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Review on Eiechip 5PCS Waterproof Temperature Probe Thermometer DS18B20 1M: Reliable Measurement with Heat Resistance Thermal Cable by Rich Ferguson

Revainrating 3 out of 5

Can be waterproof; Heat does NOT shrink. These are cloned chips, NOT Dallas/Maxim. NO thermocouple

I have purchased several DS18B20 sensors over the past few years. Most of them, INCLUDING THIS, are counterfeit/counterfeit/cloned devices, not genuine Dallas/Maxim chips. You can initially tell they aren't from Maxim (formerly Dallas Semiconductor) unless the unique ID starts with '28' - the IDs from this recent purchase start with '01'. That doesn't mean they're bad at reading temperatures; You are doing well. But many of the clones don't allow you to run them in parasitic power mode and use other less common features. If you want to know more, search the internet for "your DS18B20 temperature sensor is probably a fake fake clone”. Next I bought some of these where the TO-92 type chip was simply inserted into a metal sleeve with a little heat shrink tubing. no sealant and not even a heat shrink tube with adhesive on the back to stay waterproof. They go at least half way and there is some kind of glue or sealant holding the device in the metal sleeve. It's not full so I can't tell what they used. However, the heat shrink tubing added next is NOT marine grade and will not be taped. It can be easily removed from the metal sleeve on the cable. This means it's not really good as water can easily get under that tube and into the metal sleeve. At this point you are dependent on an unidentifiable sealant to keep water out of the circuit. Since I submerge most of them to take the water temp, I replace the shrink tubing with a true waterproof adhesive-backed material. As for the description, the seller mentions twice that it is a thermocouple (i.e. a very small measurable analog voltage in the presence of heat). You are not. They are also not a thermistor (i.e. a device that changes analog resistance based on temperature changes). These devices are self-contained temperature sensors that provide digital readings using a single-wire bus protocol. Otherwise they are great! :-/ The price is right, but a lot of that is because these are cloned chips, not real ones.

Pros
  • Stainless steel sensor has accurate readings and high performance
Cons
  • Not sure