Information

In depth technical analysis is available here.
Add this call after you initialize I2C bus: Wire.setClockStretchLimit(4000);
How durable are non-rugged sensors?
Standard solder mask seems to last about 3 months before flaking off. It really depends
on the type of your soil and how often do you remove and insert the sensor as
scratches will damage the surface and shorten the lifespan. I have had sensors working
flawlessly for over a year in the flower pot at home when not disturbed. Note that
you must protect sensor electronics with glue-lined heatshrink if you are going to install
it outdoors. I use this heatshrink but you can use any similar one.
Can you set different address for each sensor before shipping?
Yes I can for orders of 50pcs or more, please drop me an email - mic at wemakethings
net
Rugged sensors
How do I connect the sensor to my board?
Wire colors go like this: * RED - VCC * BLACK - GND * BLUE or GREEN- SDA *
YELLOW - SCK
You can leave the metal sheet and metal wire unconnected for a quick test, but connect
it to GND for proper installation.
Please check if your controller board has onboard pullup resistors for I2C. You need to
add pull up resistors to both SCL and SDA lines if they are not there. Raspberry Pi has
pullups onboard, Arduino UNO does not.
What is the expected life of the rugged sensor for continuous use outdoor?
I still don't have enough data to answer this question. Rugged sensors should be in
practice indestructable, but failures sometimes happen. If you are using rugged sensor
please let me know about the failures you experience.
Light sensor of rugged variant?
Light sensing does not work for rugged sensors as light sensor is covered by
heatshrink.