TMP36 Analog Temperature Sensors, ICs and Modules

TMP36 analog temperature sensing: select the package and read the variant

Compare TMP36 temperature-sensor ICs in selected TO-92, SOIC-8 and SOT-23-5 packages, together with a micro:bit sensor module and learning kits. The current collection also includes DS18B20 digital probes, a TDS water-quality board, an ADS7830 ADC and a mixed part-number menu. These are not all TMP36 sensors. Select the actual variant and count first: a product headline may list multiple package choices or unrelated devices, while the purchased option supplies only its selected model.

What makes a TMP36 different?

The TMP36 is a Celsius-calibrated analog voltage-output temperature sensor. For an appropriate TMP36 device, the nominal output has a 500 mV offset at 0°C and a 10 mV/°C slope. For illustration, an ideal 25°C reading is approximately 750 mV, and an ideal 0°C reading approximately 500 mV. The offset allows below-zero readings while the output remains above ground in a suitable single-supply measurement circuit. These are nominal transfer-function values, not a claim that each selected lot or assembled kit has been individually calibrated. The host needs a voltage-measuring input and a properly defined reference to convert measured volts to degrees Celsius.

TMP36 is not a transistor simply because a TO-92 package resembles one. Source listings sometimes categorize TMP36 as a “digital temperature sensor,” “Hall sensor,” “voltage regulator,” “switch” or “transistor”; those labels do not change the temperature IC's analog-output function. It is also not a DS18B20 1-Wire thermometer. Confirm the actual device suffix, manufacturer data sheet and pin assignment before designing a footprint or firmware conversion.

Pick the correct TMP36 form

• TO-92 through-hole TMP36GT9Z / TMP36GZ: many pages offer this three-lead form singly and in two-, three-, five-, ten-, twenty- or hundred-piece packs. Some titles say “10/20PCS” while the selected “Color” sets 10 or 20; other “Model Number” choices set 10 or 100. Verify the chosen quantity, marking and actual package. A five-piece default-title product may not include a board, connector, cable or microcontroller.
• SOIC-8 TMP36FSZ / TMP36GSZ: one five-piece product offers these as distinct selected “Color” options. Another listing offers TMP36FSZ in one-, ten- or thirty-piece options. Surface-mount eight-pin packages need the correct PCB footprint, land pattern and pin identification; they cannot directly replace a TO-92 device on a breadboard. Suffixes can signal distinct grades or packages, so match the specific data sheet instead of applying one generic specification to every TMP36-like string.
• SOT-23-5 TMP36GRTZ: a multi-package five-piece page explicitly distinguishes “TMP36GRTZ SOT23-5,” “TMP36FSZ SOP8” and “TMP36GT9Z TO-92.” Another ten-piece listing offers TMP36GRTZ or TMP36FSZ as separate variants. SOT-23-5 and SOIC-8 may look small in photos but require different pad geometry, pin order and assembly techniques.
• micro:bit TMP36 module: an educational sensor module with three-wire port and keyed/misplug-prevention connector is an assembled interface board, not a loose temperature IC. Confirm whether it includes the micro:bit main board or only the sensor attachment and whether the signal voltage and software example match your host.
• Smart-home learning kits: selected kit products combine a TMP36 with sound/crash sensors, servo and motor accessories. One listing offers “With Mother Board” and “Without Mother Board,” which can materially change the delivered contents. Consult that kit's bill of materials; a project photo is not a promise that every component or micro:bit is included with each option.

Related items here that need different electronics

DS18B20 cable probes and bare ICs. Several waterproof stainless-probe pages offer 1, 2, 3, 5 or 10 m cable options, with five- or ten-probe multipacks. Others list bare DS18B20 TO-92 chips and a “Conversion module” or probe kit. These use a digital 1-Wire bus, not TMP36's offset analog voltage. A steel cable probe in this collection should not be assumed to contain a TMP36, and the bare TMP36 itself is not waterproof. A selected “1M-3P” or XH2.54 connector variant requires checking its particular pinout.

