Guide To Making Thermistors

How to make a Thermistor out of a Laptop Battery

Thermistors are an important part in today's overclocking tool chest. They let us know how hot or cold our processors are running, and they aid in the search for the best cooling setup by allowing accurate temperature measurement in tight spots.

New thermistors can be costly. To Recycle or not...

While one can never have too many thermistors, they are not cheap. Companies like Newark sell them for anywhere between $6-$22, which can add up if more then just one are required. Thankfully there is an alternative to paying those new thermistor prices, and of course it's environmentaly friendly. ;-)

Occasionally electronic surplus stores will have a box-load of old laptop batteries that some business has sold for scrap, or otherwise gotten rid of. Its almost a given that for one reason or another they don't work - how a battery can  'break' is an entirely different story I'd like to hear myself. Anyway, while no longer useful as a battery, they still have a use to the overclocker. Each battery probably contains at least one or two thermistors, depending on its size/make. Once the battery has be selected, the process is a simple one.

We bought this battery at a local electronic surplus store for about $6 US, inside were two thermistors and what appeared to be two thermal cut-off switches. My understanding is that these sensors help to keep NiMH batteries from reaching harmful temperatures. They serve the exact same usefullness to the overclocker.

To remove the thermistors from the battery simply cut the wires leading to the circuitry. Longer wires will be necessary before connecting the thermistor to anything. Old connector cables from a case switch, light or speaker make excellent lead wires. Soldering lead wires to the thermistor, with a bit of heat shrink tubing (4' - 1/8" dia. ~$0.50) or tape to insulate the soldered joints, is about all that needs to be done. We used a set of lead wires that already had the right type of connector on the end from a salvaged VCR. That done, how do you find out what the temperature is?

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