instructables

Arduino Laser Infrared Thermometer

by MnMakerMan

In this project I will show you how to build a digital laser infrared thermometer with a custom 3D printed enclosure!

Step 1: Intro

Arduino Laser Infrared Thermometer: Page 1

Infrared thermometers are widely used in many work
environments to determine an objects surface
temperature. Often times in a machine or electronic
circuit, rising temperatures are one of the rst signs
that something is wrong. A quick non-contact check
with an infrared thermometer can let you know what
is happening with the temperature of a machine so
you can shut if o before it causes permanent
damage.
Infrared radiation is just another type of radiation
that exists on the electromagnetic spectrum. We
cannot see it but if you were to place your hand near a build my own. It has a custom 3D printed enclosure so
something hot like a stove top, then you would be
feeling the e ects of infrared radiation. All objects
It is a simple project and could be used as a great
introduction into sensors, 3D design/printing,
electronics, and programming.
Disclaimer: Obviously not suitable for medical use.
This project is just for fun and if you need an infrared
thermometer for medical use, order one that meets
https://youtu.be/Xxb-GgBCSFE
Step 2: Components Needed
The components needed for this project are below:
1. Momentary Button Switch Amazon
2. Resistors (5K Ohm, 200 Ohm) Amazon
3. 5V Laser Amazon
4. Arduino Nano Amazon
5. On/O Switch Amazon
6. OLED 0.96" Screen Amazon
Arduino Laser Infrared Thermometer: Page 2
emit energy in the form of infrared radiation. Most
handheld thermometers use a lens to focus light from
one object onto a thermopile which absorbs the IR
radiation. As more IR energy is absorbed, the hotter it
gets and the heat level is converted into an electrical
signal which is eventually converted to a temperature
reading.
I was working on a circuit the other day and I had a
component that was getting extremely hot. I wanted
to know the temperature of the component but since
I do not own a infrared thermometer I decided to
anyone can print it and assemble right at home.
medical standards/testing.
Please consider subscribing to my YouTube channel to
support me and to see more fun projects.
7. GY-906 Temperature Sensor (or MLX90614 Sensor
with proper capacitors/resistors) Amazon
8. 9V Battery Amazon
9. 3D Printer/Filament (I use Hatchbox PLA from
Amazon)
Disclosure: The amazon links above are a liate links,
meaning, at no additional cost to you, I will earn a
commission if you click through and make a purchase.
Step 3: GY-906 Infrared Temperature Sensor
I used a GY-906 infrared thermometer sensor which is
a breakout board for the MLX90614 non-contact
infrared thermometer by Melexis.
The breakout board is very inexpensive, easy to
integrate, and the breakout board version comes with
Step 4: Electronics
Now that you have gathered all of the required
components, it is time to start assembling everything
together. I would recommend wiring up everything
on a breadboard rst and then once everything is
functioning properly go ahead and solder everything
up on a perf board.
On the left we have our laser with a 200 ohm current
limiting resistor being driven from Digital Output 5.
There is also a standard momentary push button that
is connected between 5V and Digital Input 2. There is
a 5K pull down resistor so that when the switch is
Arduino Laser Infrared Thermometer: Page 3
10K pull up resistors for the I2C interface. It comes
factory calibrated with a range of -40 to +125 degrees
Celsius for sensor temperature and -70 to 380 degrees
celcius for object temperature. The accuracy of this
sensor is roughly .5 degree celcius.
open, the input is not oating and instead will be set
at 0V.
On the right we have our main On/O switch which
connects our 9V battery to the VIN and GND pins of
the arduino nano. The OLED display and GY-906
infrared temperature sensor are both connected to
3.3V and the SDA lines are connected to A4, and SCL
to A5. The oled display and GY-906 already have pull-
up resistors on the I2C lines.
Step 5: Programming

I will assume that you know how to program your
arduino nano but if not, there are many great
tutorials available online.
You will need to install the following libraries in order
for the code to compile.
1. Adafruits SSD1306
2. Adafruits MLX90614
The program is constantly reading temperature data
from the MLX90614 but is only displayed on the OLED
when the button trigger is pressed. If the trigger is
pressed, the laser also turns on to help identify which
object is being measured.

