M5Stack NCIR Unit (MLX90614)
Measure the temperature of a surface or object without touching it. An infrared thermometer for hot, moving, or hard-to-reach targets.
Say it to PAL
“Tell me when the surface gets hot.”
The code PAL writes
p.onSensorChange('m5-ncir', 'object_temperature', (t) => {
if (t > 60) p.notify('Hot surface: ' + t + '°C');
});
await p.waitUntilStopped();“What is the temperature of the surface, and of the air around it?”
The code PAL writes
const obj = await p.read('m5-ncir', 'object_temperature');
const amb = await p.read('m5-ncir', 'ambient_temperature');
p.log(`target ${obj}°C, ambient ${amb}°C`);When to pick it
Use when the target is moving, hot, electrically live, or unsafe/impractical to touch — surface temps, machinery, cooking, body-temp screening. For ambient room temperature or contact measurement, use a normal temp/humidity sensor instead.
Good to know
- It measures the AVERAGE over its field of view — aim close and fill the cone, or a small target reads too cool.
- Reflective/shiny surfaces under-read because of low emissivity; matte/dark surfaces read accurately.
About it
The M5Stack NCIR Unit uses a Melexis MLX90614 infrared thermometer to read the temperature of whatever its sensor is pointed at — no contact required. It reports both the object (target) temperature over a wide -70…380 °C range and its own ambient temperature, on a single Grove I2C port. Good for body-temperature screening, surface/machinery hot-spot checks, cooking/3D-printer monitoring, and any target that is moving, hot, or unsafe to touch.
Where to buy
Facts
Tested
It is in our catalog, but nobody has checked it on a real board. It may not work yet. Its driver is written, but it has not been tested on hardware yet.
I2C address
The M5Stack NCIR Unit (MLX90614) answers at I2C address 0x5A. Whether the address can be changed is not recorded in this catalog.
Board size
32 × 24 mm
The NCIR board measures 32 × 24 mm and stands 8.6 mm tall with its parts. It has 2 mounting holes. These dimensions are from the maker’s mechanical drawing.
Chip
MLX90614
Its sensor is the Melexis MLX90614.
Free to reuse
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This record was last changed on October 6, 2026.