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To: Pollard
New addition to the gadget family

Temperature/Humidity Sensor

It's sitting in another room right now but I'll get it set up outside today.

Next on the list is an analog expansion module that will be able to read the soil moisture sensor. Right now I have to go outside with a multimeter and measure the voltage which varies between 0.00 - 3.00 VDC with 0.00 being dry as a bone and 3.0 being wet as can be.

Went out and looked at the garden last night after work and the freshly seeded bed was patchy, wet/dry so I hit it with the overhead micro-sprinklers for 5 minutes. I'm going to set up timers for a few 5 minute sessions per day. 9am before the sun hits, 3:30pm when it's starting to get patchy afternoon shade and again at 9pm. The analog stuff is expensive, $330 for the module, so I won't be getting one for a while. Wouldn't help me right now anyway because there's no way of knowing what a particular voltage means.

It's not something the makers of it can tell you because it depends on what kind of soil you have. Heavy soil doesn't release it's moisture to a plant like light soil does so 1.70 vdc in sand is different than 1.70 vdc in clay. I'm recording voltage readings with comments on how wet or dry the soil is at the various readings. By the time I get an analog input module, I'll know, it's time to water at 0.87 vdc etc.

Today, I weld tunnel frames

Hopefully I'll get them all welded and sprayed with rust treatment to take care of the surface rust today. Tomorrow, prime with "rusty metal" primer and paint them white. Then I have Sat/Sun/Mon off with 60 degrees and sunny to get them in the ground.

It's time to start shopping for poly film to cover it. Hopefully I'll find an end of the year sale.

59 posted on 11/07/2023 3:34:45 AM PST by Pollard (The US government has US citizens as political prisoners!)
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To: Pollard

Well that was quick pre-shopping. Boostrap Farmer still has the best poly film price and does free shipping to the 48 states.

$266 - 32x60 to completely cover once
$385 - 32x100 to completely cover once plus re-cover the top/roof and West side a second time in 4-6 years

Who am I kidding? I don’t have a good place to store plastic film for 4-6 years. It would be in a hot shed every Summer.

$266 it is.


I still need chain link fence top rail to make my drop down sides and it’s surprisingly expensive.

35’ long tunnel. Fence rail comes in 21’ lengths. I need two for each horizontal and with the bi-fold door design, that’s 4 horizontals per side. Total of 16 lengths at $30 ea.

$30 x 16 = $480
$150 x 2 for linear actuators = $300

$800 for bi-fold drop down sides


Roll up sides are starting to look pretty good.
2 - 21’ lengths per side

$30 x 4 = $120
$25 gearmotor mounted inside a $18 - 6x6x4 weatherproof junction box x 2 = $76
$100 for misc pieces

$300 for roll up sides ($120 for non-motorized)


OR

New design. Put pivots 2/3 of the way up a 48” tall panel/side so that the 16” top 1/3 tilts in/down and 32” bottom part tilts out/up.

Four lengths of top rail per side plus two linear actuators. $240 + $300 = $540


Anyway

It’s light out. I’m gonna go weld tunnel truss frames.


60 posted on 11/07/2023 4:39:05 AM PST by Pollard (The US government has US citizens as political prisoners!)
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