Description
These sensors use a solid-state technique to determine the temperature. They use the fact as temperature increases, the voltage across a diode increases at a known rate. (Technically, this is actually the voltage drop between the base and emitter - the Vbe - of a transistor.) By precisely amplifying the voltage change, it is easy to generate an analog signal that is directly proportional to temperature. There have been some improvements on the technique but, essentially that is how temperature is measured.
The good news is all that complex calculation is done inside the chip - it just spits out the temperature, ready for you to use!
Because these sensors have no moving parts, they are precise, never wear out, don't need calibration, work under many environmental conditions, and are consistant between sensors and readings. Moreover they are very inexpensive and quite easy to use.
Specifications
- Size: TO-92 package
- Temperature range: -40°C to 150°C / -40°F to 302°F
- Output range: 0.1V (-40°C) to 2.0V (150°C) but accuracy decreases after 125°C
- Power supply: 2.7V to 5.5V only, 0.05 mA current draw
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