Cheapest way to log temperature for a school project — which sensor should I get?

[circuitrocks]

Tinanong ako ng student last week sa store: "Sir, ano po best na temperature sensor for capstone?" Walang isang sagot — depende kung ano binabantayan mo. Quick rundown ng apat na common na options:

DHT11 — pinakamura. Reads temp + humidity, pero rough yung accuracy (±2°C, ±5% humidity) at minimum 1 segundo bawat reading. OK lang for "I just want to see how a sensor works" projects, hindi for anything serious.

DHT22 — kapatid ng DHT11. Same temp + humidity output, mas accurate (±0.5°C). Slightly slower (2 seconds between reads). Pinakapopular pick for school projects — accurate enough na hindi mo i-iisipan, mura pa rin.

DS18B20 — pure temperature, walang humidity. Pero may waterproof variant na pwedeng i-submerge. Fish tank, soil temp, anything with water — ito ang go-to. Bonus: 1-Wire bus, so kahit 5 sensors pwede mo i-chain sa isang GPIO. Underrated talaga.

BME280 — temp + humidity + barometric pressure. Kung weather station yung gagawin mo, ito ang sagot. Faster, more accurate, I²C or SPI. May kapatid din siyang BMP280 na walang humidity, slightly mas mura.

Quick guide:

• Indoor temp + humidity, basic project — DHT22
• Wet, outdoor, or chained sensors — DS18B20
• Weather station / pressure too — BME280
• Just learning how sensors work — DHT11

Ano gamit niyo sa current project? Curious din kung may mga lesser-known sensors na sulit i-recommend.

[mark_ee_qc]

Gamit ko yung BME280 sa IoT thesis project ko — confirming, ito yung tamang pick kung kelangan mo ng pressure data for weather/altitude. Yung accuracy sa temperature side mas maganda din kaysa DHT22 sa comparison ko (had both running side by side for 2 weeks; BME280 was within ±0.3°C while DHT22 occasionally ±1°C off pag swing yung room temp).

Power consumption side, yung "forced mode" ng BME280 (sleep, then wake to read) draws much less than a DHT22 in continuous operation. Worth knowing for battery-powered builds.

For school project on a tight budget though, DHT22 pa rin yung better starter. Yung decision matrix sa original post is on point.

[circuitrocks]

All four sensors are in stock — DHT11, DHT22, DS18B20 (kasama yung waterproof variant), at yung Adafruit BME280.

Kung bago ka pa lang sa I²C sensors, yung Adafruit BME280 may StemmaQT connector — basically plug-and-play, walang soldering sa wiring side. Worth the slight premium for first-time users.

Sabihin niyo dito kung alin yung pumili niyo. Nakakatuwa parati makita yung real use cases.