How to Build Your Own Digital Thermometer

Learn how to build a simple digital thermometer using a breadboard and temperature sensor to see how electronics measure the world around you.

  1. Prepare your breadboard. Place your temperature sensor into the breadboard. The sensor has three pins: one for power, one for ground, and one for reading the temperature. Make sure each pin is in a different row.
  2. Connect the wires. Use your jumper wires to connect the power pin to the 5V port on your controller, the ground pin to the GND port, and the middle signal pin to an analog input pin (like A0). Ask a grown-up to double-check your connections.
  3. Upload your code. Connect your board to the computer using the USB cable. Open your coding software, type in a simple script to read analog values from pin A0, and click 'Upload' to send the instructions to your board.
  4. Read the data. Open the Serial Monitor in your software. You will see a stream of numbers changing as the sensor detects the temperature. You can now hold your finger near the sensor to watch the numbers rise.