ZHCSHC4H August 1999 – December 2017 LM35
PRODUCTION DATA.
The LM35 is easily applied in the same way as other integrated-circuit temperature sensors. Glue or cement the device to a surface and the temperature should be within about 0.01°C of the surface temperature.
The 0.01°C proximity presumes that the ambient air temperature is almost the same as the surface temperature. If the air temperature were much higher or lower than the surface temperature, the actual temperature of the LM35 die would be at an intermediate temperature between the surface temperature and the air temperature; this is especially true for the TO-92 plastic package. The copper leads in the TO-92 package are the principal thermal path to carry heat into the device, so its temperature might be closer to the air temperature than to the surface temperature.
Ensure that the wiring leaving the LM35 device is held at the same temperature as the surface of interest to minimize the temperature problem. The easiest fix is to cover up these wires with a bead of epoxy. The epoxy bead will ensure that the leads and wires are all at the same temperature as the surface, and that the temperature of the LM35 die is not affected by the air temperature.
The TO-46 metal package can also be soldered to a metal surface or pipe without damage. Of course, in that case the V− terminal of the circuit will be grounded to that metal. Alternatively, mount the LM35 inside a sealed-end metal tube, and then dip into a bath or screw into a threaded hole in a tank. As with any IC, the LM35 device and accompanying wiring and circuits must be kept insulated and dry, to avoid leakage and corrosion. This is especially true if the circuit may operate at cold temperatures where condensation can occur. Printed-circuit coatings and varnishes such as a conformal coating and epoxy paints or dips are often used to insure that moisture cannot corrode the LM35 device or its connections.
These devices are sometimes soldered to a small light-weight heat fin to decrease the thermal time constant and speed up the response in slowly-moving air. On the other hand, a small thermal mass may be added to the sensor, to give the steadiest reading despite small deviations in the air temperature.
| TO, no heat sink | TO(1), small heat fin | TO-92, no heat sink | TO-92(2), small heat fin | SOIC-8, no heat sink | SOIC-8(2), small heat fin | TO-220, no heat sink | |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Still air | 400°C/W | 100°C/W | 180°C/W | 140°C/W | 220°C/W | 110°C/W | 90°C/W |
| Moving air | 100°C/W | 40°C/W | 90°C/W | 70°C/W | 105°C/W | 90°C/W | 26°C/W |
| Still oil | 100°C/W | 40°C/W | 90°C/W | 70°C/W | — | — | — |
| Stirred oil | 50°C/W | 30°C/W | 45°C/W | 40°C/W | — | — | — |
| (Clamped to metal, Infinite heat sink) | (24°C/W) | — | — | (55°C/W) | — | ||