Yeah, this is my thinking, though I haven't built a proof of concept yet.
Load Cell Weight Pressure Sensors are AUD$5 or so, and I reason a shallow receptacle of sand sitting outdoors, where rain can fall in, and direct sunlight can slowly evaporate the water, should provide a sufficiently accurate analogue for soil moisture.
Certainly I would expect it would be easy enough to calibrate, using different depths of the medium, different types of medium (coir, perhaps), etc. An upside-down plastic pot saucer sitting under the tray would provide sufficient water-proofing for the pressure sensor, I'd expect.
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Yeah, this is my thinking, though I haven't built a proof of concept yet.
Load Cell Weight Pressure Sensors are AUD$5 or so, and I reason a shallow receptacle of sand sitting outdoors, where rain can fall in, and direct sunlight can slowly evaporate the water, should provide a sufficiently accurate analogue for soil moisture.
Certainly I would expect it would be easy enough to calibrate, using different depths of the medium, different types of medium (coir, perhaps), etc. An upside-down plastic pot saucer sitting under the tray would provide sufficient water-proofing for the pressure sensor, I'd expect.