Hi,

 

I would like to get an accurate measure of the surface temperature of an electric heating pad at each of its three settings (low - med - high). What would be the most useful type of thermometer (or other heat measuring device) that I should seek to purchase to carry out this task?

 

Thanks,

 

Jeekay

a basic thermocouple and a regular multimeter on the correct setting will do the job for you just perfectly

 

they often come with a conversion chart of OHMs to Temp in Celcius.

some work on a Voltage (a thermopile) and that`s Milivolts per degree C

Thanks so much for guiding me to these two devices. Would they be available at, say, my local Radio Shack, or do I need to contact a more specialized electronics outlet?

for the sort of temps used in a "hot plate" a specialist outlet would be better.

RadioShack don`t cater for this type of kit.

 

approach some factories local to you, you`ll often get given parts such as thermo-couples that you`ll have to rework for free

failing that, use the phone book and ask around, Plastic molding companies use them always.

if they can`t help you directly, then ask who supplies the engineers (or even ask for an engineer). it`s often better to to go to the factory in person though, and dress well!

be as polite as possible, but still be direct.

 

you`ll be surprised what you can walk or drive away with )

Your term "hot plate" just threw me off a bit. I'm trying to measure the temperatures on the fabric surface of an electric heating pad - the kind you use to treat sore muscles. So, are we still talking the use of a thermocouple and multimeter to get these kind of temperature readings?

 

Thanks again,

 

Jeekay

aha, in that case use a simple Cooks thermometer (the sort you prod into food to check if it`s cooked properly).

 

they don`t cost all that much and often do 0c to 300c, that`ll be plenty within the range for your heating pad

My hypothesis was that a good old "meat thermometer" would indeed probably be adequate. Thanks for the confirmation!