Skip to content
Customize Consent Preferences

We use cookies to help you navigate efficiently and perform certain functions. You will find detailed information about all cookies under each consent category below.

The cookies that are categorized as "Necessary" are stored on your browser as they are essential for enabling the basic functionalities of the site. ... 

Always Active

Necessary cookies are required to enable the basic features of this site, such as providing secure log-in or adjusting your consent preferences. These cookies do not store any personally identifiable data.

No cookies to display.

Functional cookies help perform certain functionalities like sharing the content of the website on social media platforms, collecting feedback, and other third-party features.

No cookies to display.

Analytical cookies are used to understand how visitors interact with the website. These cookies help provide information on metrics such as the number of visitors, bounce rate, traffic source, etc.

No cookies to display.

Performance cookies are used to understand and analyze the key performance indexes of the website which helps in delivering a better user experience for the visitors.

No cookies to display.

Advertisement cookies are used to provide visitors with customized advertisements based on the pages you visited previously and to analyze the effectiveness of the ad campaigns.

No cookies to display.

Monitoring Temperature with Raspberry Pi Pico’s Onboard Temperature Sensor

The Raspberry Pi Pico is an affordable microcontroller that’s perfect for various DIY projects. One of its lesser-known features is the onboard temperature sensor, which allows you to monitor temperature changes without the need for external sensors. This guide will walk you through how to read the temperature data from the Raspberry Pi Pico’s onboard sensor using MicroPython.

Getting Started with Raspberry Pi Pico

Before diving into temperature sensing, ensure your Raspberry Pi Pico is set up correctly with MicroPython. If you haven’t done this yet, you’ll need:

  • A Raspberry Pi Pico
  • USB cable for connection
  • Thonny IDE (or any other IDE that supports MicroPython)

Step 1: Installing MicroPython on the Raspberry Pi Pico

  1. Connect your Raspberry Pi Pico to your computer via USB.
  2. Open Thonny IDE.
  3. In the Thonny IDE, go to Tools > Options > Interpreter.
  4. Select MicroPython (Raspberry Pi Pico) from the dropdown list.
  5. Click on the Install or Update Firmware button to install MicroPython on your Pico.

Step 2: Accessing the Onboard Temperature Sensor

The Raspberry Pi Pico has an onboard temperature sensor connected to an analog-to-digital converter (ADC). To access this data, you can use the following MicroPython script:

python

import machine
import utime
sensor_temp = machine.ADC(4)
conversion_factor = 3.3 / (65535)while True:
reading = sensor_temp.read_u16() * conversion_factor
temperature = 27 – (reading – 0.706)/0.001721
print(“Temperature: {:.2f}°C”.format(temperature))
utime.sleep(2)

Step 3: Understanding the Code

  • machine.ADC(4): This line initializes the ADC channel 4, which is connected to the onboard temperature sensor.
  • conversion_factor: This converts the raw ADC value to a voltage.
  • temperature calculation: The formula converts the voltage to temperature in Celsius.

Step 4: Running the Script

  1. Copy the script into Thonny IDE.
  2. Save the script with a .py extension.
  3. Run the script, and you should see the temperature readings displayed in the console.

Applications of Temperature Sensing with Raspberry Pi Pico

The onboard temperature sensor can be useful for various applications:

  • Environmental Monitoring: Track room temperature or monitor temperature-sensitive areas.
  • DIY Projects: Integrate temperature data into your home automation systems.
  • Educational Projects: Teach students about temperature measurement and data logging.

Conclusion

Using the onboard temperature sensor of the Raspberry Pi Pico is a simple yet powerful way to integrate temperature monitoring into your projects. With just a few lines of code, you can start collecting temperature data and use it for various applications.