Murata Soil Sensor SLT500X Series, All‑in‑One Probe Module

Murata, 3‑in‑1 Soil Sensor integrating EC electrical conductivity, volumetric water content and temperature. All‑in‑one probe with IP68 protection, patented 9‑electrode EC detection. It is an agricultural IoT industrial sensor, a complete probe‑type module instead of a SMD chip.

Full Part‑Number Family (Identical measurement core, only interfaces differ)

• SLT5005: RS232 interface, short cable, for standalone operation

• SLT5006: UART interface, compatible with STM32 and other MCU development boards, most commonly used for R&D prototypes

• SLT5007: RS485 for long‑distance wiring, supports up to 32 sensors on one bus

• SLT5008: SDI‑12, standard agricultural bus for outdoor agricultural equipment

• SLT5009: RS485‑Modbus RTU, direct connection with industrial PLC

All models share identical sensor hardware; differences lie only in communication interfaces. A 3‑meter cable is supplied as standard from factory.

Key Parameters

• Measured Parameters: EC electrical conductivity, volumetric water content, soil temperature

• EC (Electrical Conductivity): 0‑5 dS/m (fertilizer / salt concentration). Patented 9‑electrode design measures pore‑water EC and is immune to soil moisture interference.

• Volumetric Water Content: 0‑60 %

• Temperature Range: ‑20℃ ~ +60℃

• Enclosure Protection: IP68‑equivalent, buryable in soil and submersible, corrosion‑resistant

• Physical Dimension: 132.5 × 27 × 16.2 mm, white probe‑style housing

• Power Supply: 3‑6V (UART / RS232 / RS485 / Modbus); SDI‑12: 9.6‑16V

• Power Consumption: Max. 50 mA for UART / RS485; typical 8.3 mA for SDI‑12. Low‑power design supports long‑term battery‑powered operation.

• Output: Digital serial output, no analog voltage output

• Installation: Must be buried horizontally in soil with 9‑electrode side facing upward. Vertical insertion is prohibited.

Main Functions

• Simultaneously acquires three critical agricultural parameters: soil salinity (EC), water content and temperature.

• 9‑electrode plus Murata algorithm suppresses soil‑particle interference, accurately measures pore‑water fertilizer concentration and distinguishes soil matrix from water‑fertilizer ions.

• Supports measurements for artificial growing media such as rock wool and coconut coir.

• Digital bus enables multi‑node networking for multi‑point monitoring across large farmland areas.

• Waterproof and corrosion‑resistant for long‑term buried outdoor deployment with minimum maintenance.

Applications

• Smart Agriculture: Greenhouses, open‑field farmland, precision irrigation and automatic fertilization systems; monitoring soil salinity hazard and fertilizer concentration.

• Horticulture / Protected Cultivation: Greenhouses, soilless cultivation with coconut coir and rock wool.

• Environmental Monitoring: River & lake water quality, aquaculture pond water quality.

• Scientific Research: Soil research, agricultural testing equipment.

• IoT Terminals: Agricultural data acquisition terminals, working with STM32 MCU as gateway for data collection.