TMP36 TEMPERATURE SENSOR, TO92

It is what it says, but...

This is what it says and it seems to work well in my testing. You will need to read the data sheet to get the *FULL* details on the voltage output.

My original plan was to simply strap this onto an ADC pin on a microcontroller and log away. Unfortunately the devil is in the details. I was using an Arduino Pro Mini clone (from here) that used a 5V input. This gave me about a 1F temp resolution. What I found is that the TMP36's voltage output is precisely tied to temperature while the values returned by the ADC were relative to the supply voltage. I'd get different readings at the same temp when powered by USB, wall wart, or batteries. It was really amusing to see the temperature escalate as the battery pack drained! I had to calibrate my code for the precise voltage differences in the power supply.

In short you need a precise voltage reference if you use ADC to read this device. I figure a 3V, instead of 5V, Arduino would improve things. Since there are other similarly priced parts out there that provide a digitized serial output they would probably be better for microcontroller use.