How to pick the best temperature sensor for your

Arduino project
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Do you want to find the right sensor for your DIY project based on the Arduino microcontroller? Well,
finding the right sensor requires research and to facilitate this process, youll find all the info you need
in this article. But if theres one thing better in the DIY culture than theory its practice.

Introduction
Temperature sensors are widely used to sense the temperature in an environment. They all function in
a similar way, but have slightly different features. Based on these features, Ill walk you through the
best practice of choosing the right temperature sensor for your project with an Arduino microcontroller.

Whether you are already a champion of measuring the temperature and just want a little more
information, or you are interested in digging deep into the Arduino temperature monitoring space,
these 11 temperature sensors should cover all types of temperature sensors used in robotics and
automation.
 <img
src="http://www.intorobotics.com/wp-content/uploads/2015/02/temperature-all.jpg" alt="Temperature
sensors comparison of numbers: DS18B20, LM35DZ, DHT11, Thermocouple Type-K, MLX90614,
LM75, SHT15, TMP100, RHT03, TPA81, D6T MEMS" width="800" height="1200" class="size-full wp-
image-6450" srcset="https://www.intorobotics.com/wp-content/uploads/2015/02/temperature-all.jpg
800w, https://www.intorobotics.com/wp-content/uploads/2015/02/temperature-all-200x300.jpg 200w,
https://www.intorobotics.com/wp-content/uploads/2015/02/temperature-all-683x1024.jpg 683w"
sizes="(max-width: 800px) 100vw, 800px" />

Temperature sensors comparison of numbers: DS18B20, LM35DZ, DHT11, Thermocouple Type-K,

MLX90614, LM75, SHT15, TMP100, RHT03, TPA81, D6T MEMS

Applications
Because it matters what kind of project youre looking for, I hope to have something listed that could
help you:

fire fighting robot able to determine the source of fire and take action;
a mobile robot able to detect to monitor the temperature and send data via Bluetooth or
Wi-Fi to a server and view the temperature details on a smartphone or a tablet;
a wireless sensor network in your home to take decisions and controls the heating and
air conditioning unit;
an alarm system that senses the presence of a human;

Temperature sensors for hobbyists

The temperature sensors for hobbyists are cheap compared to the sensors on average, but they serve
the same purpose reading the temperature. Well, none of these sensors can eat the sun, but are
ideal for homemade robotics and automation applications because they are easy to interface,
accurate, and has a fast response time. After you place your finger on it, immediately the output of the
sensor starts to rise.

In this section of the article, Ill examine deeply the features, price, how to interface the sensor and the
best applications for each sensor.
 <img
src="http://www.intorobotics.com/wp-content/uploads/2015/02/temperature-hobbyists.jpg"
alt="Temperature sensors for hobbyists (DS18B20, LM35DZ, TMP100, DHT11, RHT03 (DHT22),
LM75)" width="800" height="368" class="size-full wp-image-6425"
srcset="https://www.intorobotics.com/wp-content/uploads/2015/02/temperature-hobbyists.jpg 800w,
https://www.intorobotics.com/wp-content/uploads/2015/02/temperature-hobbyists-300x138.jpg 300w"
sizes="(max-width: 800px) 100vw, 800px" />

Temperature sensors for hobbyists (DS18B20, LM35DZ, TMP100, DHT11, RHT03 (DHT22), LM75)

1. DS18B20
The DS18B20 is a cheap digital temperature sensor with a price of only $3.95. The sensor is used in a
wide variety of hobbyist applications for both beginner and others that are more experienced.

This sensor has 1-wire interface, which means that require only one pin to communicate with the
microcontroller. More than that, it is designed with a unique serial number that allows you to interface
more sensors on the same data bus.

The accuracy of the measurements is high because the sensor does not depend on the accuracy of
the microcontroller to measure the analog signal. And because this sensor has a digital output, you will
not get any signal degradation even over long distances.

The sensor is used in a large variety of applications including temperature sensing and monitoring
robot, air temperature monitors, etc.

Note: The DS18B20 has a waterproof version designed to measure the temperature in wet condition.
This sensor is jacketed with PVC, and all you know about interface and specifications remains the
same.
This tutorial shows you how to wire the sensor with an Arduino UNO board and read the temperatures
detected by the sensor. In the sketch is called the DallasTemperture library that helps you to use this
sensor very easy: Arduino One Wire Digital Temperature Sensor DS18B20.

2. LM35DZ
Sometimes I dont believe that we can buy sensors at a price lower than a coffee. The LM35DZ is
probably the cheapest temperature sensor in the DIY community. It has a price of only $1.57.

The sensor is calibrated directly in Celsius degrees, and the only functional mode is the analog output
directly proportional to temperature.

This is the ideal sensor for Arduino projects because it can be powered directly with 5V from the
Arduinos power pin and has only three pins (one pin is for analog output and two for power supply).

With a sealed circuit, the sensor cannot be subjected to oxidation and is often used to measure the
water temperature accurately. In general, the sensor is used for simple projects to display on an LCD
the current temperature to advanced robots able to detect the fire in a room, warehouse or a forest.

