Building a Simple Arduino Temperature Logger

This is a beginner-friendly build: an Arduino reads a temperature sensor and logs the readings over serial. It’s a good “first real project” because it touches sensors, timing, and serial communication — the building blocks for almost everything else on this site.

Parts List

• Arduino Uno (or compatible)
• TMP36 analog temperature sensor
• Breadboard + jumper wires
• USB cable

Wiring

Connect the TMP36’s left pin to 5V, the right pin to GND, and the middle pin (analog output) to Arduino pin A0. Replace this paragraph with an actual wiring photo or diagram once you’ve built it — drag an image into this spot from the block inserter (the “+” button).

The Code

This is standard Arduino C++. The analogRead() call returns a value from 0–1023, which we convert to a voltage and then to degrees Celsius.

const int sensorPin = A0;

void setup() {
  Serial.begin(9600);
}

void loop() {
  int raw = analogRead(sensorPin);
  float voltage = raw * (5.0 / 1023.0);
  float temperatureC = (voltage - 0.5) * 100.0;

  Serial.print("Temperature: ");
  Serial.print(temperatureC);
  Serial.println(" C");

  delay(1000);
}

Next Steps

• Log readings to an SD card instead of just the serial monitor
• Add a small OLED display to show the temperature live
• Trigger an alert (LED or buzzer) above a threshold temperature

This is a placeholder post to show how a project write-up looks on this site — headings, a parts list, a code block, and next steps. Edit or delete it once you’ve published your first real project.