I2C Temperature Sensor v1.0

By: Ed Plese, Jr.
E-Mail: short-circuit@geocities.com

Thanks to Per Finander for the I2C routines.
 

--- INTRO ----------

The I2C Temperature Sensor is just like its name says: it is a temperature sensor. It is a circuit that plugs into the link port of a TI-85, TI-83, or TI-92 calculator and displays the temperature on the screen. Currently, there is only software for the TI-85, but I plan to write some for the TI-92 also. The sensor circuit draws power from the link port, so there is no need for any external batteries. The overall size of the unit will depend on the size you make it. Mine is about .75" by .5".
 

--- PARTS ----------

  1. Two small switching diodes. I think that just about any kind will work. I used 1N914 ones.
  2. One small electrolytic capacitor. I tried 2.2uF, 10uF, and 100uF, and and all of them worked.
  3. An LM75CIM-5 integrated circuit (IC) made by National Semiconductor. For a more detailed description, you can read the data sheets on it on National's WEB page at www.national.com and also check their distributors. It is a surface mount chip, so it is pretty hard to work with.
  4. A 2.5mm stereo plug and cord. You can buy one, but I just cut a calculator link in half.
  5. A kit that allows you to etch your own boards. You can buy these at Radio Shack for about $15 and they can be used more than once. You can also use another method, but I found this to be the cheapest for working with surface mount devices.
  6. Construction Materials. Just general things like a soldering iron, solder, etc.
 

--- SCHEMATIC ----------

I2C Temperature Sensor Schematic
 

--- DIRECTIONS ----------

  1. Come up with some way of using the surface mount IC. I etched my own PCB for it.
  2. Solder all the parts for the circuit on the board or however you chose to make the circuit. Be sure to follow the schematic for this step. And make sure the red and white wires are connected correctly according to the schematic. The only part you don't have to follow is how you connect the A0-A2 pins. You can find out what pins these are in the data sheets available on National's WEB page www.national.com read the next couple sections of these plans. If you connect them differently, you will have to change the chip ID which is explained below.
 

--- SOFTWARE ----------

The software, sensor.zip, I wrote to control the I2C Temperature Sensor is very simple to understand. Simply run the software and it will display the temperature on the screen in both Celcius and Farenheit. The software was written for use with ZShell 4.0 for the TI-85 calculator. For more information about ZShell and how to put in on your calculator, check out www.ticalc.org. If an error message appears on the screen, this section will help you. The program continuously updates the temperature about twice every second. To exit the program, simply press [EXIT]. There is also a feature that can be activated by pressing [F5]. This will allow you to change the chip ID that is set by the A0 to A2 pins on the IC. If this is set wrong, it will display an error on the screen. After pressing [F5], you can change the ID number by pressing [UP] and [DOWN]. Then, simply press [ENTER] and it will bring you back into the program. This also allows you to have up to 8 chips in the same circuit if you change around the circuit a little bit and give each one a separate chip ID set by the A0 to A2 pins. If changing the chip ID does not get rid of the error, make sure the plug is plugged into the calculator all of the way. If the error is still there, check over your construction of the circuit. If you have an error and change something external, either plugging in the cord or fixing something on the circuit, be sure to restart the program or alter the chip ID to restart the program.


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