In this tutorial, you find the scheme of the circuit with the circuit connection and the Arduino sketch to
display the temperature detected by the sensor in Celsius and Fahrenheit degrees. To explore more
the LM35DZ features, the Instructables user HarshV shows you how to build an automatic cooling
system.

3. TMP100
The TMP100 has three features that make it one of the best temperature sensors for DIY projects. The
first feature is that the sensor supports an input voltage of 2.7V to 5.5V, which is opposed to the
TMP102 sensor that needed an input voltage between 1.4V and 3.6V. The second feature is the two
address pins that allow you to control up to eight sensors on a single I2C bus. The third important
feature is its waterproof property that made it good to read the temperature in damp or dry location.
Also, the sensor can be mounted on a horizontal deck or upside down.

When it leaves the Texas Instruments factory, the sensor is a tiny and compact chip that looks like a
spider with six legs. To work more easily with the TMP100 sensor, I recommend you to use a breakout
board. The DFRobot small breakout board with a built-in TMP100 sensor is a good option at a price of
$11.55.

The same online store shows you in a tutorial how to interface the TMP100 breakout board with an
Arduino clone and read the temperature detected.

4. DHT11
At a price of $5.33, the DHT11 has cost/performance advantages and is a relatively cheap sensor to
measure the temperature and humidity. Its a sensor with an excellent quality but with a real downside
since you can read the digital signal once every 2 seconds.

Otherwise, its fairly simple to embed the sensor in your project and to monitor the surrounding air.

The DHT sensor has two versions: DHT11 and DHT22. Both sensors are very good to measure the
temperature and humidity, but the characteristics are different.

In comparison with DHT11, the DHT22 is good to measure the temperature from -40 to 125C and has
a higher accuracy than DHT11. But even it cannot read a large range of temperature, the DHT11 is
smaller and less expensive than DTH22.

In this tutorial, you find information how to wire the sensor, install the DHT11 library and display on
Arduinos Serial Monitor the values generated by the sensor.

From reading to displaying the temperature on an LCD screen is a matter of minutes. If you want to try
something other than a simple reading temperature application, you can try a system to check the
temperature and humidity of a room and display the values recorded on an LCD display and a web
page.

5. RHT03 (DHT22)
RHT03 (also known as SHT22) is a digital temperature and humidity sensor that comes calibrated and
doesnt require additional components to monitor the air in a room or warehouse. The sensor is easy
to use with any Arduino microcontroller and has a price of $9.95.

Compared with its little brother DHT11, the DHT22 is more accurate and can read the temperature and
humidity more than once every second or two.

This tutorial shows you every detail to interface and display the humidity and temperature recorded by
the sensor.

6. LM75
LM75 is another very cheap digital sensor with a price of only $2.21. This sensor has two important
features: it is inexpensive and designed as an I2C temperature chip.

The sensor is a surface mount device, and you need to solder wires onto it. It is a good sensor for
hobbyists and students to learn how to monitor the temperature.

In this guide, you find an Arduino sketch to display the temperature recorded by the sensor.

Temperature sensors for automation & process control

Temperature sensors for automation and process control are expensive compared to hobbyists and
temperature sensors on average, and are usually used to monitor the temperature in environments
with great fluctuations or for precise data logging.

In this section of the article, Ill examine deeply the features, applications and how to use each
temperature sensor (SHT15, Thermocouple Type-K) for automation and process control with the
Arduino microcontroller.

<img src="http://www.intorobotics.com/wp-content/uploads/2015/02/Temperature-sensors-for-aut.jpg"
alt="Temperature sensors for automation & process control (SHT15, Thermocouple Type-K)"
width="800" height="368" class="size-full wp-image-6427" srcset="https://www.intorobotics.com/wp-
content/uploads/2015/02/Temperature-sensors-for-aut.jpg 800w, https://www.intorobotics.com/wp-
content/uploads/2015/02/Temperature-sensors-for-aut-300x138.jpg 300w" sizes="(max-width: 800px)
100vw, 800px" />

Temperature sensors for automation & process control (SHT15, Thermocouple Type-K)

7. SHT15
SHT15 is a precise humidity and temperature sensor designed to work in environments with greater
fluctuation in humidity and temperature. At a price of $41.95 on Robotshop, the sensor comes fully
calibrated and with 2-wire digital interface.

In this tutorial, you will learn how to get the temperature and humidity recorded by the sensor.

8. Thermocouple Type-K
Most of the temperature sensors from this article cannot reach higher temperatures than 125 C
degrees. The Thermocouple Type-K is different and works on higher operating temperature than most
sensors.

Considering its features, it is expected to cost more than any other sensor. The truth is that the
thermocouple is a simple combination of two sensitive metals and has a price of only $9.95.

It has a simple digital 2-wire interface and measure no more than 1 meter (around 3 feet). The sensor
requires an amplifier such as MAX31855 that output a digital signal to the Arduino microcontroller.

Together with an Arduino board, the Type-K sensor can be used to measure the temperature in
heaters and boilers, HVAC systems, etc.

