Record temperature to computer via serial port

Alex,

If you can do some simple soldering, take a look at the Temperature Data Logger Kit at

comes with one sensor, but can handle up to four. It outputs the temperature in Fahrenheit or Celsius in a simple format that's easily logged on a PC. It's cheap too, only $21.80 + S/H.

A similar device which also keeps track of high and low temperatures for each sensor can be found at

(kit at $29.95) or (assembled/tested at $39.95).

Regards, Eric

You may want to look into this:

If you're interested in an X10 approach, take a look at Smarthome's TempLinc 1625 . It'll transmit the temperature data over the AC house wiring vi X10 signals so you can plug in one or more (up to 16) at various places in the house without extra wiring.

If you also have an X-10 CM11A computer interface (~$30), the TempLinc is fully supported by the (free) HEYU software for Linux, Unix, and Mac OS X . Timestamped temperature data can be automatically written to the HEYU log file.

(With the CM11A and HEYU, you can do a lot of other great home automation stuff too.)

Regards, Charles Sullivan

Hi!

Dave, have you thought on the possibility of daisy chaining the temperature sensors with a rs485 pc card? If that exists :)

Google - rs485 temperature sensor

Check into the Dallas one-wire devices. You can get a 1-wire to serial (or USB) adapter for about $20, and each device (sensor) is in the range of $1-$2. The wiring I use is cat3 or cat5, and multiple sensors can be hooked to the same run (based on length, I wouldn't suggest more that 15-20). Dallas provides demo code and drivers for windows and Linux, and the ones I've used were written in C. The app I wrote started as 1-wire only, but I've since added support for x1-10 with a cm15a (version linux only).

The temp sensors I use are in to92 packages (look like a transistor), and have a few located around the house. You can find more info by googling DS18S20 and probably find a bunch of sites with info (or DS18B20)

Check out homeauto dot usandthem dot com, in the section for the cm15a for a bit more info, and a link to an email where you can reach me.

Charles,

That is a great way of doing this temperature monitoring, but you have to take into account that to have a reliable temperature mettering, you must place your sensors at 150cm from the floor.

Cheers!

The TempLinc sensor is connected to the transmitting unit with a 6 foot cable (or optional 12 foot cable) so appropriate sensor placement is normally not a problem.