Kitronik Smart Greenhouse Kit for the BBC Micro:bit

The Kitronik Smart Greenhouse Kit for the BBC micro:bit is a fun way to learn about the interactions between plants and their environment. It will help the user to learn how to monitor environmental conditions and build automated systems that react to them. With it, you can grow a crop of plants, then monitor and automatically water them, for perfect growth. This kit is compatible with both the micro:bit V1 and the new microbit V2, available separately.

The kit includes a two-part plastic greenhouse, Kitronik environmental control board, water pump, Kitronik ZIP Stick, and Mini Prong soils moisture sensor. It also includes 5 crocodile clips, ZIP extension cable, and a small screwdriver. Start by adding a micro:bit, seeds, and water and you'll have everything you need!

The kit also includes detailed assembly and coding instructions. There are also 7 online MakeCode tutorials that build in complexity as you progress through them.  They cover everything from gathering sensor data and having the system automatically react to it, to visual user interfaces and more.

Kitronik Environmental Control Board

At the core of the Micro:bit controlled Kitronik Smart Greenhouse Kit is the Kitronik environmental control board. This board provides a variety of sensor inputs and connection points for the BBC Micro:bit (V1 & V2) and provides the ability to control outputs for devices such as a water pump, fan, servo or heater pad. This makes it ideal for feedback control systems, such as the smart greenhouse kit.

You can code the environmental control board with the MakeCode editor and Kitronik have produced a set of custom blocks to make the job as simple as possible. There are blocks for reading input and for controlling additional devices such as a pump. This can be added via the add Extensions function in the editor by searching “Kitronik” or from https://github.com/KitronikLtd/pxt-kitronik-smart-greenhouse.

Cress is often the default crop for these types of experiments. This is because it grows quickly, requires little care, and you can harvest it when it is about 5cm tall (within a few days). Other sprouting plants, such as sprouting white mustard, grow quickly and you can also harvest them when they are 5cm tall.

Note:

• This kit does not come with a BBC micro:bit. It works with either BBC micro:bit V1 or a BBC micro:bit V2.
• This kit is not waterproof. If you get the board wet, you must turn it off until it is fully dry. Risk of shock is very small, but please be cautious.
• Due to electrolysis and being kept in a damp environment, the electrodes on the Mini Prong Moisture Sensor will degrade slowly over time.

Requires:

• A web browser and an internet connection
• One of the following; BBC micro:bit V2 or BBC micro:bit Starter Pack V2
• 3 x AA Batteries or plug-in power supply
• Seeds, such as cress
• Soil