TUTORIALS Heat sensors
Work with Pi Pico temperature sensors
HEAT SENSORS
We always knew Les Pounder was hot stuff and he now he can prove it with a myriad of temperature sensors attached to his spare Pico.
OUR EXPERT
Les Pounder is associate editor at Tom’s Hardware and a freelance maker for hire. He blogs about his adventures and projects at http://bigl.es.
ack in LXF318 we took a look at sensors that could detect movement and distance. This B month, we are looking at sensors that can measure temperature and humidity (in the case of the DHT11). We’ll be using MicroPython on a Raspberry Pi Pico, but you can also use a Raspberry Pi Pico W.
The goal is to learn how these sensors work and how we can integrate them into our Raspberry Pi Pico and Pico W builds. We’ll be using Thonny to write the project code. An assumption is made that you know how to use Thonny with the Raspberry Pi Pico; if not, Tom’s Hardware has a guide: www.tomshardware.com/how-to/raspberry-pi-pico-setup/.
The DS18B20
Can you have a favourite sensor? If so, this is ours. The DS18B20 is a classic temperature sensor that comes in a variety of forms. Made by Maxim, but there are many clones, the DS18B20 is a versatile temperature sensor that we have personally used in many projects. Its versatility is demonstrated by the various packages it comes in. You see, the DS18B20 is a three-pin chip, but it can be contained inside a waterproof container and submerged in water. If you are going to buy any DS18B20, buy one of these waterproof versions. Want to see the temperature decay rate for a cup of tea? Drop the DS18B20 into a fresh cuppa, record the data to a CSV file, drop it into a spreadsheet, et voila!