Twitter Arduino Automated Gardening System w/ Light & Water control, Xbee, & RTC

The video showcases an Arduino-based automatic gardening system that helps in maintaining garden plants by controlling watering and lighting based on sensor readings.

The watering system consists of a pump located in a bucket, which is connected to a half-inch vinyl tube that runs down into the soil. Through quarter-inch vinyl tubing connected to this main tube, adjustable little spigots provide water to the plants either by sprinkling or dripping, depending on the desired flow rate.

The LCD display provides summary readings and information at a glance, showing the status of the system, such as if the plants have been watered within 24 hours and the current time based on a real-time clock.

Yes, the system includes an XP Pro with a backpack that transmits data to a desktop, allowing the user to monitor sensor readings and control the system. The system's data is tweeted to a Twitter account, and potentially, functions like watering or lighting could be controlled through a PC using a Python script or other programs.

The Python script reads the serial output from the Arduino and is linked to Twitter. It tweets statistics like the humidity, temperature, and moisture levels every 30 minutes, providing updates on the status of the garden.

The real-time clock is relatively accurate, losing or gaining only about two seconds a month. It's important because it allows the system to schedule events like turning the light on or off and watering at specific times, rather than just relying on elapsed time since powering on.

The creator plans to make the system provide more interactive updates and meaningful messages based on the statistics (e.g., saying "I need water" instead of just providing stats) and to control watering based on the moisture level in the soil rather than using a purely timed system.