FirePick
Maybe something like this on a rail system. It would need to be larger.
I really really like the idea of turning the âpower/water stationâ into a solar trailer that is pretty genius and would save boku bucks on commercialization.
And put a giant saw on it so it can harvest trees! jk
I think the âwater stationsâ would work well, but troughs would probably become dirt traps or mini-hydroponics features as any light would lead to algal growth. Youâd have to have a straw that hooks up under a cover and then down into the trough, but the other issue would be with keeping it all perfectly level so you donât have dry spots. In any case, watering stations sounds way better.
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Thanks for sharing these tips here.
Hi, just started looking into this in the last week.
When reading about the upper tracks and water troughs above, I had a different idea.
What about a static water station at each start/tools section.
The water station can be a plastic bottle filled by gravity/water level from one main cistern where the water level is maintained at the correct level so that the level in all water stations is consistent, at a certain height.
When the gantry gets to a station it inserts the open end of a pipe into the water station and a small water pump is activated when watering is required, we would still need one length of piping from the station to the gantry as it moves though?
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There are practical solutions that experts and professionals already use for those problems. =-) You lightproof the troughs first of all, put lids on them. Whenever you are looking at a âdirt trapâ you can either use a hydroponic inert medium or utilize something like a âbell siphonâ to keep it clean.
[quote="roryaronson
2. Maintaining vacuum pressure with such a long tube for the vacuum line (for the seed injector). We havenât done enough testing yet. But three obvious solutions are: get a more powerful vacuum pump, increase the tube diameter to reduce pressure losses, move the vacuum pump closer to the UTM, such as onto the gantry instead of next to the bot.
Cheers to open-source!
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In regards to the vacuum problem, perhaps compressed air is a better solution. Using the venturi effect you could maintain consistent vacuum created at the head rather than running down a long hose. Another thought is to mount a little air compressor onto the gantry and remove the plumbing completely. Iâm not sure on your vacuum requirements but Iâm thinking something about the size of an air horn compressor that should be cheap and relatively light. It might even be possible to build this into the seed planter head itself.
Just some brain food for you.
Adrian thats super genius - it comes with some interesting design constraints of its own⌠I wonder vacuum quickconnect stations vs venturi effect with air compressor
Hi,
Sorry to bump this old topic⌠Really interested in feedbackâŚ
Iâm currently researching how to build a rack rail, and I think this could be used as a solution to the problem @Stargarden highlightsâŚ
Please let me know what you think!