CHAPTER I

THE PROBLEM AND ITS BACKGROUND

This chapter includes the introduction, the significance of the study, its specific objectives,

the significance of the study and its scope and delimitation, which elucidates the purposes behind

the conduct of the study.

Introduction

In 1991, the Franciscan Sisters of the Immaculate Conception (SFIC) started adult

literacy classes for communities of indigenous people (IP) in mountain villages of Subic town.

They are considered an important component of the Philippine society. For survival, they engage

in various activities such as hunting and gathering, farming, livestock raising, handicraft

production and selling. A common characteristic of indigenous people is their close attachment

to ancestral land, territory and resources. In relation to this, Mary Francis Borje, founder and

overall coordinator of SFIC narrated, that the late Aeta chieftain asked her to teach his people to

read, write, and count – instead of asking for food, livelihood or housing. The experience of the

chieftain, wherein he was forced to thumb-mark a document that he could not read because he

was illiterate and because it was in English, caused him to lose his people’s ancestral domain.

(Viehland, N. J., 2017)

Sr. Borje found a way to empower the Aetas and to extend a helping hand to them, who

are located in Subic, Zambales. As she previously worked as a missionary among the

tribespeople in Indonesia, when she was assigned to Subic in 1990 she immediately organized

the Aetas from Cawag, Alibang and PHILSECO areas, now Keppel Subic Shipyard

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(Keppelom.com. (2018). Keppel Offshore & Marine - Keppel Subic Shipyard. [Online] Available

at: http://www.keppelom.com/EN/content.aspx?sid=3170 [Accessed 6 Feb. 2018]). From 1995

to 1997 she continued to conduct informal education and by 1998-1999 the school started to

operate as a formal school, catering to more Aeta communities. Aside from the Franciscan

Renewal Foundation, other supporters of their work are Filipino individuals and families and

corporations who give rice, pledge salaries for some of the teachers and help fund buildings,

such as dormitories and classrooms.

Since the area is one of Columban College’s adopted communities, the researchers opted

to conduct the Computer Engineering Project at St Francis Learning Center, Mangan-vaca,

Subic, Zambales. The original plan of the researchers is to provide irrigation to the crops was

later modified to improving the existing water collection system at the said location as suggested

by Sr. Borje.

The residents have to make a time for watering the plants daily and during the school

days, students have an activity to water the plants and it shows that they lend so much time

nourishing the plants and spent twice a week for watering grown up rice, maintaining time to

time that the rice field is flooded during seedlings, and daily for vegetable. The researchers

interviewed one of the farmers stated that recently they only plant vegetables or rice when it’s

rainy season because during these days their water resources are limited due of the water pump

system failure that is installed there but by fixing it and installing the automated water irrigation

system can benefit the community by eliminating human efforts that can be used in a different

activity and also introducing technology that can help their community.

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Statement of the Problem

The primary statement of the problem is: How will the automatic water irrigation system

be implemented?

Specifically, the researchers aim the following:

1. The water irrigation system should supply enough water according to the project design

among the garden hose.

2. To on or off the Solenoid Valve into the time interval needed to supply water to the

field.

3. The water tank should be elevated and make sure the strength of the foundation should

sustain the weight of the water tanks,

4. The Solar Panel should supply enough electricity among the power components of the

water irrigation system.

Significance of the Study

The study is conducted to create an irrigation system being automated by a

microcontroller and for the system to be implemented into the St. Francis’ agricultural field.

This study is envisioned to provide some needed but limited information focusing only to

the automatic water irrigation system and not on a specific need of a certain plant but to give

water to the crops automatically using Arduino Uno as a timer which can be used by people such

as food growers, producers, students, professionals, agricultural industries as a whole and other

member of the society who will find the subject to be interesting.

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 Students. The project shall serve as an additional knowledge and practice to the

electronic-based courses and application of technology in to the agriculture.

Faculty. The project shall be a reference for teaching materials for electronic based

subjects. The faculty members can also present this study to proponents of future projects as a

reference for its accompanying technical paper.

