Temperature At A Distance

Melexis Microelectronic Integrated Systems sells a host of sensors from basic to intelligent. The demo thermometer unit highlights just one of these, the MLX90614 intergrated digital non-contact thermomter in a small TO-39 can (Fig 1).

There is not much to the unit except for its use since it is essentially an end product (although it is really designed to show off the MLX90614). It provides contactless temperature measurements between -40°C and 150°C. There is a single button on the front. Just aim the MLX90614 on top of the unit at something and read the temperature with a resolution of 0.1°C. It takes less than a second. The accuracy is about 1.5°C over the entire sensing range. The distance spot ratio is 1.25 (8 cm spot at 10 cm distance) with a viewing angle of 45°.