Unlock the full potential of your indoor garden with our cutting-edge Boards and Kits, utilizing either a Raspberry Pi Pico or ESP32S3 in the Pico form-factor. Effortlessly monitor your plants and automate watering to ensure they are perfectly cared for!
Optimize your indoor garden with GrowMax Boards by OpenSensor.io and experience the difference!
Take the hassle out of plant watering with OpenSensor GrowMax boards, your one-stop solution for effortless automation. Our advanced system supports up to 8 individual plant moisture sensors and 8 micro submersible pumps, ensuring precise hydration for each of your plants.
Leveraging the power of Raspberry Pi Pico or Pico W, along with the open-source MicroPython package GrowMax, our plug-and-play automation is perfect for beginners and experienced gardeners alike. Plus, with both I2C channels available for expansion, you can unlock limitless possibilities for your indoor garden.
Fully assembled Growmax board only, entirely DIY for sourcing other components.
Growmax board and enough parts to get started with 3 plants; provide your own pico.
Overview
Board Only
Basic
Basic+
Pro
GrowMax Board
Pico W Pre-installed
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OpenSensor.io 3D Printed Case
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Pimoroni Moisture Sensors w/ custom 2 meter cables
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3 of each
6 of each
9 sensors, 8 cables
Mini submersible pumps w/ 2 meter cables and connectors
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3
6
8
Optomax Liquid Sensor w/ 1 meter cable and connector attached
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1
1
1
Qwiic stemma QT cables 2.5 meters
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1
1
2
Silicone Tube 5mm ID x 8mm OD meter
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8 meters
10 meters
Primerus Pot-Dripper Rings w/ adapters
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Four 10" & Two 6"
Six 10" & Two 6"
2A USB wall charger and 2 meter MicroUSB cable
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Easy installation using our packages published on PyPI and open-source code on GitHub: OpenSensor growmax is designed for the grow community and plant hobbyists alike! Our kits bring together the best custom-made and aftermarket components, enabling quick deployment of intelligent plant automation systems at the point of use.
Growmax boards can be configured to report sensor data into the OpenSensor.io API layer. Visualize your data in our grafana dashboards and manage your devices on the OpenSensor.io website. Recent feature release allows issuing manual watering commands from the website in near real time.
To protect the operation of your pumps, it's important to install an Optomax liquid level sensor or alternative water switch approximately 3 inches from the bottom of the reservoir. The most effective way to install an Optomax sensor in your bucket is by using a step bit with a drill, carefully crafting a hole just large enough to accommodate the liquid level sensor. With a step bit and careful handling, installation is straightforward and precise.
Our board and software offers a wide range of configurations. Our kits range from fully DIY to inclusive packages with custom sourced parts. You will require a 5 or 7 gallon bucket dedicated for the pump reservoir. For larger reservoirs: consider maximum lift of your selected pumps in relation to container height, and consider the affects of gravity siphoning when water level is much higher than output point.
Things you may be wondering about the GrowMax boards by OpenSensor.io
Absolutely! The package price covers USPS first-class shipping with tracking.
The GrowMax board is a custom-developed plant automation board, powered by a Raspberry Pi Pico form factor microcontroller unit (MCU).
Yes, the boards are double-sided and assembled by JLC.
Simply plug a Pico compatible device with headers into the GrowMax board to provide the CPU and software instructions. Install the GrowMax package from PyPI to get started.
The Pico is an affordable, versatile microcontroller board with a wireless variant for IoT devices. Other MCU variants that follow the Pico form factor and pin-outs are generally compatible with GrowMax.
Connect the board to your computer's USB port and run the program from the Thonny IDE to see program outputs. More information is available on the GrowMax GitHub page.
Certainly! You can use one of the two available Qwiic connect I2C channels with I2C displays. GrowMax version 1.1.5 supports SSD1327 and SH1107 chipsets for displays.
The GrowMax board features 8 moisture sensor ports designed for capacitive moisture sensors, which are measured by a single pin reading pulses per second. Note that these differ from ADC and I2C moisture sensors.
We recommend Pimoroni Grow moisture sensors as the best on the market. They are directly compatible with the ports on the GrowMax board.
Yes, the digital chips on moisture sensors can corrode and provide inaccurate readings over time due to dirt and moisture. Avoid directly watering them and consider applying a conformal coating to protect the sensor chips from the environment.
The default drip-limiting holes may not provide sufficient flow for an effective watering cycle. Widening select holes with a small drill bit is recommended.
The default water inlet on the state for the Primerus Pot-Dripper Rings minimizes water inlet flow, so we supply T-adapters and separate stakes to hold up the rings.
Interested in our products and learning more? We would love to hear from you.
GrowMax test board in action; growth shown from Oct 11th to Nov 19th.