From be5b4c8384b86675cadf0853cc328521598558f8 Mon Sep 17 00:00:00 2001 From: JayWll Date: Sat, 4 Jan 2020 12:09:12 -0700 Subject: [PATCH] Adding README.md --- README.md | 31 ++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++- 1 file changed, 30 insertions(+), 1 deletion(-) diff --git a/README.md b/README.md index 571ef60..a7b680d 100644 --- a/README.md +++ b/README.md @@ -1 +1,30 @@ -README.md coming soon! \ No newline at end of file +Houseplant Hackathon +==================== + +What Is This? +------------- + +This project is the result of an afternoon hackathon we ran where I work, the objectives of which were two fold: +* Learn how to write a NodeJS app and deploy it to Google AppEngine +* Connect the plant I have on my desk to the internet + +Since creating it I've migrated the project away from AppEngine and on to [Glitch](https://glitch.com) instead. + + +How Does It Work? +----------------- + +The hardware is built around a NodeMCU, which is an Arduino-compatible microcontroller with integrated WiFi. This is connected to a simple analog soil moisture sensor that's inserted into the soil itself. The moisture sensor came with a little circuit to convert the analog signal to a digital one, but it never worked so we threw it away. + +![Circuit Diagram](https://cdn.glitch.com/b28f7cff-6fcc-4477-9f53-58cfa415c1e0%2FMoisture%20Sensor.png?v=1578163557215) + +The arduino code takes a reading every hour and sends it to the app on Glitch, where it gets stored in a SQLite database. Once a week a cleanup job is triggered by [cron-job.org](https://cron-job.org) to remove readings older than 90 days from the database. + +Both the creation of a new reading and the cleanup cronjob expect that a secret key be included in order to authenticate the request. + + +Links +----- + +* [Glitch Project Page](https://glitch.com/~jasonsplant) +* [GitHub Repo](https://github.com/JayWll/houseplant-hackathon)