Development of a Temperature Sensing System in Architectural Technology with an Arduino-based Microcontroller

Abstract

The paper outlines the development of a cost effective (< 1,000 Baht), thermal environmental measurement system, through the modification of open-source Arduino-based Microcontroller, to be used in the Building Technology Studies and Research. In comparison with the OPUS 200, the industrial standard equipment, the test module during the initial study offered an accuracy at 95% confidence interval with the linear regression analysis R²= 0.994.  The Root Mean Square Error (RMSE) of the temperature measurement ranged between 10–80 ^oC confirming the reliability of the test module with the tolerance value of 0.55 ^oC at the measurement resolution of 0.01 ^oC.  After the initial study, the module was further tested for 72 hours at the Tang Nguan Ha Chinese heritage house in Bangkok.  During this experiment, the test module generated a stabilized and consistent report of air and surface temperatures, without erroneous data.  The research thus confirms the hypothesis that the test module is an accurate and cost-effective thermal measurement system that may be further developed for future academic as well as practical applications in Architecture and Building Technology.