Mixed component menus. One ten-chip page offers DS18B20, LM35DZ, LM334Z, BS170, BS250, 2SK30A, KIA7042AP and TMP36GT9Z as selectable “Color” values. Choosing LM35DZ gives a different analog temperature IC with a different output offset; choosing DS18B20 gives a digital sensor; the transistors and current-source options are not temperature-sensor substitutes. A multi-model headline does not automatically mean an assortment of all those chips.

Other boards. The TDS water-quality module measures dissolved-solids-related conductivity through its own probe/system and is not a TMP36 thermometer. An ADS7830 8-channel I²C ADC can digitize suitable analog inputs in a properly engineered circuit but does not itself sense temperature. Their presence does not extend TMP36 temperature specifications to those products.

Voltage conversion and error budget

For an appropriate TMP36 with its nominal transfer characteristic, temperature in °C can be estimated from measured voltage by subtracting 0.500 V and dividing by 0.010 V/°C. Thus 0.750 V corresponds nominally to 25°C. Use the selected part's actual data sheet for its specified range, accuracy, supply and output loading. A display that prints two decimal places does not establish hundredth-degree accuracy. Device tolerance, supply and reference error, ADC quantization, noise, self-heating, physical placement and any module-level gain/offset all contribute to the result.

The 500 mV zero-degree offset is the key difference from the usual LM35 nominal 0 mV-at-0°C conversion. Reusing LM35 arithmetic on TMP36 can misreport temperature by 50°C. A DS18B20 host library cannot decode TMP36, because TMP36 does not transmit a 1-Wire packet. Conversely, a TMP36 analog-voltage formula is meaningless for DS18B20's digital data wire. Check the exact sensor marking and firmware example before treating a similar TO-92 shape as interchangeable.

Select the ADC reference and resolution to cover the sensor output across the required temperature range, with margin for tolerance. For a 3.3 V or 5 V host, determine the selected TMP36 part's valid supply voltage and ADC input limit from its data sheet; never feed a higher module output into an input simply because the sensor itself can operate from a particular supply. A module may add a connector, pull-up or circuitry, so inspect the assembled board rather than extrapolating from the loose IC.

Physical placement and integration

A bare TMP36 responds to its own package temperature. If the package sits beside a regulator, MCU, power resistor or sunlit wall, it may measure that local heat rather than the air, liquid or remote equipment temperature you intended. Allow for thermal settling and choose a mounting point that represents the target. The TO-92 part needs mechanically supported leads, suitable insulation and environmental protection where appropriate. Do not immerse a bare through-hole chip or exposed breakout merely because other search results on the page are waterproof DS18B20 probes.

Long analog leads can pick up interference and introduce ground-offset error. Use a wiring and filtering design appropriate to the selected host, installation distance and signal environment; no universal wiring recipe covers all packages and modules. Verify package orientation and individual pin functions against the relevant manufacturer's documentation before powering the circuit. TO-92, SOT-23-5 and SOIC-8 selections must not be aligned by appearance alone.

For thermostats, heating systems and any operation with meaningful consequences from sensor failure, design independent protection and validate the entire system. A loose TMP36 chip or classroom module does not independently provide mains switching, an alarm, a calibrated industrial transmitter or a certified safety control.

Before you order

1. Read the selected model: TMP36GT9Z TO-92, TMP36FSZ/GSZ SOIC-8 or TMP36GRTZ SOT-23-5 are physically different; DS18B20, LM35DZ and the other choices are distinct electronics.
2. Check pack size: default-title five-piece, “10PCS,” “20PCS” and “100pcs” options must be matched to the chosen variant; not every headline is the actual checkout quantity.
3. Identify delivery level: loose chip, mounted TMP36 sensor board, micro:bit smart-home kit, digital cable probe or ADC module. Confirm exactly which host board, connector or accessory is supplied.
4. Validate the electrical design: data-sheet supply and pinout, analog ADC range/reference, nominal 500 mV offset, expected temperature span and error budget.
5. Validate the environment: choose a suitable probe or specified enclosure if remote or wet measurement is required; do not infer waterproofing from the collection title or a neighboring DS18B20 item.

Use the selected variant's actual part number and individual component documentation for the final design. This mixed collection helps compare TMP36 package and quantity options without presenting digital probes, TDS boards or other chips as electrically compatible TMP36 sensors.