Hello all. I am needing a high temp sensor that would work with an Arduino. I am in my colleges rocket team and we plan on using an Arduino to measure things like pipe pressure and engine temp. This temp sensor needs to be able to read up to 3500 kelvin. Does anyone know of anything that might work here? I know its a lot to ask as that is an extreme temp. Any help would be greatly appreciated. Thanks!
What have your web searches turned up, and which possibilities have you already rejected?
Please explain why you think you need to measure temperatures that high.
Temperature sensors need time to allow measurements. What is your timing requirement? Is there any material between the sensor and the the source of the high temperature?
I have searched for temp sensors that can read 3500K but none that show up can. A few pop up that would read maybe 1500K but thats about it. I was told 3500K is what should be expected due to the heat transfer calculations done by the group earlier in the school year.
The rocket will fire in a fairly short burst. I believe the leader of the project said it would fire for 5 seconds. There would not be anything between the source and the sensor.
If you are trying to measure the rocket engine exhaust temperature, then the only sensible approach is to measure the emission spectrum and analyze it as a black body emitter.
You will need an IR spectrophotometer for that, as the emission maximum is > 800 nm for a 3500K black body.
Again, please explain why you think you need to measure this, and since this is the Arduino forum, what Arduino would have to do with it.
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We want to measure the temps to see how close the calculations are to real world observation. I wanted to see if there was any way this could be measured with an Arduino. I assume that would be difficult to near impossible?
The temps OF WHAT?
The exhaust gas temps and possibly the rocket body temp
At 3500k, not a contact thermometer (pyrometer?). Something I.R. Search on "metal forging thermometer" but I've only seen them go up to 1800c.
As explained, optical measurements at those temps and for such a short period of time. You need to really decide on the number of measurements you can make in a given short period of time.
We used thermocouples to measure the temperature of molten iron but when inserted they only lasted for a few seconds. That was just under 1600C.
3500K actually refers to the color temperature of light, indicating a neutral white light that balances warm and cool tones. This type of lighting is often used in various settings, such as offices and kitchens, as it provides clarity without being too harsh or too soft. My suggestion is to measure Lux and convert that to temperature.
Would that "k" light be emitted from a burning kit rocket that burns much cooler (or do they reach 3.5kK)?
Magnesium burns at a temperature of approximately 3,100 °C (5,610 °F). The flame temperature of a toy rocket engine can reach up to about 1,200 K (approximately 927°C or 1,700°F) during combustion. The 3500K does not compute for me.
As I understand it, color temperature is a way to describe the color of light emitted by a source, measured in degrees Kelvin (K). It indicates whether the light appears warm (yellowish) or cool (bluish), with lower values (around 2700-3000 K) being warm and higher values (above 5000 K) being cool.
To simplify it: Color temperature describes appearance, Actual temperature describes physics. I believe the op 3500 kelvin temperature came from a guess.
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Hi, @jumbojimbo44
Welcome to the forum.
You might get some advice from the "rockets nozzle" so to speak here;
Tom.... 
3500 k is extremely high for typical sensors. Standard thermocouples like Type k or Type R only go up to 1800–2500 k. For 3500 K, you would likely need a pyrometer rather than a contact sensor.