Modular Hydroponic Tower Garden

Summary

The Modular Hydroponic Tower Garden (github.com/laszlodaniel/ModularHydroponicTowerGarden, ~94 stars) is a complete open hardware project by László Dániel: a 3D-printable vertical hydroponic tower paired with an Arduino-compatible (ATmega328P) water-pump controller. The repository is organized by discipline — Arduino firmware (source plus compiled binaries, written in Arduino IDE 1.8.12), a C# Windows GUI built in Visual Studio 2019, and everything needed to manufacture and assemble the controller PCB (also sold assembled on Tindie). The tower STL files live on Thingiverse (thing:3405964, by creator "boundarycondition," licensed CC BY-NC-SA); the original Thingiverse upload became unavailable when that account was deleted, and community members have re-uploaded it with attribution to preserve access. The controller is driven over a text-based CLI from any serial monitor — pump speed, on/off timers, dual temperature sensors, unit selection, and EEPROM-persisted settings — so no proprietary software is required to operate it. Firmware license: GPL-3.0. Last pushed June 2024; dormant but complete and documented.

Guiding Principles

Modularity — stackable printed tower segments let growers scale height and plant count; controller settings are similarly composable.
Open Source — GPL-3.0 firmware and published PCB files; STLs shared under CC BY-NC-SA on Thingiverse.
Food Sovereignty — a low-cost vertical garden that households and classrooms can fabricate locally.
Transferable Skills — spans 3D printing, embedded firmware, PCB manufacture, and desktop GUI development in one coherent project.

Learning Outcomes & Transferable Skills

Learners practice 3D Printing (slicing and printing interlocking tower segments in PETG/ABS), Electronics (PCB assembly, pump driver, NTC temperature sensing), Coding (Arduino C and a serial CLI protocol; optional C# GUI reading), and Food Production (vertical NFT-style growing). The project's community re-upload history is also a live case study in digital-preservation practice.

How to Replicate or Build On It

Clone https://github.com/laszlodaniel/ModularHydroponicTowerGarden and open the Arduino, GUI, and PCB folders.
Print the tower STLs from the preserved Thingiverse re-uploads of thing:3405964 (CC BY-NC-SA).
Build the controller from the PCB folder files (or buy assembled on Tindie); flash the compiled binary or compile from source.
Configure pump on/off cycles and temperature sensors through the serial CLI (help lists all commands); settings persist in EEPROM.

Considerations & Constraints

Cost: Low — commodity pump, ATmega328P-class controller, and a few kilograms of filament; assembled PCB optionally purchasable on Tindie.
Skill Level: Intermediate — printing plus basic electronics; CLI configuration is beginner-friendly.
Space/Climate: Vertical footprint suits classrooms, kitchens, balconies, and greenhouses; indoor use needs grow light.
Tools Required: 3D printer (PETG/ABS), soldering iron, computer with a serial monitor; Windows only for the optional GUI.
Ongoing Maintenance: Nutrient solution changes, pump cleaning, and occasional re-leveling of the tower.
Access Barriers: STL provenance is fragmented after the original Thingiverse account deletion (use attributed re-uploads); GUI is Windows-only; firmware dormant since 2024; tower license is non-commercial.

Prerequisites

3D printer access; basic Arduino/serial-monitor familiarity.

Primary Source

https://github.com/laszlodaniel/ModularHydroponicTowerGarden