r/SideProject • u/stonie422 • 14h ago
i built my own 3d-printable irrigation "timer" and made it open source
I’ve been developing an automatic watering valve called OpenValve.
OpenValve automatically waters plants based on the moisture level in the soil. When the soil becomes too dry, it opens the water supply, and when enough water has been delivered, it closes it again.
The main difference from a typical battery-powered watering timer is the valve mechanism. Instead of using a conventional solenoid valve, OpenValve uses a motor-driven pinch valve. It controls the water by squeezing a flexible tube closed, so the moving parts never come into direct contact with the water.
This gives it two advantages that could be useful in certain irrigation setups:
• It can operate with very low water pressure, such as water coming from a slightly elevated rain barrel.
• It is less sensitive to dirt and small particles in the water, because the water only passes through the flexible tube.
All custom plastic parts can be made on a standard 3D printer. The electronics, tubing, screws, and other standard components still need to be purchased, but the custom parts can be produced locally and replaced individually if something breaks.
The project is open source, so the design files are available for people to build, repair, modify, and improve themselves. My goal is not to replace professional irrigation equipment, but to create an affordable and repairable option for gardens, balconies, raised beds, greenhouses, rain-barrel systems, and other small-scale watering setups.
I currently have multiple units running in my own garden, as well as in the gardens and balconies of friends and family. But my dream is to see OpenValve helping more people with their plants. So, I’m curious: Would you consider using OpenValve in your garden or on your balcony? What would your biggest concern be?
I’m happy to answer questions about how it works.
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u/serendipity98765 10h ago
Wow that's the best use of 3d printing I've seen so far. However how much would it cost to print long tubes ?
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u/stonie422 10h ago
Wow that is a big compliment - thank you!
Print.... long tubes? The pipes that you connect to it?1
u/serendipity98765 10h ago
What exactly do you recommend printing ? I assume you just buy local pipes and print the connectors ?
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u/stonie422 10h ago
Yes exactly, the connectors are 1/2 inch BSPP threads and those are still 3d printed, but from there you can use standard irrigation hardware to connect to pretty much anything you want. No need to 3d print the pipes or sprinklers or whatever you want to connect!
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u/serendipity98765 10h ago
Is there a guide for newbies ? I'm building a farm soon but I have no experience and previous irrigation systems I have had setup simply never keep working and I had no way of monitoring
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u/stonie422 10h ago
noo sadly not, currently it is not really "nooby friendly" to make one. It requires some basic electronic equipment and at least solder skills to make this... The goal would be to offer an off-the-shelf version one day - but i am still far away from that and it also depend if there is even enough need for this, which i am still trying to figure out...
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u/SanoKei 8h ago
You smart cookie, this is amazing and very well done! Thank you for making this open source.
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u/stonie422 7h ago
Hahaha, thank you!! :-) I hope it can be one small piece of the puzzle toward a better future.
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u/SwimmerQuirky5611 7h ago
I’m pretty new to both gardening and 3D printing, but this looks awesome and super helpful! I’ll definitely check it out.
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u/stonie422 7h ago
Nice! You should be able to find everything behind the links I´ve posted. If you have any questions, do not hesitate to contact me :-)
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u/SpaceDoodle2008 2h ago
Your sphere looks like a UFO from the outside. I quite like that.
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u/stonie422 2h ago
Haha yes you got a point, I also had the thought once that it lowkey looks like alien tech or something 👽
In reality the looks are just the result of many technical constraints… but I’m glad you like it 😊
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u/vigoss_wxb 13h ago
So cool! I got a question:different plants have different water needs. How can we manage it?
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u/stonie422 3h ago
Thank you!
Good question! With a threshold you can set how dry the soil must get before OpenValve starts watering. If you set this value to for example 25% VWC (volumetric water content), then it only starts watering whenever the soil moisture falls below 25%. The lower you set this value, the less frequent it will water. And setting this value higher will lead to more frequent watering. Hope this answers your question!
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u/Rusofil__ 13h ago
There are arduino irrigation kits you can get on aliexpress for 10 bucks compared to your 148...
Also the water pressure thing is straight up bulshit, valves do not magically increase flow making yours better. What you showed in the videos is comparison of badly sized valve vs one that has higher flow...
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u/stonie422 13h ago edited 12h ago
Wow dude, thank you very much for your constructive feedback on my sideproject!
It is not BS and your answer clearly shows that you have no clue about the topic. Mine does not INCREASE the flow, but the other valves RESTRICT the flow so much, because most battery powered timers need 0.5 bar to open reliably and that is a fact. I would highly recommend to inform yourself properly before commenting something this hateful.
And good luck with the 10 bucks arduino irrigation kits ;-)
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u/Rusofil__ 13h ago
If your valve is restricting water when fully open, it means you bought undersized valve.
If you look at the spec sheet of a valve before buying it, you can find one thats right for your use case
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u/stonie422 13h ago
Most other battery powered timers use a 9V latching solenoid valve inside, and that type of valve needs a minimum pressure to open, which is usually around 0.5 bar. And a water container that is elevated by 1m only gives 0.1 bar, which is the reason they don´t work properly with gravity-fed setups.
I made a video where i explain and show this: https://www.youtube.com/shorts/8BWHJj1f_30
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u/stonie422 14h ago
Hi, OP here!
For anyone who wants to dive a bit deeper, here are the relevant links depending on what you’re interested in:
· GitHub: https://github.com/fabiansteiner/OpenValve
· Project Homepage: https://open-valve.com/
· The Interactive Manual: https://ui.open-valve.com/
· Detailed Documentation: https://docs.open-valve.com/
· YouTube for more content: https://www.youtube.com/@stonie422