MLX90640 Thermal Camera
32x24 pixel thermal imaging camera measuring -40 to 300°C. Creates heat maps without contact, detects people, hot spots, and thermal leaks.
Say it to PAL
“Find the hottest spot it can see.”
The code PAL writes
const ambient = await p.read('qwiic-mlx90640', 'ambient_temperature');
p.log(`Ambient: ${ambient}°C`);When to pick it
Thermal imaging for people detection, hot spot finding, thermal leak detection, or non-contact temperature mapping. The only sensor that provides a temperature image, not just a single point.
Good to know
- Each frame is split into two subpages — a complete image requires reading both, which takes 2x the refresh period.
About it
The MLX90640 is a 32x24 pixel far-infrared thermal sensor array that creates thermal images without contact. Each of the 768 pixels measures temperature from -40 to 300°C with ±1°C accuracy. The sensor requires calibration data stored in its EEPROM for accurate temperature computation. Ideal for people detection, hot spot identification, HVAC monitoring, thermal leak detection, and non-contact temperature mapping. Available in 55° and 110° field-of-view variants.
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.
Current
18 mA
The catalog lists a typical draw of 18 mA for the MLX90640, copied from the maker’s description and not measured by Palpable.
Board size
25.4 × 17.78 mm
The MLX90640 board measures 25.4 × 17.78 mm and stands 12.85 mm tall with its parts. It has 4 mounting holes. These dimensions are from the maker’s mechanical drawing.
Free to reuse
Every fact here is open data under CC BY 4.0. Copy it into your own docs or code, and credit Palpable. Download it
This record was last changed on September 20, 2026.