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Temperature Sensor - The Thermistor

Thermistors are inexpensive temperature sensors that are easy to use and have reasonable output voltages. They work well for simple temperature measurements within their usable temperature range. Thermistors are resistors whose resistance decreases predictably with increasing temperature due to their semiconductor material. Their resistance change is substantial and opposite to the expected direction. Thermistors are commonly used in bridge circuits where their varying resistance unbalances the bridge and produces an output voltage correlated to temperature.

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Andrei Muntean
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88 views5 pages

Temperature Sensor - The Thermistor

Thermistors are inexpensive temperature sensors that are easy to use and have reasonable output voltages. They work well for simple temperature measurements within their usable temperature range. Thermistors are resistors whose resistance decreases predictably with increasing temperature due to their semiconductor material. Their resistance change is substantial and opposite to the expected direction. Thermistors are commonly used in bridge circuits where their varying resistance unbalances the bridge and produces an output voltage correlated to temperature.

Uploaded by

Andrei Muntean
Copyright
© © All Rights Reserved
We take content rights seriously. If you suspect this is your content, claim it here.
Available Formats
Download as DOCX, PDF, TXT or read online on Scribd
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Temperature Sensor - The Thermistor

You are at:  Elements - Sensors - Thermistors  


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         Thermistors are inexpensive, easily-obtainable temperature


sensors.  They are easy to use and adaptable.  Circuits with thermistors
can have reasonable outout voltages - not the millivolt outputs
thermocouples have.  Because of these qualities, thermistors are widely
used for simple temperature measurements.  They're not used for high
temperatures, but in the temperature ranges where they work they are
widely used.

        Thermistors are temperature sensitive resistors.  All resistors


vary with temperature, but thermistors are constructed of
semiconductor material with a resistivity that is especially sensitive to
temperature.  However, unlike most other resistive devices, the
resistance of a thermistor decreases with increasing temperature. 
That's due to the properties of the semiconductor material that the
thermistor is made from.  For some, that may be counterintuitive, but
it is correct.  Here is a graph of resistance as a function of
temperature for a typical thermistor.  Notice how the resistance drops
from 100 k, to a very small value in a range around room temperature. 
Not only is the resistance change in the opposite direction from what
you expect, but the magnitude of the percentage resistance change is
substantial.
        In this lesson you will examine some of the characteristics of
thermistors and the circuits they are used in.

 Why Use Thermistors To Measure Temperature?


o They are inexpensive, rugged and reliable.
o They respond quickly

 What Does A Thermistor Look Like?


o Here it is.

 What Does A Thermistor Do?


o A Thermistor is a temperature dependent resistor.  When
temperature changes, the resistance of the thermistor
changes in a predictable way.

 How Does A Thermistor's Resistance Depend Upon Temperature?


o The Steinhart-Hart equation gives the reciprocal of
absolute temperature as a function of the resistance of a
thermistor.
o Using the Steinhardt-Hart equation, you can calculate the
temperature of the thermistor from the measured
resistance.
o The Steinhardt-Hart equation is:

1/T = A + B*ln(R) + C*(ln(R))3 R in , T in oK

o The constants, A, B and C can be determined from


experimental measurements of resistance, or they can be
calculated from tabular data.

        Here are some data points for a typical thermistor from "The
Temperature Handbook" (Omega Engineering, Inc., 1989).  (By the way,
when you refer to this thermistor, you would say it has 5k at room
temperature.) 
 
T (oC) R ()
0 16,330
25 5000
50 1801

        Using these values, we can get three equations in A, B and C.

(1/273)   = A + B ln(16330) + C (ln(16330))3

(1/298)   = A + B ln(5000) + C (ln(5000))3

(1/323)   = A + B ln(1801) + C (ln(1801))3

        This set of simultaneous linear equations can be solved for A, B


and C.  Here are the values computed for A, B and C.
 A = 0.001284 
 B = 2.364x 10-4 
 C = 9.304x 10-8

Using these values you can compute the reciprocal, and therefore the
temperature, from a resistance measurement.

 Using these values for A, B and C we obtain a plot of resistance vs.


Kelvin temperature.

Getting the temperature from resistance

        If you have a resistance value - and that is what you will measure
electrically - you then need to solve for the temperature.  Use the
reciprocal of the equation above, and you will get:

T = 1/[A + B*ln(R) + C*(ln(R))3] R in , T in oK

However, if the thermistor is embedded in a circuit - like a voltage


divider, for example - then you will have to measure electrical
quantities - usually voltage - and work back from that electrical
measurement. 
      There will be situations where you need to measure a higher
temperature than a thermistor can work in.  Or you may need more
precision than a thermistor can give.  Consider a thermocouple or and
integrated circuit sensor like the LM35. 

How Do You Use A Thermistor?

        Thermistors are most commonly used in bridge circuits like the
one below.  Bridge circuits are discussed in more detail in the lesson on
bridge circuits.

In this bridge circuit, three resistors are constant, R a, Rb, and Rc, while
the resistive sensor, Rs, varies depending upon some physical variable -
like temperature, light level, etc.  That's where the thermistor can be
used.

        The thermistor can be placed anywhere in the bridge with three
constant resistors, but different placements can produce different
behavior in the bridge.  For example, different placements might cause
the output voltage to go in different directions as the temperature
changes. 

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