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Green rectangular circuit board with two forked probes and a three-pin screw terminal block

SparkFun Electronics

SparkFun Electronics Soil Moisture Sensor with Screw Terminals

SKU CH-5PY2-T4529

Measures soil moisture via exposed probes and includes a pre-soldered screw terminal for simple wiring

  • Product typeSensors
  • Simple soil moisture measurement with two exposed probe pads
  • Gold-plated PCB resists corrosion in wet conditions
  • Pre-soldered 3-pin screw terminal enables quick wiring
  • Variable resistance output signals water content level
  • Compatible with Arduino and similar development boards

Soil Moisture Breakout

The SparkFun Soil Moisture Sensor is a simple breakout board designed to measure moisture levels in soil and similar materials. It functions as a variable resistor where conductivity between two exposed pads increases with water content, producing a higher signal output. This sensor suits hobbyists, educators, and developers building automated watering or environmental monitoring projects.

Pre-Soldered Screw Terminal

The board includes a 3-pin screw terminal pre-soldered for power, ground, and signal connections, removing the need to solder header pins or wires directly to the PCB. This terminal allows quick, secure wiring with a small screwdriver and supports rapid prototyping or permanent installation in field deployments.

Arduino-Compatible Integration

Connect the VCC and GND pins to an Arduino-compatible development board to read the analog SIG output, which varies with soil moisture. The gold-finished PCB (ENIG) resists corrosion in damp conditions, extending operational life compared to bare copper pads. No additional components are required for basic operation.

How it compares

Measured against everything we stock in Sensors, Transducers & Thermometers, at today’s prices. Recalculated every night.

Price $10.99
Cheaper than about 91% of the 255 comparable items (median $39.99).

Specifications

Product
Product typeSensors

Questions about this item

What does the SIG output voltage represent when the sensor is powered and inserted in soil?

The SIG pin outputs a voltage between ground and the supply voltage; wetter soil lowers the resistance between the probe pads, raising the SIG voltage toward VCC.

What interface does the sensor use to communicate the moisture reading?

It provides a single-ended analogue voltage on the SIG pin; no digital protocol such as I2C or SPI is implemented on the board.

How do I connect wires to the board without soldering?

A 3-pin screw terminal is pre-soldered to the PCB, accepting stripped wires for VCC, GND and SIG connections.

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