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Embedded Module Manufacturers and Distributors

DHT11
USER GUIDE
Contents
Overview 1
Features and Parameters 2
Module SnapShot 3
Connection Details 4
Hardware Description . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 4
Software description . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 5
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Overview
DHT11 is a low cost temperature and humidity sensor which is fac-
tory calibrated and require only minimal or few external components for
interfacing with 8-bit microcontroller. It has excellent temperature char-
acteristics having high Negative Temperature Coecient of resistance as
the sensing element. This sensor has resistive-type humidity measurement.
DHT11 oers long term stability, has fast response and moderate accuracy.
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Features and Parameters
Features:
Chip: DHT11 temperature and humidity sensor
Ultra low cost
3 to 5V power and I/O
2.5mA max current use during conversion (while requesting data)
No more than 1 Hz sampling rate (once every second)
Parameters:
Humidity measuring range: 20-90 % RH
Humidity accuracy: 5 % RH
Temperature measuring range: 0-60

C
Temperature measurement accuracy: 2

C
Digital signal output
4 pins with 0.1r 2.54mm spacing
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USER MANUAL DHT11
Module SnapShot
Following gure contains the Snapshot of the DHT11 Sensor and its
adapter board.
Figure 1: DHT11 Sensor
Figure 2: Interfacing with Arduino
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Connection Details
User can connect any I/O pin of host microcontroller to DHT11 out
pin. Power supply should be preferably the same as the Host controller.
Hardware Description
Following gure shows the application circuit for interfacing DHT11
sensor with a microcontroller. It only requires a pull up resistor at the
output pin of DHT11.
Figure 3: DHT11 application circuit
Typical application circuit recommended a short cable length of 20
meters on connecting 5.1K as pull-up resistor. For length greater
than 20 meters the pull-up resistor can be lowered.
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USER MANUAL DHT11
When using a 3.5V voltage supply cable length shall not be greater
than 20cm. Otherwise, the line voltage drop will cause the sensor
power supply shortage, which may cause measurement error.
Each read the temperature and humidity values returned are the
results of the last measurement. For real-time data, sequential read
twice, but is not recommended to repeatedly read the sensors. Each
read sensor interval should be greater than 5 seconds for obtaining
accurate data.
Software description
Once DHT detects the start signal, it will send out a low-voltage-level
response signal, which lasts 80us. Then the programme of DHT sets Data
Single-bus voltage level from low to high and keeps it for 80us for DHTs
preparation for sending data. When DATA Single-Bus is at the low volt-
age level, this means that DHT is sending the response signal. Once DHT
sent out the response signal, it pulls up voltage and keeps it for 80us and
prepares for data transmission. When DHT is sending data to MCU, ev-
ery bit of data begins with the 50us low-voltage-level and the length of the
following high-voltage-level signal determines whether data bit is "0" or "1".
The 40-bit data from the sensor has the following structure.
Data (40-bit) = Integer Byte of RH + Decimal Byte of RH +
Integer Byte of Temp. + Decimal Byte of Temp. + Checksum
Byte
For DHT11 sensor, the decimal bytes of temperature and humidity
measurements are always zero. Therefore, the rst and third bytes of
received data actually give the numeric values of the measured relative
humidity (%) and temperature (

C). The last byte is the checksum byte

which is used to make sure that the data transfer has happened without any
error. If all the ve bytes are transferred successfully then the checksum
byte must be equal to the last 8 bits of the sum of the rst four bytes, i.e.,
Checksum = Last 8 bits of (Integer Byte of RH + Decimal Byte of RH +
Integer Byte of Temp. + Decimal Byte of Temp.)
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USER MANUAL DHT11
Figure 4: Timing diagram
Signaling for transmitting 0 and 1
In order to send a bit of data, the sensor rst pulls the line low for 50 us.
Then it raises the line to high for 26-28 us if it has to send 0, or for 70 us
if the bit to be transmitted is 1. So it is the width of the positive pulse
that carries information about 1 and 0.
At the end of the last transmitted bit, the sensor pulls the data line
low for 50 us and then releases it. The DHT11 sensor requires an external
pull-up resistor to be connected between its Vcc and the data line so that
under idle condition, the data line is always pulled high. After nishing the
data transmission and releasing the data line, the DHT11 sensor goes to
the low-power consumption mode until a new Start signal arrives from
the MCU.
Figure 5: Combined Timing Diagram
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