Institution. The Franciscan Sisters of the Immaculate Conception (SFIC) aims to help

Aetas to be educated and support their needs and as the one of the adopted communities of the

Columban College, the researchers wanted to help the institution. The project aims the use of

human resources in watering the plants will be eliminated and the use of water will be efficient

in their agricultural field.

Future Researchers. The project may become a part of their references by providing

data that can be used in related studies. It can be used as a tool to help future researchers for

further development of the automatic water irrigation system.

Scope and Delimitation

This project is focused on how to eliminate human efforts for watering the plants by the

use of an Automatic Irrigation System. This will provide a system depending on the time given

to make the water flow towards the field and to give water to the plants using Arduino Uno as a

timer and Solenoid Valve as the stopper.

The project, however, will not be dealing with following concepts. It will be limited only

to the irrigation for the plants and will not deal with what kind of plants are in the field. The

project will not be dealing with problems regarding the water source and its temperature. It will

also stray away from dealing with the deficiency of the water source in times of drought

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 Notes in Chapter I

Journals:

Gupta, Abhishek1, Kumawat, Shailesh2 and Garg, Shubham3 (2016), Automatic Plant

Watering System (Imperial Journal of Interdisciplinary Research). Retrieved from

https://www.onlinejournal.in/IJIRV2I4/211.pdf

ARCHANA, P.1, PRIYA R.2 (2016, January) DESIGN AND IMPLEMENTATION OF

AUTOMATIC PLANT WATERING SYSTEM (International Journal of Advanced Engineering

and Global Technology). Retrieved from

http://webcache.googleusercontent.com/search?q=cache:Mx18vpn6oiEJ:ijaegt.com/wp-

content/uploads/2016/01/409692-pp-1567-1570-Archana.pdf+&cd=1&hl=en&ct=clnk&gl=ph

Viehland, N. J. (2014). School Expands Education to Aeta.” Global Sisters Report

Accessed March 9, 2017. (Franciscan Sisters) Retrieved from

http://globalsistersreport.org/news/ministry/franciscan-sisters’-school-expands-education-aeta-

6286

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 CHAPTER II

THEORETICAL FRAMEWORK

This chapter will present the relevant concepts, theories, principles, review of related

literature and studies, conceptual framework and definition of terms used in this study.

Relevant Theories

In knowing how to procedurally solve Problems such as: 1) The design of the irrigation

system, in terms of the tube diameter and placing, 2) The sizes and intervals of the holes, 3) The

feasibility of filling an area with water using outlets beneath, 4) Where would the power source be

tapped, 5) How do you control the water, 6) Is it still safe to tap to the present power source, 7)

The controlling of the water, there should be a “theoretical” approach with ideal standards.

Kirchhoff’s Rule

The sum of the currents into a junction is equal to the sum of the currents that flow out and

voltages with different voltages then to flow from higher voltages to lower voltages (F. Bueche,

and E. Hecht, Schaum’s Outline of Theory of Problems of College Physics 9th Edition).

Current Solar Panel New Solar Panel

150W 100W

PEAK POWER 17.42V 17.4V

PEAK CURRENT 9.72A 5.76A

Table 2.1 Solar Panel power and current indication.

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The current Solar Panel (Table 2.1) will normalize to 17.4V assuming they have the same voltage:

Current Total: 9.72 A + 5.76 A = 15.48 A Eq.2.A

Therefore, the combined current of the Solar panels being fed to the solar charge controller is

15.48A. The power that goes out depends on the system replacement of the solar charge controller.

Peukert’s Law

Charging:

Deep cycle batteries are composed of Lead-Acia, this kind of battery takes time to charge

but can take more amps compare to other kinds of batteries. The power output from the Solar

charge controller is maximum of 15.48 A. Ideally, Peukertt’s equation gives:

t= 138Ah/15.4A = 8.96h Eq.2.B

Therefore the battery will charge to 100% in 8.96h or longer.

