Seed humidity meter

Abstract

This research aims to study and design the seed humidity meter for the farmers who produce a type of seed; for examples, green bean and sorghum seeds, especially paddy rice which is seen as the primary product in Thailand. The price of the paddy rice will be changed depending on the volume of the humidity found on the paddy rice. The farmers cannot afford the seed humidity meter because it is expensive and has to be imported from abroad. Farmers do not know how much the humidity content of the grain is when the paddy rice is at the mill. It must be sold at prices determined by the mill which is seen as the disadvantage of farmers. Therefore, this research has been conducted in order to design and construct the seed humidity meter for reducing the cost of measuring the agricultural products before sale. Technology and equipment that have been used in designing the tool are available in domestic in order to keep price as low as possible. Besides, it helps provide opportunities for farmers to access the tool easily. The humidity and temperature detectors number SHT-11 are used in creating the seed humidity meter and the value can be read on the sensors with microcontrollers. The value measured can be shown with LCD display. Calibration values have been certified by the Bureau of Weights and Measures, Department of Internal Trade, Ministry of Commerce, making the measurement accurate. From studying three types of seed, it is found that the tool can measure the humidity of the seed effectively. Paddy rice, green beans and sorghum seeds have a maximum error of 5.35%, 4.12% and 2.81% respectively.