Arduino Temperature Sensor

Situatie

You’ll build a simple digital thermometer that measures ambient temperature using a temperature sensor (like the LM35, TMP36, or DHT11) and displays the reading via the Serial Monitor or LCD screen.

We’ll cover two main versions:

Basic Version — Using an analog temperature sensor (LM35 or TMP36).
Advanced Version — Using a digital sensor (DHT11 or DHT22) with humidity support.

Materials Needed

Component	Quantity	Description
Arduino Uno (or Nano/Mega)	1	The main microcontroller board
LM35 or TMP36 sensor	1	Analog temperature sensor
Breadboard	1	For easy circuit assembly
Jumper wires	~6	Male-to-male wires
USB cable	1	To connect Arduino to your computer
(Optional) 16×2 LCD Display	1	For local display
(Optional) 10kΩ Potentiometer	1	LCD contrast control

Step 1: Understand the Sensor

LM35 Pinout

Pin	Label	Function
1	VCC	+5V from Arduino
2	VOUT	Analog output (connect to Arduino analog input)
3	GND	Ground

The LM35 outputs 10 mV per °C.
So if the output voltage = 250 mV → temperature = 25°C.

Step 2: Wiring the LM35 to Arduino

Connections

LM35 Pin	Connects To
VCC	5V on Arduino
GND	GND on Arduino
VOUT	A0 on Arduino

Circuit Diagram (Text Form)

Step 3: Arduino Code (LM35 Version)

// Simple Temperature Sensor with LM35

const int sensorPin = A0; // LM35 connected to A0
float temperatureC;

void setup() {
Serial.begin(9600);
Serial.println(“LM35 Temperature Sensor”);
}

void loop() {
int sensorValue = analogRead(sensorPin); // Read analog value
float voltage = sensorValue * (5.0 / 1023.0); // Convert to voltage
temperatureC = voltage * 100; // 10mV per degree C (LM35)

Serial.print(“Temperature: “);
Serial.print(temperatureC);
Serial.println(” °C”);

delay(1000); // Update every second
}

Explanation

analogRead(A0): reads 0–1023 corresponding to 0–5V.
Voltage calculation: (value * 5.0) / 1023.0.
LM35 output scaling: 10 mV = 1°C → multiply voltage by 100.

Step 4: Viewing Data

Open Arduino IDE → Tools → Serial Monitor.
Set baud rate = 9600.
You’ll see continuous readings like:

Temperature: 24.87 °C Temperature: 25.02 °C

Step 5: Calibration (Optional)

Real sensors may have small offsets.
You can adjust the output manually:

Compare readings with a known thermometer and tweak the offset until accurate.

Advanced: Using DHT11 / DHT22 (Digital Sensor)

Required Library

Install “DHT sensor library” by Adafruit from Arduino Library Manager.

Wiring (DHT11)

DHT11 Pin	Connects To
VCC	5V
GND	GND
DATA	Digital Pin 2

Code (DHT11)

#include "DHT.h"

#define DHTPIN 2 // Data pin connected to digital pin 2
#define DHTTYPE DHT11 // or DHT22

DHT dht(DHTPIN, DHTTYPE);

void setup() {
Serial.begin(9600);
dht.begin();
}

void loop() {
float tempC = dht.readTemperature();
float humidity = dht.readHumidity();

if (isnan(tempC) || isnan(humidity)) {
Serial.println(“Failed to read from DHT sensor!”);
return;
}

Serial.print(“Temperature: “);
Serial.print(tempC);
Serial.print(” °C, Humidity: “);
Serial.print(humidity);
Serial.println(” %”);

delay(2000);
}

Step 6: (Optional) Display on LCD

If using a 16×2 LCD (I2C):

Install “LiquidCrystal_I2C” library.
Connect SDA → A4, SCL → A5.
Example snippet:

Troubleshooting Guide

Issue	Possible Cause	Solution
No readings / 0°C	Wrong wiring or pin	Check sensor pins
Negative readings	Wrong sensor type (TMP36 needs offset)	Adjust formula
Unstable readings	Noisy analog signal	Add capacitor (0.1 µF) between VOUT & GND
“nan” or “Failed to read”	DHT library issue	Check sensor type & connections

Next Steps & Enhancements

Add OLED / LCD display for portable thermometer
Store data using SD card module
Upload readings to the cloud via ESP8266 / WiFi module
Use RGB LED to indicate temperature range (blue/cool, red/hot)
Build an IoT dashboard (ThingSpeak, Blynk, etc.).

Solutie

Tip solutie

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