SparkFun Qwiic Soil Moisture Sensor (Capacitive)

Stop replacing corroded sensors! This Qwiic-enabled capacitive soil moisture sensor uses an internal sensing plate for a longer lifespan and features a built-in depth ruler.


Description

Tired of your soil moisture sensors corroding after just a few weeks in the dirt? This capacitive version of the Qwiic Soil Moisture Sensor solves this exact problem. Instead of relying on exposed metal leads that degrade over time, this breakout measures moisture levels using a capacitive plate safely embedded within the board, and managed by the CY8CMBR3102 Capsense® Express™ controller. This design makes it much more corrosion-resistant, ensuring a significantly longer lifespan for your connected garden and agricultural projects.

Measure Twice, Water Once

Soil moisture levels change drastically depending on how deep you measure. To help you get the most accurate data possible, we added a convenient ruler directly on the PCB with both Imperial and Metric units (inches and millimeters, respectively). This allows you to track the exact depth of the sensor, ensuring your readings remain consistent across different pots or after replanting.

Visual Alerts & Qwiic Integration

Sometimes you just need to know if a plant needs water at a glance. The Capacitive Soil Moisture Sensor features a blue STAT LED tied directly to the controller that can be programmed to act as a visual indicator when moisture drops below your custom threshold.

Finally, all communication is handled via I2C through our plug-and-play Qwiic Connect System, meaning no soldering is required! We have also provided code packages for both the Arduino IDE and MicroPython that walk you through calibrating the sensor for different soil compositions, ensuring you receive accurate data to keep your plants happy.


Specifications

  • Capacitive sensing over I2C
  • CY8CMBR3102 Controller
    • Software Configurable I2C Address (Default: 0x37)
  • On Board Ruler (Imperial and Metric units)
  • 2x Qwiic Connectors
  • Blue STAT LED (Connects to general-purpose output pin)
  • Red Power LED

Resources

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