpVQv7&gclid=CjwKCAjwqre1BhAqEiwA7g9QhrDiYUV1qc6j6JBJJaLq_NV6-vq_afaFzwUVRjhFQDpbVsn_j_ZM2xoCAq0QAvD_BwE#work .I highly recommend this gage - it's well engineered and very easy to read-- definitely worth a few extra dollars compared to some knockoffs you might find on Amazon.

@@ModestMaker There is a method that I am using for measuring the amount of water in my rain barrels (for wife's garden) and it is very accurate. Waterproof UltraSonic distance sensors. Take a bucket or other container, mount an ultrasonic sensor on the lip of it and connect it to your microprocessor to save your data. Here is the one that I use and it is perfect for a project like this. Here is the part: "HiLetgo 2pcs JSN-SR04T Integrated Ultrasonic Module Distance Measuring Transducer Sensor Waterproof for Arduino" ,I have it hooked to a Pico w. I again use a sampling of the sensors output and I average that to compensate for the micro differences in the measurements . You could take something like a HomeDepot bucket (put a screen over the top) and mount the sensor under the screen and run the Power/Data wires back to your control box. Write a script to monitor and log the data. To take this project one step farther, purchase this electric solenoid Valve (N/C) and create an automatic drain for the bucket. You would 3D print an adapter to mount/glue to the bucket's bottom. Compensate for the m/Liters that would be required to refill the tiny valve cavity. Maybe reset the program when emptied to +xx m/Liters opposed to "0" to compensate for that small amount. You have to be accurate! Amazon "1/2" DC 12V Solenoid Valve N/C Normally Closed Water Inlet Flow Switch" I would use the 1/2' size and no smaller as some particles may somehow get into the bucket. At 00:00:01AM each morning have the script save the 24 hour data and empty the bucket. It can be a lot of work emptying that bucket every time it rains so you need to "Automate". Have a great day!

@@ModestMaker thanks for your answer it is very interest you Videos i learn many from you

This would be relatively easy to do at least up to the solenoid control. For measuring rain, this is a great alternative- I see a new experiment in the pipeline😊. Thanks and stay tuned.

Thanks for shedding additional light on those capacitive soil moisture sensors- great recommendation on sealing the sensor properly which is something I didn't do. In addition to the challenges you shared, I also observe that although they work great for capturing a soil-moisture pulse-- say after a rainfall event-- they don't do well in measuring the drying of soils over time (at least for my soil type). My own tests are summarized in this video with results captured in this queued summary: th-cam.com/video/iqiwVXhgNKw/w-d-xo.htmlsi=JcvDKBczEtA584uO&t=665 . Of note, I've observed this insensitivity demonstrated by various models (including Adafruit's STEMMA soil sensor - PID 4026) as well as when installed in formal field conditions. I've also had similar results in commercial potting soils. I'd really like to make these cool little sensors work but haven't figured out how to mitigate that relative insensitivity to soil drying (?).

@@ModestMaker A couple things which I did not mention in my previous post. The unsealed sides of the moisture sensor can act like a wick and draw that moisture inward and unfortunately it may affect the sensor's moisture readings while drying out and cause the readings to be delayed as the core of the sensor may still contain moisture, until it reaches the moisture level of its surrounding soil. Is it possible that the zip lock bag you used (actually any bag) may have altered that actual readings as that bag will also contain moisture, and take time to adjust to its surroundings? Just thinking....

@donaldhoudek2889 that’s a valid point regarding moisture wicking. I will have to revisit. The bag you saw in the video was to protect the microcontroller which I would periodically attach to the sensor for readings so not really a factor. I will have to try these experiments again - will seal and try with the Adafruit sensor which is higher quality. What did you use to seal? Conformal counting?

Me too. Only challenge is changing a flat on the rear wheel, but I suspect that’s typical for most electric bikes.

Thank You. Yes- I understand the potential for error but based on other experiments, the challenges are similar in field conditions independent of being in a column. I am not clear as to the reason- it perhaps may have something to do with soil compacting after wetting. I just find they are not reliable at least for my tested soil type. See 10:40 for field installation.