Case Studies
Agricultural Weather Station Data Acquisition Terminal ODM Case Study
Nov
Project Overview
Agricultural weather monitoring plays an important role in precision farming, irrigation management, crop protection, and agricultural production planning.
A customer planned to develop an agricultural weather station data acquisition terminal for deployment across farmland, orchards, and agricultural parks. The device needed to collect environmental data from multiple types of weather sensors, process and store measurements locally, and periodically transmit the collected information to a centralized management platform.
Unlike a basic sensor logger, the terminal needed to support different sensor interfaces, reliable data acquisition, offline data storage, remote device management, and flexible power supply options.
KICKPI provided an embedded hardware and software ODM solution based on the Allwinner T113 platform, designed to support multi-sensor integration and reliable agricultural environmental data collection.
For agricultural IoT deployments that require centralized sensor management and multi-protocol communication, an agricultural IoT edge gateway solution can provide an additional layer for collecting, processing, and transmitting data from distributed field devices to cloud platforms.
The agricultural weather station needed to collect and process several environmental parameters, including:
- Wind Speed: Monitor wind speed through pulse-output or compatible digital sensors.
- Wind Direction: Acquire wind direction data through analog or digital interfaces.
- Temperature and Humidity: Collect ambient temperature and relative humidity measurements.
- Rainfall: Record precipitation through pulse-based rain gauges.
- Light Intensity: Monitor sunlight intensity for agricultural environmental analysis.
In addition to sensor acquisition, the customer required the terminal to support the following functions:
| Functional Requirement | Description |
|---|---|
| Multi-Sensor Integration | Support multiple weather sensors with different electrical interfaces. |
| Periodic Data Acquisition | Collect and process sensor data according to configurable sampling intervals. |
| Industrial Communication | Support RS485 and Modbus for field sensor communication. |
| Local Data Storage | Store collected measurements and historical records. |
| Offline Data Buffering | Preserve data during network interruptions and upload it after connectivity is restored. |
| Device Monitoring | Monitor operating status and communication conditions. |
| Time Synchronization | Maintain accurate timestamps for sampling, statistics, and data reporting. |
| Remote Configuration | Allow authorized users to configure sampling intervals and device parameters remotely. |
| Flexible Power Supply | Support project-specific solar, battery, or external power configurations. |
Hardware Architecture
Allwinner T113-Based Embedded Architecture
The solution uses the Allwinner T113 processor as the main processing platform. It manages sensor data acquisition, local processing, data storage, communication, and interaction with the remote agricultural management platform.
The overall hardware architecture consists of five functional modules:
1. Weather Sensor Interface Module
Connects wind speed, wind direction, temperature, humidity, rainfall, and light sensors through RS485, pulse, analog, or other supported digital interfaces.
2. Main Processing Module
The Allwinner T113 platform handles data acquisition scheduling, measurement processing, local device management, and communication tasks.
3. Data Storage and RTC Module
Local storage maintains historical weather measurements and temporarily buffers data during network interruptions. An RTC module helps maintain accurate timestamps.
4. Communication Module
Supports 4G or Ethernet connectivity according to the deployment environment, enabling data transmission to the agricultural monitoring platform.
5. Power Management Module
The power architecture can be customized according to the selected power source, including external DC power, battery operation, or solar-assisted power supply.
3.2 System Data Flow
Weather Sensors → Sensor Interface Circuits → Allwinner T113 Main Controller → Local Data Processing and Storage → 4G / Ethernet → Agricultural Management Platform
The modular architecture allows sensor interfaces, communication modules, storage capacity, and power configurations to be adjusted according to different agricultural deployment requirements.
4. Key ODM Engineering Challenges
Challenge 1: Different Sampling Mechanisms for Multiple Weather Sensors
Different weather sensors use different electrical interfaces and data acquisition methods.
For example:
- Wind speed sensors and tipping-bucket rain gauges may generate pulse signals.
- Wind direction sensors may provide analog voltage signals or digital data.
- Temperature and humidity sensors may communicate through RS485 and Modbus.
- Light sensors may use analog or digital communication interfaces.
A single acquisition method cannot reliably handle all these sensor types.
The ODM engineering process therefore needs to define the interface circuit, sampling method, measurement range, accuracy requirements, and abnormal signal handling for each sensor.
For high-frequency pulse signals, hardware counters or an independent MCU can be evaluated to reduce the risk of missed pulses caused by Linux scheduling delays.
Challenge 2: Reliable Data Collection and Offline Buffering
Agricultural monitoring equipment is often installed in outdoor locations where network connectivity may be unstable.
