Project Hub /IoT & Connected Devices/Environmental & Weather Monitoring/In-Depth: Interface MLX90614 IR Temperature Sensor with Arduino

Beginner

ARDUINO

₹500 – ₹1,500

3 – 6 Hours

Partial Kit

In-Depth: Interface MLX90614 IR Temperature Sensor with Arduino

Learn how to interface the non-contact MLX90614 infrared temperature sensor with an Arduino to measure both object and ambient temperatures.

Originally published on LastMinuteEngineers

View original tutorial

Parts You'll Need

This project is sourced from another site, not written by us — this list is our best match of their components against what we stock, not a verified bill of materials. Always check the original blog (linked above) for the actual parts list before buying.

MB102 Adjustable Breadboard Power Supply Module (3.3V & 5V) for Arduino & Raspberry Pi Rs. 139.00
Jumper Wire 10 Pin Male To Male 20cm Rs. 45.00
400 Points Mini Solderless Prototype PCB Breadboard High Quality Rs. 89.00
Jumper Wire 10 Pin Male To Female 20cm Rs. 45.00

Selected: Rs. 0.00

We don't carry yet: Arduino (unspecified board)
Temperature Sensor (generic)

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How It Works

This project centers on interfacing an MLX90614 infrared temperature sensor module with an Arduino Uno board using a breadboard and jumper wires. The MLX90614 is a non-contact thermometer that calculates object temperature by detecting the infrared energy emitted by a target, while simultaneously measuring its own internal ambient temperature using a reference sensor. Communication between the sensor and the microcontroller relies on the I2C protocol, which uses dedicated clock and data lines to transmit digital temperature readings. Powered through the Arduino's 5V and ground pins, the sensor processes thermal radiation optically and converts it into calibrated digital data. Using the Arduino IDE along with the specialized Adafruit_MLX90614 library, the Arduino queries the sensor registers over the I2C bus, retrieves the calculated temperature values in Celsius or Fahrenheit, and makes this environmental data available for processing or display.

Why Build This

Develop practical competencies in deploying non-contact thermal measurement systems suitable for industrial machine monitoring.

Implement I2C serial communication protocols between external sensor peripherals and microcontroller platforms.

Gain hands-on experience integrating specialized third-party software libraries to parse complex hardware data streams.

Real-World Application

Non-contact medical body temperature scanners, industrial conveyor belt temperature monitoring, and monitoring moving machinery parts.

Skills You'll Learn

I2C communication protocols

non-contact infrared thermometry

sensor library integration

digital data parsing

breadboard circuit prototyping

Safety Precautions

Keep electrical devices such as phones, microwaves, and Wi-Fi routers away during measurement to avoid electromagnetic interference.

Technology Tags

MLX90614

INFRARED SENSOR

I2C

SMBUS

TEMPERATURE MEASUREMENT

ARDUINO

NON-CONTACT THERMOMETER

Frequently Asked Questions

Why does the sensor need to be wired to specific pins on the Arduino Uno?

The MLX90614 uses I2C communication, which requires connection to the Arduino's designated SCL and SDA pins for proper data transmission.

Do I need to write complex math algorithms to calculate the temperature from the infrared data?

No, the Adafruit_MLX90614 library handles the internal calibration and math automatically, allowing you to retrieve final temperature values with simple function calls.

Can this project measure the internal temperature of liquids?

No, this is a non-contact infrared sensor that measures the surface temperature of objects or targets pointed in its field of view.

Gallery

This page is part of Kitkraft's Project Hub — a curated collection of electronics & robotics projects gathered from the maker community to help students and hobbyists discover and learn to build. Kitkraft does not claim authorship of the original project, and makes no representation as to the accuracy, completeness or safety of third-party source material. The summary and "How It Works" explanation above are AI-generated, rewritten with reference to the original tutorial — not a reproduction of it. Full credit and a direct link to the original source are provided above. If you're the original creator and have a concern about how your work is represented here, please contact us and we'll address it promptly.

Kitkraft Project Hub — curated from the maker community, credited at the source.

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