10x TMP36 Temperature Sensors Low Voltage Low self-Heating Precision Linear Analog Output for Arduino Raspberry Pi

I bought these as a replacement for a kit that I needed for a college project. They were exactly what I needed and worked perfect!

These are small, light, and reliable. The interface is simple, direct read, no serial circuit needed. The electronics are encapsulated, useful in dirty or humid conditions. The current draw is small. They are accurate, linear, and fairly quick to react to temperature changes. Plus that, the company offers a complete data sheet for the device.MAKE SURE YOU READ IT. There are a lot of misleading pieces of info around about the pin connections. If you hook Vcc and ground backwards, you will fry the device, burn your fingers, and possibly damage or destroy your Arduino / Pi / etc. Make sure to look at page 1 of the datasheet before you start.

These seem to be quite accurate - maybe within 1 degree Fahrenheit. However, I have had a lot of trouble getting them to work properly when on the same power supply as a microchip. Even if I isolate them from the chip's power supply, they still show quite arbitrary values (like +- 10 degrees Fahrenheit). I haven't totally solved this mystery. To make things even weirder, it works when on the Arduino's power supply! I guess they just did a better job filtering power supply noise than I did.

The TMP36 is a good choice for an inexpensive temperature sensor, and is much easier to implement in software than a thermistor.Big caveat: These have poor noise immunity. If you are not running your device off a battery or a very good, well-filtered power supply, you will need to bypass the TMP36 power leads with a capacitor (0.1 - 10uf). For instance, if the TMP36 is powered directly from a typical USB supply, the noise from the supply will likely disable the TMP36, giving erroneous readings. I have found this true of most USB connections. Power supply bypassing is good design practice. But, here it may be necessary.

Happy with TMP36; sensing values are consistent. Bear 2 points in mind:1.- Place the TMP36 on the breadboard with the lettered side facing the Arduino board, and the rounded side facing away. Connect the left pin of the lettered side to 5Volts, the midle pin to an analog pin, and the right pin to GND.2.- The TMP36 is very sensitive. For accurate sensing, use breadboard jumper wires (long pieces) to connect all TMP36 pins. Avoid wiring with cables that have a black cap surrounding the tip; sensor may not return accurate voltage values.

Listed specs (±2 C) suggest these are Grade G TMP36 sensors, but keep in mind that is the "typical" accuracy rating. Grade G allows for a maximum value of ±4 C. All 5 of the sensors I got were around ±3 C accurate, with the best being about ±2.5 C. Perhaps I just got an unlucky batch, or these are the bottom of the bin Grade "G" sensors.I've had much better luck with the DS18B20 digital temperature sensors and would recommend them over these if your project supports digital sensors.

The circuit diagram on the manufacturers website that includes a UNO is incorrect! If you hook it up this way it will fry the part in minutes.The proper pinout (when viewing the lettering on the product) is (1 - left) +5V, (2 - center) analog out, (3 - right) GND. Also their example Arduino code says that it is displaying Celcius but it is actually Fehrenheit.Otherwise, the product works well, though it takes 15-20 seconds to adjust to even minor temperature changes.

they work great as long as you know the pinout. Get this mixed up and wonder why nothing is working, grab the sensor and burn the &^%$# out of your fingers because you have the VCC/GND reversed. Well pay attention.