If the connection to the management platform is interrupted, the terminal must continue collecting and storing measurements locally.
The system needs to implement:
- Local data buffering during network interruptions.
- Timestamp-based measurement records.
- Automatic upload after network recovery.
- Duplicate data handling and transmission status tracking.
- Configurable storage retention policies.
These functions help maintain data continuity and reduce the impact of temporary communication failures.
Challenge 3: Outdoor Deployment and Low-Power Operation
Weather stations may operate continuously in remote farmland, orchards, and agricultural parks.
Some installations rely on solar panels and batteries rather than a stable external power supply.
The power design therefore needs to consider:
- Average and peak power consumption.
- Sensor operating voltage and current requirements.
- Communication power consumption during 4G transmission.
- Configurable sampling and reporting intervals.
- Battery capacity and solar charging requirements.
- Power-saving modes and wake-up strategies.
The final low-power configuration should be determined through actual hardware measurements and the customer’s operating requirements.
Challenge 4: Environmental Adaptability and Long-Term Stability
Outdoor agricultural equipment must withstand changing temperature, humidity, rain exposure, and power conditions.
The ODM design needs to consider PCB protection, enclosure protection, connector selection, grounding, surge protection, and power input stability.
Environmental requirements should be translated into specific design and validation criteria based on the intended installation location.
5. ODM Customization Scope
KICKPI’s customization work can cover both hardware and embedded software development.
| Customization Area | Possible Development Scope |
|---|---|
| Main Processing Platform | Custom embedded hardware design based on the Allwinner T113 processor. |
| Sensor Interfaces | Integration of RS485, pulse input, analog input, and digital sensor interfaces. |
| Communication | 4G and Ethernet connectivity, with Modbus protocol support for field communication. |
| Data Management | Local data storage, historical measurement records, and offline data buffering. |
| Time Management | RTC integration and network-based time synchronization for accurate data timestamps. |
| Embedded Software | Sensor driver development, acquisition scheduling, data processing, and communication services. |
| Remote Management | Device status monitoring, remote parameter configuration, and communication status management. |
| Power Design | Customized external DC, battery-powered, and solar-assisted power supply solutions. |
| Mechanical Design | Custom enclosure design, connector layout, and outdoor installation considerations. |
The actual hardware interfaces, software functions, and component selection can be finalized after reviewing the sensor specifications and system requirements.
Beyond weather monitoring, collected environmental data can also support automated water management. Our automated irrigation control system demonstrates how embedded hardware can integrate soil moisture sensors, water flow meters, pumps, and solenoid valves for intelligent irrigation applications.
6. System Validation and Acceptance Criteria
To ensure that the agricultural weather station meets the project requirements, the following validation items can be included in the acceptance process.
| Test Item | Acceptance Criteria |
|---|---|
| Sensor Integration | All specified sensors are successfully integrated and provide valid measurement data. |
| Sampling Accuracy | Measurement results comply with sensor specifications and agreed calibration requirements. |
| Timestamp Accuracy | Timestamps for data acquisition, statistical processing, and reporting meet the agreed accuracy requirements. |
| Offline Data Buffering | Collected data is retained for the agreed storage period and automatically uploaded after network connectivity is restored. |
| Communication Stability | RS485, Modbus, and selected network interfaces operate reliably according to the agreed communication specifications. |
| Power Consumption | Measured power consumption remains within the project’s specified power budget under defined operating conditions. |
| Environmental Adaptability | The device passes the agreed environmental validation tests, including operating temperature, humidity, enclosure protection, and power supply conditions. |
7. KICKPI Agricultural IoT ODM Development Capabilities
For agricultural IoT applications, KICKPI provides embedded hardware and software customization services to help customers develop application-specific control and data acquisition devices. For agricultural equipment requiring integrated water and fertilizer management, KICKPI also supports customized precision fertigation control systems, combining sensor acquisition, pump control, valve management, and embedded software development.
Our engineering services cover:
- Embedded Linux hardware platform selection and customization.
- Custom PCB design and sensor interface integration.
- RS485, Modbus, and peripheral driver development.
- Embedded Linux software and application development.
- Communication, data storage, and remote management functions.
- Prototype testing and mass production support.
From hardware architecture and interface design to embedded software development and production delivery, KICKPI supports the development of customized agricultural monitoring terminals, smart irrigation controllers, greenhouse environmental monitoring devices, and other agricultural IoT equipment.
Looking for a customized agricultural weather station or IoT data acquisition solution?
Contact KICKPI to discuss your sensor interfaces, communication requirements, power configuration, and embedded hardware customization needs.
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