Download
https://www.instructables.com/ORIG/FII/RACD/K1DKF6PZ/FIIRACDK1DKF6PZ.ino
…

Step 6: 3D Design/Print/Assemble

Arduino Laser Infrared Thermometer: Page 4

I designed the scale in Fusion 360. stando s just in case I want to reuse it for a project
later down the line, so the stando s took up alot of
In the base of the thermometer, there is room for a 9V extra room that wouldn't be needed if you
battery, On/O switch, and our trigger mechanism permanently soldered it on a perf board.
which is just a simple momentary push button. The Nevertheless, eventually I got everything wired up
base cover will snap into place. There is a hole to route and in the enclosure, so then I press t the top cover
the wiring for the base components into the top on.
section of the thermometer.
Printing this is kind of tricky to get it to look great, as
There is an opening for the .96 inch OLED display and the main base I printed with the oled screen side
a front section on the tip of the thermometer for your faced down. The angle for the OLED screen is fairly
laser and your MLX90614 sensor. Both the laser and high so I printed with supports on the build plate but
sensor can be press t into the hole. The top section is that makes the surface look less than perfect. It might
for the arduino nano and I will be honest, I really just be an issue of my printer and I am sure it is
underestimated the amount of wiring I needed to possible to get it looking great if you dial in your
connect up in the small amount of space. Alot of wires printer settings but I didn't really care to much as this
were pulling lose when I pushed the arduino nano is a tool.
into the small space so I ended up using a glue gun to
hold the wires in place while pushing the nano inside Thingiverse Link
the enclosure. I always put my arduino nano on

Arduino Laser Infrared Thermometer: Page 5

Step 7: Test It Out!

Now that you have the laser infrared thermometer all assembled and programmed, it is time to test it out!

Push the power button, wait for the oled display to load up, and enjoy your new thermometer. Please consider
subscribing to my youtube channel to support me and see more projects/videos. Thank you for reading!

https://youtu.be/Xxb-GgBCSFE

Can u send me the cord to program the arduino

Im pradeep
Im from srilanka
Plz helpme
Thanks , very nice job
could you please provide the dimensions of 3d designs ? or the files ?
Nice job. I made one too.
Three points:
First: Momentary button switch is 12x12. At your Amazon link the button is 6x6. But 12x12 fits the

Arduino Laser Infrared Thermometer: Page 6

switch space perfect.
Second: Archive sketch procedure at arduino nano with Arduino IDE 1.8.10 was almost
impossible; i lost more than one hour (of course i am not an arduino guru). After i changed Tools >
Processor> to "AT Mega 328P (Old Bootloader)" it was possible to archive the sketch.
Third: It seems Adafruit_GFX_Library needed to.

PS: Temparature at the image is from freezer.

I want to have same project, but i get this reply when I try to compile
"no matching function for call to 'Adafruit_SSD1306::Adafruit_SSD1306(int, int, TwoWire*, int)'" is
there any idea?
Hello,
Thank you for a nice and useful project.
When I push the Momentary Button Switch, everything's fine but it displays 1037.56 and 1899.59. I
move around and close to other object but it's remain the same. Moreover I don't understand how
to get the actual Fahrenheit and Celsius value instead of 1037.56 and 1899.59. (I am testing using
USB connector)
Hmm.... I would recommend checking out other tutorials like this one
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=S12Mp8gDJmI to get everything setup initially. Let me know if
you have any other questions and good luck!

I do not understand chinese but I will try my best here. Google Translate: Hello, how do I compile
things all the time, both libraries have been added. Answer: If you are having issues compiling the
code then I would make sure you have all the libraries properly installed and also have your
Arduino IDE pointing to the correct port that your arduino is connected to. Hope this helps!
Hello,

Another project used the same sensor and is said: "Please note that, this sensor can measure in
short distance, about 2cm." ¿Is it correct?

For that reason I searched for another one which can measure farer and I found this one:
https://www.amazon.ca/GY-MLX90614-DCI-distance-inf...
¿It will run with same configuration as your project? I think so, but you could confirm.
In description there is this info:
"brand : Mingwu
What is the distance:50cm---------------------------------------------------------
D ---- 3V medical application accuracy
C - temperature gradient compensation *
I - - 3 degrees FOV (angle)"

Greetings

Jose
It's a nice project, but really not very cost effective. You can buy an infrared laser thermometer for
about the same cost as the Arduino Nano alone.

Arduino Laser Infrared Thermometer: Page 7

Haha but where is the fun in that? You can buy nano clones or build your own PCB with atmegas if
you really wanted it to make it cheaper. This project is more for fun and the joy of building
something yourself.
You can get a Arduino pro mini clone for €1,50

Is it possible to make one suitable for measuring higher temperatures such as those in a forge or a
kiln (500 - 2000 degrees)?
It is definitely possible since you can buy one online. They are fairly expensive though so the
sensor is likely of much higher quality. The one used in this project is pretty cheap.

Arduino Laser Infrared Thermometer: Page 8