Australia - Electrically Certified Hardware

[danielp370]

I’ve added a patch for ZHA to support Mercator Ikuu 5-gang and 6-gang light switches here: Support for 5 and 6 gang Mercator Ikuu tuya switches by danielp370 · Pull Request #3218 · zigpy/zha-device-handlers · GitHub
Until it merges, easiest way to use it is to add it as a local quirk. The other light switches (1-4 gang) seem ok.

[petergridge]

Check out GitHub - petergridge/Irrigation-V5: Irrigation custom component for Home Assistant

And GitHub - petergridge/openweathermaphistory: A home assistant sensor that uses the OpenWeatherMap API to get forecast, current obs and history data

I wrote these to handle WA’s watering restrictions and collect and use weather data. It doesn’t use BOM weather but i have an integration to open weather map that allows some flexible calculations to affect the volume of water. OWM sources the data from the BOM I believe.

[Chykan (Andrew)]

I tried this get Open Weather map but was not playing the game. I have got my dashboard running how I want now, has rain delay and date picker etc. All automation run from Node Red. Feel free to grab any of it, if it is useful. Does an actual volume based reading on local rain gauge.

A few versions ahead of what was posted above now.

[RKor (Rani)]

Thanks for the recommendations guys, I’ll check them out. In the meantime, I created a helper 'rain chance max for the next 2 days" and using that. Really basic I know haha

alias: Garden Bed Irrigation
description: ""
trigger:
  - platform: time
    at: "09:00:00"
condition:
  - condition: or
    conditions:
      - condition: template
        value_template: >
          {{ states.sensor.campbelltown_temp_max_0.state | int >= 30 and
          states.sensor.soil_moisture_green_garden.state | int <= 30 }} 
      - condition: template
        value_template: >-
          {{ states.sensor.soil_moisture_green_garden.state | int <= 20 and
          states.sensor.rain_chance_forecast_2_days.state | int <= 60 }}
action:
  - service: rainbird.start_irrigation
    metadata: {}
    data:
      duration: 10
    target:
      entity_id: switch.rainbird_gardenbeds
mode: single

[Chykan (Andrew)]

I like it, I did not think to utilise the rain chance sensor in my Node Red Flow. I like the logic you have applied here including the temperature.

[PeatyPete (Peter)]

If you want to vary your irrigation duration based on the forecast temperature, you might want to try something like the below too.
I can’t rely on soil moisture measurements, so aside from some conditions (don’t irrigate if there’s been sufficient rain in the past few days (or it’s forecast), don’t irrigate in cold weather etc) I instead vary on a logarithmic scale based on termpature.

The HA sensor itself (configuration.yaml) looks like this:

  - sensor:
      - name: "Irrigation multiplier"
        state: '{{ float(log(states.sensor.bomforecast_temp_max_0.state, 28) ** 6) |round(2) }}'

Where:

• ‘28’ results in a runtime multiplier of ‘1’ if there’s a forecast max of 28 degrees.
• ‘6’ is the exponent - how aggressively the multiplier curve moves up or down either side of 28 degrees.
  Pop this into your template editor under developer tools if you want to get a sense of how the numbers work

{{ float(log(28, 28) ** 6) |round(2) }}

Then my irrigation action calls the duration with the multiplier applied:

action:
  - service: esphome.irrigation_ab75a5_irrigation_ab75a5_run_back
    data:
      zone1: "{{ (120 * float(states.sensor.irrigation_multiplier.state)) |round }}"
      zone2: "{{ (900 * float(states.sensor.irrigation_multiplier.state)) |round }}"
      zone3: "{{ (900 * float(states.sensor.irrigation_multiplier.state)) |round }}"
      zone4: "{{ (600 * float(states.sensor.irrigation_multiplier.state)) |round }}"
      etc etc etc...

[Chykan (Andrew)]

Thanks for sharing the code on the multiplier, I might be able to use that logic with something else. Have you tried any soil moisture meters?

[PeatyPete (Peter)]

I’ve messed around with the resistive ones (they corrode really easily) and the capacitive ones (which seem better, albeit more expensive).

The issue for me is the sheer size of area I’m irrigating and the number of sensors I’d need to get a representative sample/average. My irrigation controllers are also quite a distance from the solenoids and the irrigated areas, so getting sensor readings over such distances is problematic.

[Chykan (Andrew)]

These are fairly cheap and have been working for me but you are right the costs do go up quickly if you need a heap. I am just planning on 3 for each garden bed in 3 different areas of the yard, 1500m2. Between 9 sensors in 3 different areas I think I should be able to get a good representative sample.

So far they seem to be working well.
* Zigbee Model TS0601.

• Manufacturer TuYa.
• Model TS0601_soil

[Mahko_Mahko]

A bit similar in the RF category…

I’ve was meaning to try them for some time but wound up with another solution.

RF is good for distance and I suspect you could build a ESPHome reciever that could control stuff too.

AU$22.59 | 1 pcs of misol spare part (wireless soil moisture sensor), WH0291S-TR
https://a.aliexpress.com/_mMHn6JE

Soil humidity sensor 433Mhz decode

Hi, i have been trying to find some 433Mhz soil humidity sensors. I found the following: Misol Soil Sensor [413jUTG1LyL.AC_SL1000] They can be bought off ebay for $10. The form factor is pretty nice and they are capacitive. Has anyone used one like this before? I tried with RFlink and RTL_433 but they dont seem to pick it up on the built in decoders. Any ideas or suggestions welcome thanks

[Chykan (Andrew)]

Would a Bond Bridge connect to these devices?

[Mahko_Mahko]

I don’t know. I don’t think so.

I suspect they only “listen” for RF when put in learning mode. And then I don’t know how you’d parse out the data from the signal anyway with that.

I use one of these for listening and sending RF (DIY ESPHome build)

[dgaust]

I used to use the GiEX branded zigbee water devices (TS0601) but they just burnt through batteries in a couple of days. I’m using the ones similar to what you posted - or at least ones that are physically identical - EcoWitt branded https://www.amazon.com.au/Ecowitt-Moisture-Sensor-Humidity-Tester

I use a cheap RTL dongle from aliexpress to monitor the readings https://www.aliexpress.com/item/32900553328.html

Using the RTL_433 add-on from homeassistant.

They work really well. The dongle is located right in the centre of the house, but is able to read the sensors in the back yard as well as the front garden.

[Mahko_Mahko]

Sounds like a decent option!!

[Chykan (Andrew)]

My batteries have been holding pretty well. Mine were not GiEX Branded when I bought them. I also have zigbee repeaters one wall away from my soil moisture meters.

I do like the idea of 433mhz devices.

[dgaust]

I bought the first batch, they apparently fixed it in a later batch, but you can’t upgrade the firmward so they’re bricks. So rather than buy them again (and they’re pretty bloody big tbh) I went with the 433Mhz ones.

[Chykan (Andrew)]

I don’t mind the size, save the Mrs slaughtering them when she is in the garden. I did look at those 433 ones but could not find an easy way to integrate.

[Chykan (Andrew)]

Can you upgrade the firmware if you connect it to a Tuya Hub and upgrade the firmware through the Smart Life or Tuya App?

[BillyGoat (Billy)]

for the ecowitt 433mhz soil sensors you can use the ecowitt bridge/wifi gateway gw1100 theres an add on in HA, you just punch in the IP data via the web interface on the wifi gateway and its good to go.

[sinbox (Sachin)]

Anyone here using the Aqara T2 Dual Relay? Any feedback? Doesn’t appear to have neutral and not sure if it would work with dimmable LED’s? According to this review the product could receive native thread support in the future