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!

Arduino Laser Infrared Thermometer: Page 1

Infrared thermometers are widely used in many work emit energy in the form of infrared radiation. Most
environments to determine an objects surface handheld thermometers use a lens to focus light from
temperature. Often times in a machine or electronic one object onto a thermopile which absorbs the IR
circuit, rising temperatures are one of the first signs radiation. As more IR energy is absorbed, the hotter it
that something is wrong. A quick non-contact check gets and the heat level is converted into an electrical
with an infrared thermometer can let you know what signal which is eventually converted to a temperature
is happening with the temperature of a machine so reading.
you can shut if off before it causes permanent
damage. I was working on a circuit the other day and I had a
component that was getting extremely hot. I wanted
Infrared radiation is just another type of radiation that to know the temperature of the component but since I
exists on the electromagnetic spectrum. We cannot do not own a infrared thermometer I decided to build
see it but if you were to place your hand near a my own. It has a custom 3D printed enclosure so
something hot like a stove top, then you would be anyone can print it and assemble right at home.
feeling the effects of infrared radiation. All objects

It is a simple project and could be used as a great Please consider subscribing to my YouTube channel
introduction into sensors, 3D design/printing, to support me and to see more fun projects.
electronics, and programming.

https://youtu.be/Xxb-GgBCSFE

Step 2: Components Needed

The components needed for this project are below: 7. GY-906 Temperature Sensor (or MLX90614
Sensor with proper capacitors/resistors) Amazon
1. Momentary Button Switch Amazon
8. 9V Battery Amazon
2. Resistors (5K Ohm, 200 Ohm) Amazon
9. 3D Printer/Filament (I use Hatchbox PLA from
3. 5V Laser Amazon Amazon)

4. Arduino Nano Amazon Disclosure: The amazon links above are affiliate links,
meaning, at no additional cost to you, I will earn a
5. On/Off Switch Amazon commission if you click through and make a
purchase.
6. OLED 0.96" Screen Amazon

Arduino Laser Infrared Thermometer: Page 2

I used a GY-906 infrared thermometer sensor which 10K pull up resistors for the I2C interface. It comes
is a breakout board for the MLX90614 non-contact factory calibrated with a range of -40 to +125 degrees
infrared thermometer by Melexis. Celsius for sensor temperature and -70 to 380
degrees celcius for object temperature. The accuracy
The breakout board is very inexpensive, easy to of this sensor is roughly .5 degree celcius.
integrate, and the breakout board version comes with

Step 4: Electronics

Now that you have gathered all of the required open, the input is not floating and instead will be set
components, it is time to start assembling everything at 0V.
together. I would recommend wiring up everything on
a breadboard first and then once everything is On the right we have our main On/Off switch which
functioning properly go ahead and solder everything connects our 9V battery to the VIN and GND pins of
up on a perf board. the arduino nano. The OLED display and GY-906
infrared temperature sensor are both connected to
On the left we have our laser with a 200 ohm current 3.3V and the SDA lines are connected to A4, and
limiting resistor being driven from Digital Output 5. SCL to A5. The oled display and GY-906 already
There is also a standard momentary push button that have pull-up resistors on the I2C lines.
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

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

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

Arduino Laser Infrared Thermometer: Page 4

I designed the scale in Fusion 360. standoffs just in case I want to reuse it for a project
later down the line, so the standoffs 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/Off 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 and in the enclosure, so then I press fit the top cover
route 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 the main base I printed with the oled screen side
and a front section on the tip of the thermometer for faced down. The angle for the OLED screen is fairly
your laser and your MLX90614 sensor. Both the laser high so I printed with supports on the build plate but
and sensor can be press fit into the hole. The top that makes the surface look less than perfect. It might
section is for the arduino nano and I will be honest, I just be an issue of my printer and I am sure it is
really underestimated the amount of wiring I needed possible to get it looking great if you dial in your
to connect up in the small amount of space. Alot of printer settings but I didn't really care to much as this
wires were pulling lose when I pushed the arduino is a tool.
nano into the small space so I ended up using a glue
gun to hold the wires in place while pushing the nano Thingiverse Link
inside the enclosure. I always put my arduino nano on

Arduino Laser Infrared Thermometer: Page 5

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

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?
Arduino Laser Infrared Thermometer: Page 6
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.
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 7