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FDC1004: Soil moisture probe

Part Number: FDC1004

Hi, 

I am trying to use the FDC1004 to develop a soil moisture sensor. My hope is to take advantage of the shields provided by the FDC1004 to limit interference and guarantee high accuracy. I am trying to come up with the best probe / electrode configuration that would minimize noise pickup and allow high accuracy and resolution. I came up with the following probe configuration. The probes are unexposed copper plates connected to SHLD1 and CIN1 and run on both sides of the board. Are the active shields even necessary in my case? Or should I replace the SHLD plate with a GND plate? I am not overly worried about human proximity being a problem since the probes will be in the soil and not exposed. Any insight will be helpful.

Thanks

  • Hi soilsci,

    Even if human proximity is not a concern, other environmental interference and noise could still exist.

    In order to minimize the effect of environmental interference on the signal, we recommend having the shield around the signal path between FDC1004 and the sensor.

    Best,

    Jiashow