🌱 SeedStarter

Intelligent Raspberry Pi-Based Environmental Controller for Seed Starting Systems

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

Clone the repository

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

Set up Python environment

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

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

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

Create service file

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

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

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

Fork the repository
Create a feature branch (git checkout -b feature/amazing-feature)
Commit your changes (git commit -m 'Add amazing feature')
Push to the branch (git push origin feature/amazing-feature)
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

📧 Email: [email protected]
🐛 Issues: GitHub Issues
📖 Documentation: Wiki

Happy Growing! 🌱

Name		Name	Last commit message	Last commit date
Latest commit History 16 Commits
.github		.github
RPi		RPi
scripts		scripts
tests		tests
.gitignore		.gitignore
APIconnection.py		APIconnection.py
Assemble the necessary hardware componen.md		Assemble the necessary hardware componen.md
GreenhouseControllerV1.py		GreenhouseControllerV1.py
README.md		README.md
RaspPIControl.py		RaspPIControl.py
SECURITY_ROTATE_AND_PURGE.md		SECURITY_ROTATE_AND_PURGE.md
SeedStarterSetup.py		SeedStarterSetup.py
SeedStats		SeedStats
TempHumidityTest.c		TempHumidityTest.c
create_test_db.py		create_test_db.py
env_loader.py		env_loader.py
requirements-dev.txt		requirements-dev.txt
requirements.txt		requirements.txt
seeds.db		seeds.db

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