Remote infrared sensors are unique in their ability to measure something they are pointed at, but not touching, and we've been looking for a replacement for the now-discontiued TMP007 for a few years. The Adafruit MLX90632 FIR Temperature Sensor features a compact and low cost 'remote' infrared sensor. These are great when you want to measure the temperature of something very hot or very cold or maybe something that's delicate and tough to attach a probe to. 

This sensor has a 50˚ field of view, so it will work best when only a few cm/inches away from the item being measured, otherwise you'll be getting an average of a large area.

Melexis is famous for their infrared sensor technology (we stock a lot of their IR thermal sensors!) and the MLX90632 is pick-and-placeable with a I2C interface which makes it a great match for any microcontroller or microcomputer. This breakout board comes with the MLX90632SLD-DCB which is 'medical grade'. The medical version is factory calibrated with an accuracy of ±0.2˚C within the narrow object temperature range from 35 to 42˚C for medical applications. You can also put it into 'extended' mode for measuring object temperatures from -20 to 100˚C. Of course, you can also measure the 'local' temperature on chip as well.

To get you going fast, we spun up a custom-made PCB in the STEMMA QT form factor, making them easy to interface with. The STEMMA QT connectors on either side are compatible with the SparkFun Qwiic I2C connectors. This allows you to make solderless connections between your development board and the MLX90632 or to chain them with a wide range of other sensors and accessories using a compatible cable. QT Cable is not included, but we have a variety in the shop.

We also include a bit of header if you want to solder this into a breadboard or perfboard. Level shifting and voltage regulation on board means it will work with any 3V or 5V microcontrollers / microcomputers that have I2C so it can get you temperature whether its on a classic Arduino compatible or a Raspberry Pi computer.

Technical Details:

MLX90632 Specs

• Factory calibrated
• External ambient and object temperature calculation
• Standard measurement resolution 0.02°C
• Medical measurement resolution 0.01°C
• Supply voltage of 3.3V, supply current 1mA (sleep current less than 2.5uA)
• I2C compatible digital interface
• Software definable I2C address with 1 LSBbit external address pin
• Field of View of 50°
• Default refresh rate 0.5s, configurable between 16ms and 2s
• Integrated post-calibration option
• Product Dimensions: 25.5mm x 17.7mm x 4.7mm / 1.0" x 0.7" x 0.2"

Documentation:

• MLX90632 Datasheet

Package Includes:

• 1 x Adafruit 6403 MLX90632 FIR Remote Thermal Temperature Sensor - Medical Grade STEMMA QT / Qwiic