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Innovation, 2022

Dinacon, smart farming with LoRaWAN at DreamSpace Hive

Solar-powered sensors on a luffa farm sent their readings through a LoRaWAN gateway at DreamSpace Hive, built during Dinacon 2022.

When: 21 July 2022
Where: DreamSpace Hive, Batticaloa
Format: Project and workshop
With: Digital Naturalism Labs

During Dinacon 2022, Lakshantha turned a luffa farm near DreamSpace Hive into a connected farm. Sensors for temperature, humidity and soil moisture sent their readings over LoRa, a long-range radio, to a gateway set up inside DreamSpace Hive, and on to an online dashboard. The station on the farm ran on solar power, in a case 3D printed for it.

The gateway at DreamSpace Hive was open to everyone at Dinacon to try with their own sensors. Lakshantha also ran a workshop there on using a microcontroller, connecting sensors and sending their data to a LoRaWAN gateway.

Read more on the Dinacon 2022 website: Smart Farming with LoRaWAN. The photographs on this page are from that post.

Images

The sensor station on the luffa farm, its screen showing temperature and humidity, July 2022. Photo: Dinacon 2022.

The luffa farm near DreamSpace Hive where the sensors went, July 2022. Photo: Dinacon 2022.

The LoRaWAN gateway set up at DreamSpace Hive, July 2022. Photo: Dinacon 2022.

Solar panels and tools laid out for the build, July 2022. Photo: Dinacon 2022.

Wiring the small solar panels together, July 2022. Photo: Dinacon 2022.

The solar panels joined into one strip, July 2022. Photo: Dinacon 2022.

The battery charging circuit before it went into its box, July 2022. Photo: Dinacon 2022.

Testing the circuit with the laptop, July 2022. Photo: Dinacon 2022.

3D printing the enclosure, July 2022. Photo: Dinacon 2022.

The 3D-printed hanger for the screen, July 2022. Photo: Dinacon 2022.

The circuit and battery fitted into the printed box, July 2022. Photo: Dinacon 2022.

The finished solar strip and battery box, July 2022. Photo: Dinacon 2022.

The battery box connected to the solar panels, July 2022. Photo: Dinacon 2022.

The station mounted on the farm, showing live readings, July 2022. Photo: Dinacon 2022.

The solar strip and station in place among the luffa plants, July 2022. Photo: Dinacon 2022.

The LoRaWAN with Arduino workshop at DreamSpace Hive, July 2022. Photo: Dinacon 2022.

The Wio Terminal and a sensor used in the workshop, July 2022. Photo: Dinacon 2022.

The LoRaWAN development kit used in the workshop, July 2022. Photo: Dinacon 2022.