Multiple DS18B20 Arduino: A Comprehensive Guide to Temperature Sensing

Introduction | The DS18B20 Sensor | Wiring Multiple Sensors | Coding Multiple Sensors | Conclusion

Introduction

Temperature sensing is an important feature in many electronic projects. One of the most popular temperature sensors is the DS18B20 sensor. In this article, we will explore how to wire and code multiple DS18B20 sensors connected to an Arduino board.

The DS18B20 Sensor

The DS18B20 sensor is a digital temperature sensor that uses the OneWire protocol for communication. It has a temperature range of -55°C to +125°C with a ±0.5°C accuracy. The sensor comes in a small package with three pins: power, ground, and data.

To use the DS18B20 sensor, you will need the OneWire library for Arduino. This library allows you to communicate with the sensor using just one pin.

Wiring Multiple Sensors

If you need to measure temperature at different points, you can use multiple DS18B20 sensors connected to the same Arduino board. Each sensor will need its own unique address.

The DS18B20 sensors use a unique 64-bit address to identify themselves on the OneWire bus. This address is programmed at the factory and cannot be changed. However, you can use the DallasTemperature library for Arduino to find the addresses of all connected sensors.

To wire multiple DS18B20 sensors to an Arduino board, connect all the sensors’ VCC pins to the Arduino’s 5V pin, all the GND pins to the Arduino’s GND pin, and all the data pins to a single digital pin on the Arduino board.

Coding Multiple Sensors

After wiring the sensors, you need to code the Arduino board to read temperature data from each sensor. The following steps outline how to do this:

1. Include the OneWire and DallasTemperature libraries in your Arduino sketch.
2. Define the data pin that all the sensors are connected to.
3. Create an instance of the OneWire class for the data pin.
4. Create an instance of the DallasTemperature class for the OneWire instance.
5. In the setup function, call the begin method of the DallasTemperature instance.
6. Use the getDeviceCount method of the DallasTemperature instance to get the number of connected sensors.
7. Use the getAddress method of the DallasTemperature instance to get the unique address of each connected sensor.
8. In the loop function, you can use the getTempCByIndex method of the DallasTemperature instance to read the temperature of each sensor by index.

Conclusion

In conclusion, the DS18B20 sensor is a reliable and accurate temperature sensor. It can be wired and coded with ease when using an Arduino board. In this article, we have explored how to wire and code multiple DS18B20 sensors connected to an Arduino board. By following the steps outlined in this article, you should now be able to accurately measure temperature at different points in your electronic projects.