I understand combining an interest to make things more enjoyable. Alao maybe for you it's more about the experiment and learning than the actual product. With your skills and background, I can easily see why you would make that jump right away before you have even successfully grown a plant. Your mind just works that way. I even get wanting to design a automated system, I've contemplated it myself. But I still don't get intentionally paying $10 to grow one strawberry when you can buy them far cheaper. You even asked about "Affordable" strawberry
nutrients, so I naturally figured you were interested in growing your plants economically. For me an automated system would have to have a much larger purpose to be economical and practical, like controlling multiple (half dozen or more) LARGE systems etc. Otherwise it just doesn't pay for itself and isn't practical. For me the money would be much more useful being allocated to buying more nutrients and building more systems to grow more plants. That gives me a return on my investment, I cant eat electronics.
But then again, I do enjoy gardening and watching my plants grow, so I take the time to observe my plants. That tells me as much as any automated system would. Observation is free, thus won't break the bank. Really the only time an automated system is practical is if you simply don't have the time to observe the plants yourself because you have too much to do, and don't have time to actually observe and tend to the plants regularity. Then an automated system can be set to monitor parameters, and notify you when something's wrong. That's why large hydroponic farms use automated systems, to monitor the routine functions and reduce labor costs (practical and economical). But I understand that you don't enjoy watching plants grow, so interrogating your interest of computers with the plants makes it more enjoyable for you, even when it's not necessary or economical.
I took up hydroponics because it's economical and practicable. Growing hydroponically makes much better use of space, allows you to grow where you normally wouldn't, uses far less water and resources. As for the belief "
growing hydroponically is expensive," well that's a myth perpetuated by hydroponics manufactures and largely enabled by the pot growers through the fundamental laws of supply and demand. But when done right and economical sources for supply's are sourced out, growing hydroponically is cheaper than growing in soil. Those are the things I get from hydroponics. Do what makes you happy, as long as you enjoy what your doing it's worth it.