Discharging:

The battery will discharge with at least a load of 50mA of draw from the relay and 9.1mA

from the Solenoid Valve. The battery should last 2335 hours at max upon knowing the further

values of loads will drastically decrease the battery’s charge. So assuming the total load will be

20A the battery will last 138Ah/20A= 6.9hours. To scale, this would already be 70% of how

much power the current system pump can draw.

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Newton’s Second and Third Law

Newton’s second Law; a force acting on a body is equal to the mass m of the body

multiplied by the acceleration a of its center of mass and Newton’s Third law; for every

interaction, there is a pair of forces acting on the two objects, all forces between two objects exist

in equal magnitude and opposite direction: if one object A exerts a force FA on a second object

B, then B simultaneously exerts a force FB on A.

F = ma Eq.2.C

FA = −FB

These two laws were used in choosing the right materials in creating the support for both

the water barrels and the solar panel. It was used to calculate the strength of the materials such as

steel bars, hollow steel tube, steel bar, and angle bar in order to balance and to provide an equal

force to elevate the water barrels.

Related Studies

The following studies that are relevant to the outcome of the project. These studies present

similar projects, comparisons and analyses of parameters affecting the design.

Automatic Plant Watering System (Abhishek Gupta, Shailesh Kumawat & Shubham Garg).

The project used PIC16F877A Microcontroller and was tested successfully. The presence

of every module such as the circuits and sensors has been explained out and placed carefully. The

system has to be function automatically and the sensors measure the moisture level of the different

plants. If the moisture level is below the desired level, the moisture sensor sends the signal to the

8
microcontroller which will turn ON the Water Pump and supply the water to respective plant.

When the desired moisture level is reached, the system halts on its own and the Water Pump is

turned OFF. Thus, the functionality of the entire system has been tested thoroughly and is said to

function successfully.

DESIGN AND IMPLEMENTATION OF AUTOMATIC PLANT WATERING SYSTEM

(ARCHANA P).

In this project, the microprocessor Atmega328p was used to control the watering system.

The modules contained with LCD to provide a visual reading of the soil moistures and servo

motor that will rotate to supply water on the surrounding area of plants. The project is based on

multiple reading of sensors which the system will fulfill the water requirement through first

come first serve basis.

Automatic Irrigation Based on Soil Moisture for Vegetable Crops (Rafael Muñoz-Carpena

and Michael D. Dukes).

The project developed a water conservation and new irrigation technology which reduced

the production costs of vegetables such as the excess water and subsequent agrichemical leaching.

Automatic soil water sensor-based irrigation seeks to maintain a desired soil water range in the

root zone that is optimal for plant growth. The project also considered the soil moisture manual

irrigation because the sensors only sense the moisture not the irrigation scheduling for plants

monitoring for direct (soil sampling) and indirect (soil moisture sensing) method. The project’s

9
result is a Reductions in water use range as high as 70% compared to farmer practices with no

negative impact on crop yields.

Farm-Level Water Management for Rice-Based Farming Systems in the Philippines (D. F.

Tabbal, R. C. Undan, M. M. Alagcan, R. Lampayan, S. I. Bhuiyan, T. Woodhead).

Water application techniques of the farmers in both systems are "flush-flooding" for rice

the seedling season. For onion, water is applied within a farm plot-by-plot whereas for tobacco

water is applied plot-to-plot. In each case the adopted technique is suited to the water supply rate

and the crops' tolerance to excess water. The tables of how much water would be applied for rice

and vegetables which will help the project to consider the proper supplies of water for the said

plants.

Level-Basin Irrigation: A Method for Conserving Water and Labor (Leonard J. Erie and

Allen R. Dedrick).

Level-basin irrigation, a gravity method whereby water is supplied to level soil surfaces

over a short period of time. Level-basin (or dead level) irrigation involves applying water to a level

ground area of any shape surrounded by a control barrier such as a dike. Level basins differ from

commonly used graded border irrigation. Graded borders have slope in the direction of irrigation.

