Thermocouples
What is a thermocouple sensor ?
One of the most frequently used temperature sensors is the thermocouple. Thermocouples are rugged, inexpensive devices that operate over a wide temperature range. They are created whenever two dissimilar metals touch and the contact point produces a small open-circuit voltage as a function of temperature. This thermoelectric voltage is known as the Seebeck voltage, named after Thomas Seebeck, who discovered it in 1821. The voltage is nonlinear with respect to temperature (click here to look at tables of conversions from °C to mV).
Several types of thermocouples are available, and different types are designated by capital letters that indicate their compositions according to American National Standards Institute (ANSI) conventions. For example, a J-type thermocouple has one iron conductor and one constantan (a copper-nickel alloy) conductor.
How to measure temperature with a thermocouple?
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