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ECH₂O EC-5 Soil Moisture Sensor

A low cost sensor for measuring volumetric water content of soil.

Measuring or monitoring soil moisture content helps determine when to irrigate, how much water to apply, depth of wetting, patterns of soil moisture extraction by roots, and trends in soil moisture content with time. Soil moisture determines the transport and storage of dissolved nutrients and pollutants and the availablity of water to plants.

Soil Water Content

ECH₂O is a capacitance probe that measures dielectric permittivity of the surrounding medium. In soil, dielectric permittivity is directly related to the water content. The ECH₂O probe outputs a voltage proportional to the dielectric permittivity, and therefore the water content of the soil.

Features

High resolution allows daily or hourly tracking of water use
Voltage output proportional to water content
Low-cost dielectric water content sensor
Low sensitivity to salt and temperature
Very low power requirement

Specifications

Measurements taken	Volumetric water content
Accuracy	±3% typical on all soils, up to 8dS/m. ±1-2% with soil-specific calibration.
Range	0-100% VWC
Electrical Interface	3.5mm plug, 3-wire
Supply Voltage	2.5-5V DC @ 10mA
Frequency	70MHz
Output	Voltage, correlated linearly (soil) or polynomially (growing media) with VWC