The water, applied to the basins over a short period of time, is confined until absorbed by the soil.

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CONCEPTUAL FRAMEWORK
INPUT-PROCESS-OUPUT DIAGRAM (Figure 2.A)

Figure 2.A. This diagram shows that the water tanks should have enough water to supply the crops

and the time interval from ATmega328 will count up the approximate time of the soil to be dried

so that the Solenoid Valve will turn “ON” that is connected to the timer and will let the water flow

throughout the field. Every interval time the water tank will collect enough water until the solenoid

valve turns on again.

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DEFINITION OF TERMS

Microcontroller. It is a small computer on a single integrated circuit. It is used for switching,

receives input signals and write digital output which is on/off for opening and closing the flow of

water to the irrigation. ATmega328P is the high-performance Microchip picoPower 8-bit AVR

RISC-based microcontroller combines 32KB ISP flash memory with read-while-write capabilities.

Solar Panel. Absorb the sunlight as a source of energy to generate electricity or heat. It is used as

the power source of the water irrigation system.

Solenoid Valve. A solenoid valve is an electromechanically operated valve. The valve is

controlled by an electric current through a solenoid: in the case of a two-port valve the flow is

switched on or off.

Lead acid battery. A type of inexpensive rechargeable battery.

Relay. Switches that open and close circuits electromechanically or electronically.

Solar Charger Controller. Charge regulator that limits the rate at which electric current is added or drawn

from the Solar panel. Prevent overcharging and may protect against overvoltage.

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 Notes in Chapter II

Journals:

Gupta, Abhishek1, Kumawat, Shailesh2 and Garg, Shubham3 (2016), Automatic Plant

Watering System (Imperial Journal of Interdisciplinary Research). Retrieved from

https://www.onlinejournal.in/IJIRV2I4/211.pdf

ARCHANA, P.1, PRIYA R.2 (2016, January) DESIGN AND IMPLEMENTATION OF

AUTOMATIC PLANT WATERING SYSTEM (International Journal of Advanced Engineering

and Global Technology). Retrieved from

http://webcache.googleusercontent.com/search?q=cache:Mx18vpn6oiEJ:ijaegt.com/wp-

content/uploads/2016/01/409692-pp-1567-1570-Archana.pdf+&cd=1&hl=en&ct=clnk&gl=ph

Muñoz-Carpena, Rafael1 and Dukes, Michael D.2 (2005). Automatic Irrigation Based on

Soil Moisture for Vegetable Crops (IFAS Extension University of Florida). Retrieved from

http://edis.ifas.ufl.edu/ae354

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 Tabbal, D. F.1, 'Undan, R. C.2, Alagcan, M. M.3, Lampayan, R.4, Bhuiyan, S. I.5, and

Woodhead T.6 (2012). Farm-Level Water Management for Rice-Based Farming Systems in the

Philippines. Retrieved from

http://webcache.googleusercontent.com/search?q=cache:W6pTMsL6AlUJ:publications.iwmi.org

/pdf/H013407.pdf+&cd=1&hl=en&ct=clnk&gl=ph

Erie, Leonard J.1 and Dedrick, Allen R.2 (1978). Level-Basin Irrigation: A Method for

Conserving Water and Labor. Retrieved from

http://webcache.googleusercontent.com/search?q=cache:SGjR9FiX70sJ:alfalfa.ucdavis.edu/%2B

symposium/proceedings/1978/78-53.pdf+&cd=3&hl=en&ct=clnk&gl=ph

Bueche, Frederick J.1 and Hecht, Eugene2 (1997). Schaum’s Outline of Theory of

Problems of College Physics 9th Edition. Retrieved from

https://issuu.com/karencandia/docs/schaum_s_outline_of_college_physics_9th_ed__bueche/3

Nakayama, Y.1 and Boucher, R.F.2 (2000). Introduction to Fluid Mechanics. Retrieved

from https://vscht.cz/uchi/ped/hydroteplo/materialy/introduction.fluid.mech.pdf

Nilsson, J W1 and Riedel, Susan A2 (2007). Electric Circuits (8th ed.). Retrieved from the
book.

