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[on:]

I'm looking to make a few pieces of my gauge set up out of nixie tubes.  I've already made a lovely clock out of the tubes so I know how to set up that portion of this..
So my issue is, how can I get the temperature from a cylinder head?  C.H. gauges as far as I know are wrenched down with the sparkplug and then a wire goes to the gauge.  I've been looking for a temperature sensor that would work the same, but all I can find is that ambient temperature transistor looking device.

It needs to be able to read 0-500 degrees Fahrenheit. 

Any tips on what to do?

[Reply #1 on:]

A thermocouple will do well over 500 degrees, as to how you mount it, no idea.

______
Rob

[Reply #2 on:]

For high temperatures like that standard thermocouples are often used - http://www.ladyada.net/learn/sensors/thermocouple.html - the sensor you picture is probably a thermocouple fashioned as a washer.

[Reply #3 on:]

Oh, very interesting!  I was reading about thermistors and thermocouplers but was a bit confused, that link is absolutely perfect!  This is great news indeed!  At this point I'm debating if I want to use numbers to display the temperature or a bargraph.   Hrmm...

[Reply #4 on:]

A thermocouple would be a good choice, they are used for CHT (and EGT) measurement in light aircraft. Thermocouples produce a low voltage which needs amplifying before you can read it from an Arduino, and a specialist thermocouple amplifier chip is recommended. See e.g. http://www.adafruit.com/products/269.