UV Sensor and Flowerpot

The project we created is called Primrose. It is a UV tracking badge and a flower that will bloom and close depending on how much UV has been taken in. The UV sensor will detect UV throughout a day and will send that data back through MQTT and WiFi to open the flower. The idea of the project is to create an idle reminder to the user to get enough UV, and to create a nice decoration for the house.

Hardware:

1. Wemos D1 Mini (x2) - Make sure it has WiFi connections
2. Adafruit Si1145 sensor
3. Servo Motor
4. Wires
5. Batteries

Software:

1. STL file for Flowerpot
2. MQTT explorer
3. Code files

Flowerpot (3D printer used)

1. PLA Filament

Petals

1. Craft wire
2. Fabric
3. Sewing Supplies

Badge

1. Card
2. Paint
3. Safety Pins

The badge is the easiest construction. Create a simple flower shape of your choosing and paint it in any colours you wish. Cut a hole in the centre to allow space for the UV sensor.

To create the flowerpot, simply download and print the STL file attached. Colour and filament is entirely optional, we used white filament and painted it black afterwards.

To create the petals we wanted them to be lightweight but to keep their shape well. To do this, we created a wire-frame using craft wire and then hand sewed the fabric over the top of them. We made 10 in total, to make the flower seem fuller.

UV Sensor:

Connect the SCL pin to D1 on the mini, the SDA to D2 and then the power to 3V and ground to ground.

Motor:

Connect the data pin to D3, the power to 5V and ground to ground.

For the code, replace the WiFi name with your local WiFi and the MQTT broker and topic to your prefered broker and a Topic that fits you.

Keep conns.h in the same folder as the UV code.

Tie all the petals together with string and attach that string to the servo motor. Attach the servo motor to the side of the pot so that when the motor spins, it pulls the petals down or pushes them back up.