SparkFun
SparkFun Qwiic Thermocouple Amplifier - MCP9600 (Screw Terminals)
The MCP9600 Breakout is a high accuracy Thermocouple Amplifier equipped with an I2C interface, accessed over our Qwiic system. Inside the chip are two temper...
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The MCP9600 Breakout is a high accuracy Thermocouple Amplifier equipped with an I2C interface, accessed over our Qwiic system. Inside the chip are two temperature sensors, one for the thermocouple itself (the hot junction) and one for the chip itself (the cold junction). As a result, the MCP9600 can read both the ambient temperature and the temperature of whatever you're trying to measure! The MCP9600 can do both with a resolution of 0.0625°C, and an accuracy of ±1.5°C (worst-case). The MCP9600 Thermocouple Amplifier is one of our many Qwiic compatible boards! Simply plug and go. No soldering, no figuring out which is SDA or SCL, and no voltage regulation or translation required!
This version of the board comes equipped with screw terminals to allow for your own Thermocouple's wiring to be hooked up with the turn of a screw. This makes it perfect for a variety of applications, from measuring the temperature of your Crock-Pot to making sure your backyard induction furnace is up to temperature.
In addition, the MCP9600 has four on-board temperature alerts that you can configure! Instead of constantly polling the sensor over I2C, you can set a temperature limit to trigger an interrupt when the temperature reaches a certain value. This frees up your microcontroller and your I2C bus to do more important things. It's also possible to put the MCP9600 into alternate operation modes in order to save power. The sensor supports a burst mode, where it will take a specified number of samples, return the results, and then go to sleep. This low-power mode makes the MCP9600 perfect for portable applications!
We've written an Arduino library to help you get started quickly. You can download the library through the Arduino library manager by searching 'SparkFun MCP9600' or you can get the GitHub repo as a .zip file and install the library from there.
The SparkFun Qwiic Connect System is an ecosystem of I2C sensors, actuators, shields and cables that make prototyping faster and less prone to error. All Qwiic-enabled boards use a common 1mm pitch, 4-pin JST connector. This reduces the amount of required PCB space, and polarized connections mean you can’t hook it up wrong.
Jargon buster
Plain-language definitions for the technical terms used above.
- breakout
- A breakout board carries a small or fine-pitched component and brings its connections out to standard, breadboard- and header-friendly pins. Describing a part as a breakout means it can be wired into a project without soldering directly to the component's tiny contacts.
- I2C
- I2C is a two-wire communication bus used by many sensors and small modules. It matters because several I2C devices can share the same two wires, but each device needs a compatible address and your controller must support I2C.
- microcontroller
- A microcontroller is a small computer on a single chip that runs a stored program and controls connected inputs and outputs such as buttons, sensors, displays and communication interfaces. In a device built around one, it is the part that executes the code and coordinates the device's behaviour.
- PCB
- A printed circuit board (PCB) is a board, usually rigid, with etched copper tracks that connect electronic components together without loose wiring. Components are mounted on the board and signals route between them through the copper layout.
- Qwiic
- Qwiic is a plug-in connector system for I2C devices that uses small 4-pin cables, so you can connect compatible sensors without soldering. It matters because your controller or adapter also needs Qwiic, or you will need a cable or breakout to wire it up.
- Thermocouple
- A temperature sensor made from two different metals that produces a very small voltage depending on temperature. Because the signal is tiny, it usually needs careful amplification and accurate measurement hardware.
Find this product in
SparkFun Qwiic Thermocouple Amplifier Schematic
Schematic · 74.6 KB · Click any page to view full size
MCP9600 Datasheet
Datasheet · 2.0 MB · Click any page to view full size
Supplier page — sparkfun.com
Supplier Description · 764.3 KB · Click any page to view full size
MCP9600 Datasheet
Datasheet · 2.5 MB · Click any page to view full size
SparkFun Qwiic Thermocouple Amplifier PCC Schematic
Schematic · 76.4 KB · Click any page to view full size
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