Thermistor with OPAMP control circuit

Thermistor with OPAMP control circuit

Thermistor with LM324 OPAMP

A thermistor is a type of resistor used to measure temperature changes, relying on the change in its resistance with changing temperature. Thermistor is a combination of the words thermal and resistor. The Thermistor was first invented by Samuel Ruben in 1930.

If we assume that the relationship between resistance and temperature is linear (i.e. we make a first-order approximation), then we can say that: 

ΔR = Kδt 

Where ΔR = change in resistance ΔT = change in temperature k = first-order temperature coefficient of resistance

Thermistors can be classified into two types depending on the sign of k. If k is positive, the resistance increases with increasing temperature, and the device is called a positive temperature coefficient (PTC) thermistor, Posistor. If k is negative, the resistance decreases with increasing temperature, and the device is called a negative temperature coefficient (NTC) thermistor. Resistors that are not thermistors are designed to have the smallest possible k, so that their resistance remains almost constant over a wide temperature range. 

Circuit Description: 

In this circuit the thermistor is used to measure the temperature. Thermistor is nothing but temperature sensitive resistor. There are two type of thermistor available such as positive temperature co-efficient and negative temperature co- efficient. Here we are using negative temperature co-efficient in which the resistance value is decreased when the temperature is increased. Here the thermistor is connected with resister bridge network. The bridge terminals are connected to inverting and non-inverting input terminals of comparator. 

The comparator is constructed by LM 324 operational amplifier. The LM 324 consist of four independent, high gains, internally frequency compensated operational amplifier which were designed specifically to operate from a single power supply over a wide voltage range. The first stage is a comparator in which the variable voltage due to thermistor is given to inverting input terminal and reference voltage is given to non-inverting input terminal.

Initially the reference voltage is set to room temperature level so the output of the comparator is zero. When the temperature is increased above the room temperature level, the thermistor resistance is decreased so variable voltage is given to comparator. Now the comparator delivered the error voltage at the output. Then the error voltage is given to next stage of preamplifier.

Here the input error voltage is amplified then the amplified voltage is given to next stage of gain amplifier. In this amplifier the variable resistor is connected as feedback resistor. The feedback resistor is adjusted to get desired gain. Then the AC components in the output are filtered with the help of capacitors. Then output voltage is given to final stage of DC voltage follower through this the output voltage is given to ADC or other circuit.