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 CHAPTER III

METHODS OF RESEARCH

The installation of Automatic Irrigation System at St. Francis Learning Center was done

in reference to the designs and computations stated in Chapter 4: Design & Computations.

Preceding the installation, the proponents performed the methods sorted in four categories: (1)

area selection / project location, (2) data gathering and analysis, (3) design, (4) plans and

specifications.

Outline View – Work Breakdown Structure

1. Planning
1.1Research; reading about related studies
1.2Project Design
2. Execution
2.1Measuring of the field and the size of the drums
2.2Canvassing and ordering of materials
2.3Construction of foundation for post
2.4Construction of flooring on top of post
2.5Finalization of housing for drums and solar panel
2.6Construction of the irrigation system

Fig. 3.A Work Breakdown Structure

The researchers used a work breakdown structure (WBS) to decompose the project tasks

into smaller and more manageable components. The WBS determines the two major parts of the

project; Project Planning and project execution.

In Project Planning, the researchers read about several related studies to aid them in order

to execute the project skillfully with enough knowledge regarding the specific field which of

solar power. During this phase, the researchers were able to create a design for the project

through the use of the newly gained knowledge from reading the related studies.

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 Next comes the project execution, in this phase, the researchers started to look for all the

components that they will need in order to accomplish the project. The researchers canvassed in

different electronic stores as well as hardware stores for all the needed materials and were able to

acquire them. In this phase, the researchers were also able to start performing all the necessary

tasks in order to complete the project such as making the foundation for the posts that will hold

the housing for both the drums and the solar panel, afterwards the researchers started making the

irrigation system based on the project design.

Gantt chart
Task Start Date End Date Day(s)

Research Dec 7, 2017 Dec 15, 2017 9

Project Design Dec 16, 2017 Dec 22, 2017 7

Measuring of field and drums Jan 14, 2018 Jan 14, 2018 1

Canvassing and ordering of materials Jan 26, 2018 Jan 31, 2018 6

Construction of frame for foundation of posts Feb 1 ,2018 Feb 6, 2018 6

Construction of flooring for the housing of Feb 8, 2018 Feb 10, 2018 3

the drums and solar panel

Finalization for housing of drums and solar panel Feb 11, 2018 Feb 11, 2018 1

Construction of the irrigation system Feb 15, 2018 Feb 18, 2018 4

Table 3.A Gantt chart

Table 3.1 shows the step by step procedure of the task in accomplishing the project, the

given duration allocated for each tasks and the start and end date the researchers spent

developing the project design.

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Task Dec/7/17 Dec/16/17 Jan14/18 Jan/26/18 Feb/1/18 Feb/8/18 Feb/11/18 Feb/15/18
Research
Project Design
Measuring of field and drums
canvassing and ordering
construction of foundation
construction of flooring
finalization of housing
construction of irrigation system
Figure 3.B Gantt chart
Critical Path Method
The Critical Path Method (CPM) is one of the several related techniques for doing project

planning. CPM is for projects that are made up of a number of individual activities. If some of

the activities require other activities to finish before they can start, then the project becomes a

complex web of activities.

0 9 9 16 16 17 17 23 23 29
1.1 1.2 2.1 2.2 2.3

33 35 32 33 29 32
2.6 2.5 2.4

Figure 3.C CPM Diagram

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Flowchart Diagram

Start
initial
watering

Arduino and
solenoid valve starts
to function

Water starts to flow

throughout the field

End of operation
until timer starts

Figure 3.D Flow Chart Diagram of the water irrigation system

The process of the design starts with the initial watering of the field, the duration of the

watering will be determined by the timer which is included in the coding part of the Arduino.

The water from the drum will go forth with a free-falling force passing through the hoses and

then to the field. The process will repeat after the cycle is finished and is determined by the timer

again.

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