Supported RS-485 Sensors

Ask for a sensor value, not an IoT construction project

A generic dashboard can display almost anything after someone builds the rest of the stack. Sankhya Farms begins one step earlier: the exact sensor model is selected when firmware is prepared, so the node already knows its baud, request, register addresses, word types, scales and units. The dashboard receives “soil pH 6.4” or “air humidity 55.85%,” not an unexplained integer from holding register 40001.

The hardware and firmware are open source and repairable; the hosted dashboard is currently free to use. The optional proprietary Sankhya Intelligence layer sits above basic monitoring. A home gardener, hydroponic grower, greenhouse operator, researcher or systems integrator can use the dashboard simply to observe and retain sensor values without adopting per-tree recommendations or automation.

All 22 models: baud, supply and register count

One row per model. "Register-compatible" lists models with the same parameter set and the same register map, which the same firmware profile reads unchanged — useful when a vendor is out of stock.

Soil is the first library, not the platform boundary

Most ready profiles are buried probes because those were the first devices deployed and verified. The RS-485 layer itself is parameter-agnostic. A future profile may read a water-level transmitter, flow meter, pressure sensor, weather station, leaf-wetness probe, PAR sensor, air-quality transmitter, tank temperature probe, liquid pH/EC instrument, dissolved-oxygen sensor, ORP probe or turbidity meter. The requirement is a compatible electrical interface and a request-and-response format that can be verified.

How to look up a reading from an RS-485 sensor

The model name is only the beginning. A correct lookup has four parts, and a plausible-looking number can still be wrong when any one of them is guessed. Every supported model page keeps these decisions visible beside the Sankhya Farms integration.

Sankhya firmware profiles preserve that lookup as code. The static pages below preserve it as a human-auditable reference, including unusual cases such as JXCT's 0.01 pH scale, the Renke TDR probe's 0.01 moisture scale, the SEN0605 coefficient pairs and the ASCII XY-MD02 revision.

Frequently asked

Which RS-485 sensors work with Sankhya Farms now?

The 22 models listed on this page have ready Sankhya firmware profiles: ZTS, SN, JXCT, DFRobot and Renke soil probes, plus the XY-MD02 air temperature and humidity transmitter. Each page gives the exact register or ASCII lookup, scale, baud, supply range and known limitations.

How do I look up a value from an RS-485 or Modbus sensor?

Identify the exact model and revision, confirm baud, serial format and slave address, then read the documented register with the correct function code. Decode the word as signed or unsigned, apply its scale and attach the engineering unit. Sankhya firmware profiles perform that model-specific lookup before values are stored in the dashboard.

Can Sankhya Farms show readings from an unlisted 12 V RS-485 sensor?

Usually, after its protocol is documented and a firmware profile is added. Voltage and an RS-485 label are not enough: the pinout, baud, framing, request, response, register map, data type and scale must be known. Modbus-RTU is common, but the supported XY-MD02 demonstrates that another protocol can also run over RS-485.

Is Sankhya Farms limited to soil sensors or commercial farms?

No. The sensor and dashboard layer can observe any supported parameter from a compatible field instrument. The same architecture can serve a home garden, greenhouse, grow room, nursery, research plot, water system, storage space or other monitored environment. The per-tree intelligence layer is a separate agricultural capability.

Can I use a supported sensor for a home garden or raised bed?

Yes. Industrial RS-485 wiring also works at small scale. One node and one or two probes can retain moisture, temperature, pH or EC history for a raised bed, large planter or greenhouse without requiring irrigation automation.

Can Sankhya Farms be used for hydroponics?

Yes, with sensors suited to the measured environment. Buried probes may be used in compatible solid media such as coco or perlite when their manufacturer permits it. A nutrient reservoir needs liquid-rated pH, EC, temperature, dissolved-oxygen or other water-quality probes; a 12 V RS-485 interface alone does not make a soil probe safe for permanent immersion.

What is the difference between the ZTS and JXCT register families?

ZTS, compatible SN models and several Renke probes generally use 4800 baud with data near 0x0000 and configuration at 0x07D0 and 0x07D1. JXCT commonly uses 9600 baud, scattered data addresses, configuration at 0x0100 and 0x0101, and a 0.01 pH scale. A valid CRC does not make the two decoders interchangeable.

Why does the tested XY-MD02 not respond to a Modbus register scan?

The bench-tested revision uses a four-byte ASCII READ command at 9600 8N1 and returns plain-text temperature and humidity. RS-485 defines the electrical link; it does not guarantee that the application protocol is Modbus-RTU.