The Adafruit tutorial shows you how to wire the Thermocouple with the MAX31855 amplifier and
display the temperature detected by the sensor.

Temperature sensors for projects with special needs

DS18B20, TMP100, or DHT11 are usually a good option if you want to monitor the temperature in a
room or outside in a forest and make you happy with your project. But what if you want to detect the
movement or the number of persons in a room? In this category enters three of the special
temperature sensors.

All the sensors included in this section of the article are used in special projects because works
different and measure the temperature different from what we already know about classic temperature
sensors.

<img
src="http://www.intorobotics.com/wp-content/uploads/2015/02/all-temperature-infrared.jpg"
alt="Temperature sensors for projects with special needs (MLX90614ESF, TPA81, D6T MEMS)"
width="800" height="368" class="size-full wp-image-6429" srcset="https://www.intorobotics.com/wp-
content/uploads/2015/02/all-temperature-infrared.jpg 800w, https://www.intorobotics.com/wp-
content/uploads/2015/02/all-temperature-infrared-300x138.jpg 300w" sizes="(max-width: 800px)
100vw, 800px" />

Temperature sensors for projects with special needs (MLX90614ESF, TPA81, D6T MEMS)

9. MLX90614ESF
The MLX90614ESF sensor senses the temperature by sending infrared light to remote objects.
Because the sensor sends infrared waves, it can sense the temperature of an object without touching
them physically.
With a price of $19.95, the sensor is simple to use, has good accuracy and high resolution.

The sensor is designed for a wide range of applications and especially when is required to measure
the temperature over a 90-degree field of view.

Communication with the MLX90614 is achieved through two methods of output: PWM and SMBus.

Here is an example demonstrating the use of MLX90614ESF sensor. It creates a basic application that
allows you to view the infrared sensors at work.

10. TPA81
The infrared sensor with built-in lens, paired with increasingly sophisticated module to measure the
temperature of eight adjacent points simultaneously, could be capable of some very interesting things.

You can set it to detect the heat of a human body or a candle flame at a range of 2 meters (around 6
feet).

The sensor has a price of $105.44 and communicates with a development system through the I2C
interface.

This tutorial covers the hardware and software setup required to connect the TPA81 sensor with a
microcontroller. The sensor makes possible the temperature detection in a large variety of applications
including the NAO humanoid robot that uses the TPA81 thermal sensor to detect the heat source.

11. D6T MEMS

Maybe you want something to happen when nobodys home or you walk into a room, like to have the
lights turned off or on. Operating on the infrared waves, you can see the DT6 sensor as the logical
next step for monitoring an area, security or safety monitoring.

This little smarter sensor can count the number of people in a room, even if none of them moves.
The sensor has a price of $49.88 and communicates with the Arduino microcontroller via an I2C
interface.

This PDF file will show you how to get the measurement values from the infrared sensor.

Failure mode
Not all temperature sensors are created equal and sometimes they can read high or low temperatures.
If you dont really know if its a sensor failure, you have to check below the most common failure mode
of a temperature sensor.

1. Sensor heated by the electronics

This is probably one of the most common errors when you use a sensor to monitor or detect the
temperature. If the sensor is heated by the electronics, the sensor will not report the correct
temperature. First step is to localize the heating or move the sensor outside the enclosure.

2. Library error
When you use the Arduino to measure the temperature from the sensor, in the Arduino sketch is called
a library compatible with the sensor. You have to be sure that the library from the sketch is the one that
support the sensor type.

3. Temperature exceeds the max temperature

This is one of the worst scenarios for a system that measure the temperature. Usually, the
manufacturer writes in the datasheet of the sensor what happens if the temperature exceeds the
maximum temperature supported by the sensor. In the worst case, when your sensor reached the
maximum temperature, your chip might take an internal damage or might melt.

Tips: Always is good to choose a sensor that can support all the temperatures assumed to be
measured. All the sensors explored in this article usually are more accurate when the temperature
reaches the values from the middle of the range.

4. Correct conversion between Celsius and Fahrenheit

You need to make the right conversion between Celsius to Fahrenheit or Fahrenheit to Celsius. In the
datasheet from the manufacturer, you find the sensor information regarding measurements.

5. Heat conducted along the wire

If your sensor is in contact with a wire, the wire can conduct a surprising amount of heat. The contact
between the wire and sensor can be an issue, especially when you monitor the temperature along
pipes.

6. Condensation in the morning

Condensation in the morning can destroy your project or your expectations regarding the temperature
measurements. The condensation appears in every morning when warm moist air meets the cooler dry
air. In this case, the water vapors can condense on electronics in the same way it does on grass.
Therefore, if you think that your project is exposed to condensation, you have to use materials that
keep water vapor condensation from being a problem.
References:
Mobile Robot Temperature Sensing Application via Bluetooth, SERSC
Arduino temperature sensor comparison, Homautomaion
Accurately measuring temperature with Arduino, Electronics Stackexchange
What happens when reaching the max temperature on a temperature sensor?, Electronics
Stackexchange
My DS18B20 is reading high, how can I get it to return the correct temperature?, Arduino Stackexchange