Most of today’s irrigation controllers are using outdated technology and there is a huge opportunity to introduce smart wireless connected technology into that market. Some companies are already in the market with connected drop-in replacement irrigation controllers, however, the market remains ripe for systems that are reliable and have a good user experience. And very few, if any, are designed intentionally to detect faults in the irrigation system.
Optimal water usage in today’s drought climate is critical and loss of water through broken irrigation systems accounts for about 5% of all water usage. In addition, when an irrigation system is failing it often goes undetected for days or weeks causing damage to crops and wasted water. With this system, operators will know instantly through notifications that there is a problem in the system. Equally valuable is measurement of exactly how much water is applied, as opposed to estimating, so that over watering can be avoided.
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Stop breadboarding and soldering – start making immediately! Adafruit’s Circuit Playground is jam-packed with LEDs, sensors, buttons, alligator clip pads and more. Build projects with Circuit Playground in a few minutes with the drag-and-drop MakeCode programming site, learn computer science using the CS Discoveries class on code.org, jump into CircuitPython to learn Python and hardware together, TinyGO, or even use the Arduino IDE. Circuit Playground Express is the newest and best Circuit Playground board, with support for CircuitPython, MakeCode, and Arduino. It has a powerful processor, 10 NeoPixels, mini speaker, InfraRed receive and transmit, two buttons, a switch, 14 alligator clip pads, and lots of sensors: capacitive touch, IR proximity, temperature, light, motion and sound. A whole wide world of electronics and coding is waiting for you, and it fits in the palm of your hand.
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