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Digital thermometers are temperature-sensing instruments that are portable, have permanent probes,
and a digital display. They are typically battery powered. Digital thermometers can have many display
scale characteristics. These include Fahrenheit display, display range and scale divisions, Celsius or
Centigrade display, display range and scale divisions. Digital thermometers can display temperature in
Fahrenheit or Celsius, or both in a dual scale thermometer. The display range is the minimum and
maximum values of temperature that can be displayed. The scale division is the smallest division of
degrees that can be displayed. Scale division may also be referred to as resolution in digital instruments.
Application options for digital thermometers include explosion proof construction, HVAC, splash proof
or watertight device, and sanitary applications. An explosion proof thermometer is a device that can
withstand an explosion of gases within it and prevent the explosion of gases surrounding it due to
sparks, flashes or the explosion of the container itself, and maintain an external temperature, which will
not ignite the surrounding gases. HVAC thermometers are rated for HVAC applications such as duct or
flume monitoring. Watertight thermometers are rated for rated for washdown or wet environment
applications. Sanitary thermometers are rated for sanitary use such as food or pharmaceutical
applications. Other features include datalogger or data collection capabilities, recording of minimum
and maximum values, internal timers and counters, ability to perform math or statistical functions, self-
test or diagnostic capabilities and battery powering.
User interface options include analog front panel or digital front panel local interfaces, computer
interfaces, serial or parallel interfaces, and application software. Output options for digital
thermometers include analog voltage, analog current, frequency or modulated frequency, and switch or
alarm signals.
The thermometer technology types available for digital thermometers include thermocouples, RTDs, or
thermistors. Thermocouples are accurate, highly sensitive to small temperature changes, and quickly
respond to changes to the environment. Resistance temperature detectors (RTDs) are wire windings or
other thin film serpentines that exhibit changes in resistance with changes in temperature. Thermistor
elements are the most sensitive temperature sensors available. Nonlinear responses can be reduced by
combining two individual thermistor elements.
A digital thermometer
With the easy availability of inexpensive digital multimeters, and integrated circuit temperature
sensors, it is now very easy to build a sensitive and accurate digital thermometer that can be used
for many experiments around the house or in the amateur laboratory.
There are two tenperature sensors that make this particulary easy -- the LM34 and the LM35.
These are callibrated in Fahrenheit and Celsius respectively, and when read by the meter, they
produce ten millivolts per degree in their respective scales, so the meter can be directly read in
temperatures, down to a tenth of a degree.
We carry all the parts for the digital thermometer (except the battery and optional parts) in our
catalog.
Click on photo for a larger picture
Shown above is a multimeter, set to read 0 to 2,000 millivolts (zero to two volts). Note that the
dial switch is set to "2000 m".
It is currently reading 791 millivolts, which corresponds to 79.1 degrees Fahrenheit (since it is
connected to the LM34 sensor).
Above, we have placed an LM35 sensor on top of an ice cube, and the pool of water melted from
the ice is reading 8.9 degrees Celsius. For this experiment we have simply connected alligator
clips to two of the leads of the sensor, and wrapped the third lead with the red wire from the
battery clip. No soldering, nothing fancy, and we have a digital thermometer in the time it takes
to unwrap the meter and clip on the test leads.
Click on photo for a larger picture
For a more permanent thermometer, we solder three long wires (about 5 feet is nice) to the three
leads of an LM34 Fahrenheit sensor. Use three different colors, and note which ones are attached
to which leads. We put a little electrical tape around the middle lead so it won't touch the other
two, and then wrap the whole thing in electrical tape, or in this case, put it into a short length of
heat shrinkable tubing, and warm it up so the tubing shrinks tightly around the whole assembly.
We made the wires long so that we can measure things inside boxes or behind doors. Five feet
makes it easy to place the sensor end in the refrigerator or freezer, and have the meter stay
outside where it is easy to measure. This arrangement is great for incubators for eggs, and
terrariums, or (with proper waterproofing) aquariums.
Click on photo for a larger picture
At the other end of the long wires, we connect the battery clip and the resistor. Note that the wire
colors help ensure that the right connections are made. In our case, the red wire from the battery
clip is soldered to the brown and white striped wire, and the black wire from the battery clip is
soldered to the brown wire. The brown wire is wrapped around one end of the resistor, and the
blue wire is wrapped around the other end of the resistor. We can solder them later if we wish.
Click on photo for a larger picture
In the photo above you can see how the heat shrinkable tubing makes a nice neat temperature
probe, with only the top of the sensor peeking out of the shrunken tube.
The alligator test leads are attached to the resistor, and the other ends are clipped onto the meter
probes, as shown in the photo below.
Click on photo for a larger picture
The circuit diagram is shown above. Briefly, there are two transistors in the center of the
drawing. One has ten times the emitter area of the other. This means it has one tenth of the
current density, since the same current is going through both transistors. This causes a voltage
across the resistor R1 that is proportional to the absolute temperature, and is almost linear across
the range we care about. The "almost" part is taken care of by a special circuit that straightens
out the slightly curved graph of voltage versus temperature.
The amplifier at the top ensures that the voltage at the base of the left transistor (Q1) is
proportional to absolute temperature (PTAT) by comparing the output of the two transistors.
The amplifer at the right converts absolute temperature (measured in Kelvin) into either
Fahrenheit or Celsius, depending on the part (LM34 or LM35). The little circle with the "i" in it
is a constant current source circuit.
The two resistors are calibrated in the factory to produce a highly accurate temperature sensor.
The integrated circuit has many transistors in it -- two in the middle, some in each amplifier,
some in the constant current source, and some in the curvature compensation circuit. All of that
is fit into the tiny package with three leads.