Arduino Thermostat

This Arduino Uno based thermostat provides an LCD Display of current and target temperature, plus temperature control and measure toggle (fahrenheit/celsius) through toggle switches.

It works by activating one relay when the temperature is too low, and another relay when the temperature is too high. When building the project, use LEDs in place of the relays for easy testing.

Thermostat Parts

PartQuantity
Arduino Uno1
Breadboard1
16x2 LCD1
Potentiometer1
Momentary switches3
10k Ω resistors3
5V Relays2
DHT11 temperature & humidity sensor1
Jumper wiresSeveral

Hardware Build

The instructions will be confusing if you do not reference the following wiring diagram!

wiring diagram

1. Connect the LCD to the breadboard

Note, some of the pin designations may differ between brands.

LCD PinDestination
VSSBreadboard ground rail (-)
VDDBreadboard power rail (+)
VOPotentiometer wiper (middle pin)
RSArduino pin 11
RWGround rail (-)
EArduino pin 12
D4 (sometimes DB4)Arduino pin 2
D5 (sometimes DB5)Arduino pin 3
D6 (sometimes DB6)Arduino pin 4
D7 (sometimes DB7)Arduino pin 5
A (sometimes LED+)Breadboard power rail (+)
K (sometimes LED-)Breadboard ground rail (-)

2. Connect the potentiometer

Seat the potentiometer in the breadboard. Connect outer pins of the potentiometer to the power and ground rails of the breadboard. The wiper pin (in the middle) will connect to the LED VO pin.

3. Connect the momentary switches

Seat each momentary switch in the breadboard, then connect one pin of each switch to the breadboard power rail (+) and the other to the breadboard ground rail (-) with a 10K Ω resistor. Finally, connect each ground pin to the Arduino according to its purpose:

PurposeArduino Pin
Temperature up7
Toggle celsius/fahrenheit8
Temperature down9

4. Connect the Temperature & Humidity Sensor

Seat the temperature & humidity sensor in the breadboard, then connect the ground and power pins to the ground and power breadboard rails, respectively. Connect the signal pin to the Arduino A0 pin.

5. Connect the Relays

Connect the ground and power pins of each relay to the ground and power breadboard rails, respectively. Finally, connect each relay's signal pin to the Arduino according to its purpose:

PurposeArduino Pin
Heating13
Cooling10

6. Check connections

Ensure each connection is secure. The final build should look something like this (note: LEDs used as a stand-in for the relays).

Picture of an Arduino powered thermostat

Write the Software

1. Import the DHT library

The DHT library is not available by default. To install it, navigate in the Arduino IDE to ToolsManage Libraries... then search for "DHT sensor library" and install it.

2. Write (or copy & paste) the code

Here is the full, annotated code for the thermostat:

// written by Dylon Jamna, modified by Micah Beeler, further modified by James Tharpe
// Original code: https://pastebin.com/HKbJjKxE
// Original instructions: https://www.instructables.com/Arduino-Thermostat/

#include <LiquidCrystal.h>
#include <DHT.h>

// Sensor Configuration: Should map to temperature & humidity
// sensor connections to the Arduino
const int
	DHT_PIN = A0,
	DHT_TYPE = DHT11;

DHT sensor(DHT_PIN, DHT_TYPE);

// LCD Configuration: Should map to temperature & humidity
// sensor connections to the Arduino
const int
	LCD_PIN_RS = 11,
	LCD_PIN_EN = 12,
	LCD_PIN_D4 = 2,
	LCD_PIN_D5 = 3,
	LCD_PIN_D6 = 4,
	LCD_PIN_D7 = 5;

LiquidCrystal lcd(
	LCD_PIN_RS,
	LCD_PIN_EN,
	LCD_PIN_D4,
	LCD_PIN_D5,
	LCD_PIN_D6,
	LCD_PIN_D7);

// Button configuration
const int
	DECREMENT_BTN_PIN = 7,
	TOGGLE_BTN_PIN = 8,
	INCREMENT_BTN_PIN = 9;

// "Heater" and "cooler" configuration
const int
	HEATER_PIN = 13,
	COOLER_PIN = 10;

// Controls
bool useFahrenheit = true;
int targetF = 72, targetC = 22;

void setup() {
  // Serial (for logging)
  Serial.begin (9600);
  Serial.print("setup()\n");

  // Sensor
  sensor.begin();
  Serial.print("\tsensor initialized\n");

  // LCD
  lcd.begin(16, 2);
  lcd.setCursor(0, 0);
  lcd.clear();
  Serial.print("\tLCD initialized\n");

  // Buttons
  pinMode(INCREMENT_BTN_PIN, INPUT);
  pinMode(DECREMENT_BTN_PIN, INPUT);
  pinMode(TOGGLE_BTN_PIN, INPUT);
  Serial.print("\tButtons initialized\n");
  
  // Temperature Controllers
  pinMode(HEATER_PIN, OUTPUT);
  pinMode(COOLER_PIN, OUTPUT);
  
  Serial.print("setup() DONE\n");
}

void loop() {
  Serial.print("loop()\n");

  // Read Button State
  bool incrementTarget = digitalRead(INCREMENT_BTN_PIN);
  bool decrementTarget = digitalRead(DECREMENT_BTN_PIN);
  bool toggle = digitalRead(TOGGLE_BTN_PIN) == HIGH;
  bool wait = incrementTarget || decrementTarget || toggle;

  // Configure
  if(toggle) useFahrenheit = !useFahrenheit;
  if (incrementTarget) { targetF++; targetC++; }
  if (decrementTarget) { targetF--; targetC--; }
  const char symbol = useFahrenheit ? 'F' : 'C';
  const int target = useFahrenheit ? targetF : targetC;

  // Read Sensor Data
  float temperature = sensor.readTemperature(useFahrenheit);
  float humidity = sensor.readHumidity();
  Serial.print(
		"\t" + String(temperature) + "°" + symbol +
		", Relative Humidity " + String(humidity) +
		"% \n");
  
  // Write out to LCD
  lcdWrite(0, "Temp:   " + String(temperature) + symbol);
  lcdWrite(1, "Target: " + String(target) + ".00" + symbol);

  // Activate Temperature Control
  if(round(target) > round(temperature)) digitalWrite(HEATER_PIN, HIGH);
  else digitalWrite(HEATER_PIN, LOW);

  if(round(target) < round(temperature)) digitalWrite(COOLER_PIN, HIGH);
  else digitalWrite(COOLER_PIN, LOW);

  // Pause to allow finger to lift from button(s)
  if(wait) delay(500);
}

// Utility to simplify writing to LCD
void lcdWrite(const bool line, const String& text){
  lcd.setCursor(0, line);
  lcd.print(text);
}

Connect the Arduino to you computer and click the Upload button to deploye the code to the Arduino.

3. Test it out!

You should be able to view the current temperature, adjust the target temperature up and down, switch between celsius and fahrenheit, adjust the brightness of the LED, and see the heating and cooling functions come on based on the difference between the current and target temperatures.

Here's a video of the thermostat in action:

Credit

This project is adapted from the Arduino Thermostat by Micah Beeler.

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