A temperature probe can give an accurate reading for thermal insulation materials. It can be used in cars to check temperatures in catalytic converters, for optimizing emission of engines. It is also used for monitor curing and molding in plastics industry and alert operators when maximum temperatures are exceeded. It is used to determine temperature in cast metals to check various locations. Probes are installed in firewalls and structures to monitor temperatures and trigger alarms when temperatures reach specified levels. They are placed in any location where there is a need to measure temperatures at specific locations. The probes advantage is its miniature size that permits it to be placed with almost minimal movement.

This mini temperature probe is installed via USB that uses the AVR USB library. The big portion of the software is built from the EasyLogger. While EasyLogger uses keyboard interface to input data values, this unit uses a specific device called the ruby-usb library and reads its values. Although it is intended for Linux application, it also works on the Windows XP environment with a few modifications needed, it is not workable in Vista, but with a little bit of hard work it may also do so. The ruby script interprets the input temperature and is possible to log if desired using RRDTool. With this device you could monitor the temperature of the room when it gets too hot.

The AVR-USB is program architecture of a low-speed USB device for AVR microcontrollers. This program makes it easy to use a wide range of possible applications using USB hardware with almost any AVR microcontroller with out using additional boards or chips. AVR-USB is licensed freely by GNU General Public License or under a commercial license. It supports RC oscillator used for internal CPU clocks. It is compliant with low speed devices with the exception of errors in communication and electrical specifications.

http://www.stahlke.org/dan/usb-temperature/