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Show HN: Oasis – An open-source, 3D-printed smart terrarium

(github.com)
140 points jbuch | 1 comments | 24 Jun 25 14:03 UTC | HN request time: 0.298s | source

See the website for a demo video: https://oasis-terrarium.com

This project is an enclosure for growing plants. Features include:

  - high-power LED lighting
  - a built-in water tank and mister
  - fans for airflow
  - temperature and humidity sensing
  - wi-fi connectivity and a web-based interface for control and monitoring (see https://oasis-terrarium.com/docs/usage_guide/#web-interface)
The entire project is open-source:

  - electronics: designed in KiCad
  - 3D models: designed in CadQuery
  - software: written in Rust
I initially started this project during COVID and built a working prototype using a Raspberry Pi and off-the-shelf parts. The first prototype worked, but was pretty rough. Several months ago, I picked up the project again and began a complete re-design. After two rounds of circuit board design and countless iterations of the 3D-printed parts, I'm finally happy with the results. Along the way I learned a lot about electronics design and fabrication, 3D modeling, and Rust.

Happy to answer any questions - thanks for checking it out!

Here are some direct links to parts of the project you may find interesting:

  - demo video: https://oasis-terrarium.com
  - detailed build guide with pictures: https://oasis-terrarium.com/docs/build_guide/
  - interactive 3D model: https://oasis-terrarium.com/docs/3dmodel/
  - detailed info on electronics design: https://oasis-terrarium.com/docs/electronics/
  - 3D-printable models: https://www.printables.com/model/1315117-oasis-smart-terrarium
Show context
dwroberts ◴[24 Jun 25 16:16 UTC] No.44367795[source]▶
This is a really cool project thank you for sharing.

I'm prototyping my own similar kind of thing right now - an enclosure for growing culinary mushrooms - so seeing how you've used and attached the humidifier discs is really useful inspiration.

On humidification - have you considered decontamination for the water? I think bacteria and scum build up is an issue, and I've seen heavy duty equipment incorporate e.g. a submerged UVC light for trying to keep it clean. I wonder whether it's possible to do similar on a small scale by using a UVC LED (obviously need to be careful with safety though)

replies(1): >>44368110 #
1. jbuch ◴[24 Jun 25 16:42 UTC] No.44368110[source]▶
Thanks!

Sounds like a fun project, best of luck! Would love to see what you come up with. One word of warning with the misting: using them in an "upside down" configuration as I'm doing can be a bit finicky. I've encountered some that slowly drip due to the pressure of the water above them. Look for misting discs with small hole sizes (<=4uM) and expect that some percent of them won't work well. However, the ones that do drip at the start typically stop after a day or two of use and are fine from there on out.

I have not really considered decontamination and I don't think it's much of an issue for terrariums because the plants and soil in the enclosure already contain a lot of bacteria, etc. I could see it being much more important for your use case with mushrooms where a small number of mold spores can ruin an entire mushroom grow.