SparkFun gator:soil - micro:bit Accessory Board

If your plants could talk would they call out "Water me Seymour?" Unfortunately (or fortunately perhaps) plants have yet to develop the ability to speak. But thanks to the SparkFun gator:soil micro:bit Accessory Board you can now measure the moisture level in soil without any vocal clamoring from your leafy lads. And best of all--it is part of SparkFun's gator:bit series of alligator-clippable accessories meaning you can easily interface it with the micro:bit or other microcontrollers!The gator:soil consists of two probes and three pads (PWR GND and SIG). The probes are used to measure the conductivity of the soil. SIG provides an analog voltage out that can be attached to an ADC pad on the gator:bit (v2). The value read on SIG is dependent on a few variable including soil composition contact on the probes soil compaction and other factors. In most cases it will behoove you to calibrate your sensor reading for each soil sample and sensor. Once calibrated for a fixed sensor the primary variables to measuring conductivity in the soil will be the power input and moisture content of the soil.We recommend powering the gator:soil with between 3.3V - 5V. Again please note that the analog value returned will vary depending on what voltage is provided for the sensor. For use with the gator:bit (v2) and micro:bit you should provide 3.3V through the PWR and GND pads. We recommend not powering the sensor constantly to reduce corrosion of the probes; this can be controlled through one of the digital pins of the gator:bit (v2).The micro:bit is a pocket-sized computer that lets you get creative with digital technology. Between the micro:bit and our shield-like bit boards you can do almost anything while coding customizing and controlling your micro:bit from almost anywhere! You can use your micro:bit for all sorts of unique creations from robots to musical instruments and more. At half the size of a credit card this versatile board has vast potential! Get Started with the SparkFun gator:soil Hookup Guide