Aquaponics
The water pump is scheduled to pump water to the grow box every hour for 15 minutes each by the Arudino and the grow light remains on from 7am to 5pm.
Water Pump and Plant Bed
The aquaponics system was built with the mindset that it must maintain a status we coined as "furniture grade". A disadvantage of using plywood was the unsightly layers revealed on cut ends. To cover up the imperfections, I had to use strips of maple to edge band the sides of plywood and corners were cut with a miter saw at a 45 degree angle to make a perfect 90 degree corner when two pieces were put together. I opted for wood glue as opposed to screws to maintain the flush look. Epoxy was also used to make the grow box water tight and prevent any water from interfering with the electronics. The entire structure was finely sanded and multiple coats of wood stain was applied. The final outcome was a aquaponics system that appeared to be made of a single piece of wood.
Wood Working
I designed the logo that would represent the project's function while reflecting the school's gladiator seal. The vector file was made in Adobe Illustrator and then exported to a laser cutter where the design was laser engraved into the wood.
Laser Engraving
The aquaponics reached a stable and sustainable state in under a week. The fish and plants were monitored with the built in sensors and remained healthy. In less than 6 months the grow box had reached maximum capacity and became overcrowded. The arugula and lemon grass were harvested and given to the engineering instructor to share with his family.
First Harvest
The aquaponics system was powered by an Arduino micro integrated with Raspberry Pi. The touch screen interface was tied to the Raspberry Pi which also received readings from a temperature sensor and actuated the relays that turned on the grow light, air pump, and water pump.
Electrical Schematic
