Status update as of 2025-10-26

It’s been a while since my last update on the RootMaster project. Here’s a quick overview of where things stand as of late October 2025. I also want to take the opportunity to thank all users getting the RootMaster to control your hydroponics system.

Hardware Development

The hardware design for RootMaster has been finalized. After extensive testing of various single board computers (SBCs), the Radxa Zero 3W was selected as the optimal choice due to its performance and stability with the required CANbus interface.

RootMaster

I have been running the RootMaster r3 in my own hydroponics setup for several months consecutively without any issues. The system has been stable and reliable, handling sensor data collection and control tasks as intended.

The latest revision (r3) has all been sold out. It is now time to focus on the next steps towards the revision 4. This will include some minor improvements based on user feedback. The task can be found and followed on GitLab.

The sales of the RootMaster r3 was quite slow and before investing in a new batch of hardware, I want to gather the interest from the community first. If you are interested in getting a RootMaster r4 once it is available, please join our Discord and say hi! Once there is enough interest, I will start the production of the next revision.

RootSense (x3)

I was experimenting with a larger version of the RootSense board, with 3 inputs for sensors. Unfortunately, the prototypes for this larger version did have too many issues to be usable and had to be discarded. The next revision of this board is finished and a new production order will be placed soon.

CANBus shield

A stand alone CANbus shield for Raspberry Pi and other SBCs has been designed and the prototypes have been tested and works fine. This board can be used if a full size Raspberry Pi is preferred over the Radxa Zero 3W.

Software Progress

The software stack has seen significant improvements. Installation scripts has been created to ease the setup process on the Linux computer running RootMaster.

A CLI tool has been developed to help with configuration and management of the RootMaster system. This tool simplifies tasks such as setting up sensors and doing calibrations.

The Mycodo integration has been improved and can now be considered stable for general use. Unfortunately this has not yet been integreated into the main Mycodo repository, this is the next step.

Next Steps

The immediate next steps involve gathering user feedback on the current hardware and software, and planning for the RootMaster r4. Additionally, efforts will be made to finalize the RootSense x3 board and order a new batch of prototypes.

Stay tuned for more updates, and thank you for your continued support of the RootMaster project!