Description
The MLX90640 SparkFun IR Array Breakout features a 32×24 array of thermopile sensors generating, in essence, a low resolution thermal imaging camera. With this breakout you can observe surface temperatures from a decent distance away with an accuracy of ±1.5 °C (best case). This board communicates via I²C using the Qwiic system developed by Sparkfun, which makes it easier to operate the breakout. However, there are still 0.1'-spaced pins in case you favour using a breadboard.
The SparkFun Qwiic connect system is an ecosystem of I²C sensors, actuators, shields and cables that make prototyping faster and helps you avoid errors. All Qwiic-enabled boards use a common 1 mm pitch, 4-pin JST connector. This reduces the amount of required PCB space, and polarized connections help you connect everything correctly.
This specific IR Array Breakout provides a 110°×75° field of view with a temperature measurement range of -40 °C ~ 300 °C. The MLX90640 IR Array has pull up resistors attached to the I²C bus; both can be removed by cutting the traces on the corresponding jumpers on the back of the board. Please be aware that the MLX90640 requires complex calculations by the host platform so a regular Arduino Uno (or equivalent) doesn't have enough RAM or flash to complete the complex computations required to turn the raw pixel data into temperature data. You will need a microcontroller with 20,000 bytes or more of RAM.
