Is this sensor compatible with Arduino? How do you tell?

Using Arduino Project Guidance
#1

Introduction:

I'm new to Arduino, but it's a wonderful little device and I'm trying my best to learn. I need a good temperature sensor. This one from Sparkfun.com fits my specs, but I don't know if it will work with Arduino.

Sensor model no.: MLX90614 Cost: 20.00

Questions:

  • Will this sensor work with the Arduino Uno board?
  • If so, will I need a library? If a library doesn't exist, will I need to make my own?
  • How hard is it to create a library? Details:

I like this sensor because it will do a good job of monitoring object temperature rather than ambient temperature. I need it to tell me when a certain object rises above, say, 300 degrees F. The exact number isn't important, I just need to know when it gets really hot.

Maybe you would recommend a better or cheaper sensor? Again, accuracy isn't too important, just a general idea of when the object rises above a certain temperature.

Any advice would be greatly appreciated.

#2

Well, I did my best to do research before posting. Evidently I didn't do enough research.

Here's a blog post detailing how to use the sensor with Arduino: http://bildr.org/2011/02/mlx90614-arduino/

If anyone has sensor suggestions, though, I would still be interested in hearing your advice. I'm also curious about writing libraries

Thanks

#3

All the research I did was type the sensor name + arduino into google and first hit is Adafruit

#4

Note you never need to write a libiary. You just write code to address the problem you have. Turning that code into a libiary is just a convenient way of letting others shair the code you have written.

Normally most libaries do too much for any one application and therefore waste code space.

#5

How to tell if a part works with arduino?

Type the part number, a space, and the letter a into google. If it auto-completes the a to arduino, it's probably supported ;-)

#6

DrAzzy: How to tell if a part works with arduino?

Type the part number, a space, and the letter a into google. If it auto-completes the a to arduino, it's probably supported ;-)

funny that is so true. google arduino panties and it return 363,000 hits. arduino MXL MLX90614 ? About 43,700 results

#7

dave-in-nj: funny that is so true. google arduino panties and it return 363,000 hits. arduino MXL MLX90614 ? About 43,700 results

LOL. There must be a run on the 'arduino panties' search term as google just returned 5,320,000 hits now.

#8

Thank you all for your replies. What if I have a sensor that isn't typically used with Arduino? What requirements must be met for me to... "jerry rig" the sensor?

#9

What if I have a sensor that isn't typically used with Arduino?

Where did you get it from?

All sensors at some point deliver a voltage or current as the output. The only sensors that are likely to be unusable are those with fancy outputs interfaces like a USB or IEEE.

#10

I haven’t purchased one anywhere yet. I’m just wondering for future projects. Here’s an example.

We have a bunch of infrared “heat guns”(they sense temperature with infrared) laying around the house. As far as I know, the sensors inside aren’t the fancy type you described. Theoretically, then, I would be able to take the infrared sensor out of the heat gun, find the i/o pins, and hook it up to my Arduino?

I suppose I would need to know what voltage corresponds to what temperature. Would I find that out through my own calibration?

#11

The sensor itself would not have such an interface in it, it is the instrument as a whole.

Electronics in genral works from 3V to 24V although some occasionally go up to 48V.

So it is just a matter of getting the voltage from a sensor, cutting it up or down to match the arduino and reading it.

Yes you have to calibrate the voltage from a sensor into what it represents.

#12

eternusvia: I haven't purchased one anywhere yet. I'm just wondering for future projects. Here's an example. monitoringg We have a bunch of infrared "heat guns"(they sense temperature with infrared) laying around the house. As far as I know, the sensors inside aren't the fancy type you described. Theoretically, then, I would be able to take the infrared sensor out of the heat gun, find the i/o pins, and hook it up to my Arduino?

I suppose I would need to know what voltage corresponds to what temperature. Would I find that out through my own calibration?

any operating device will have a power supply designed to power said device a method of monitoring said device an output of some engineering units the goal for most of us is to find that point in the existing device that offers the highest signal that represents what we want. but, you have to crawl before you can walk. get an UNO and a power supply, get the bits for your circuit and start testing it.

#13

eternusvia: I haven't purchased one anywhere yet. I'm just wondering for future projects. Here's an example.

We have a bunch of infrared "heat guns"(they sense temperature with infrared) laying around the house. As far as I know, the sensors inside aren't the fancy type you described. Theoretically, then, I would be able to take the infrared sensor out of the heat gun, find the i/o pins, and hook it up to my Arduino?

I suppose I would need to know what voltage corresponds to what temperature. Would I find that out through my own calibration?

That's one possibility - another might be that if the device has it's own readout display - then it likely has a microcontroller in it, and it might already supply a serial port you can read. That's a lot of "ifs" I know - but that's the essence of hacking and reverse-engineering.

For instance, Harbor Freight sells a cheapo digital caliper that inside - has a convenient output for serial data - which can be easily read by an Arduino. People use them all the time to add DRO (digital read-out) capability to their DIY CNC mills or other tools.

Those IR testers may have something similar - a lot of cheap tools do. Or they may not. Just google around - you are likely not the first person to want to hack something (especially if it is easily available on the marketplace - things get less likely when the item is "special" or otherwise difficult to obtain because of rarity, age, or other reasons) - so it is likely someone else has done the "hard work". Google "Arduino" and the name of the part and/or model number information (and/or in the case of Harbor Freight tools - add their name to the terms. For example, searching:

"Arduino Harbor Freight IR thermometer"

...turned up this:

http://www.instructables.com/id/Build-an-Arduino-based-thermal-scanner/

...and I wasn't even trying hard.

:D :D :D

You generally aren't a special snowflake (except when you are - in that case, take the bull by the horns and start your hacking journey - sometimes, the best way forward on such a reverse-engineering adventure is to publish about it - sometimes, others will have the same issues and want to hack the device the same way).

#14