Got it Gary, I'll wait till boards in for production from john, than drop this order. I'll PM ya with email to use for paypal, and amount. I'll just charge for parts and what actually cost to ship.
____________________ ---> 160 LOR : 96 DIO : (2) Lamp Timers : EDM Trans
---> 25,000 up...5,000 to go
So far we have 20 of 30 boards accounted for. I'll post when I hear from the other two folks for the remaining 10 boards (1 in US and 1 in AU)
Chuck,
I got the email with the link to the Mouser Order. I'll look at it in the morning. If you want me to I'll research an alternative part for your 6 pin socket (if it's what you need for the SSROz) I just wanted to let you know that I didn't use them on many of my SSRs. The opto rarely fails so the socket really isn't necessary... it's the Triac that needs to be replaced if it gets shorted for any reason. Look to the LOR controllers to see that DIP sockets aren't used there either. Just an added expense AFAIC... But if you want them, I'm sure there's an alternative vendor's part availablew from Mouser.
Jeff
____________________ Evan... Are you at home resting yet? I'm very glad you're feeling better!
This was the best deal I could find, plus, they had the RJ45's, the 524461's for .53 each. The Opto's were .38 each, which isn't that good a deal, I've been paying .25 each, but just to get the others, was worth going with them...
Did you look in the paper catalog, or use the website? It's geared to make you pay more... I'm trying to save Chuck the shipping costs from multiple orders from different vendors...
...and I'm tired... so I'm going to bed. As Chuck said in an earlier post.... the wives are starting to complain... (I didn't get all the laundry done!?!)
Jeff
Last edited on Thu Apr 16th, 2009 02:38 am by Jeff Millard
____________________ Evan... Are you at home resting yet? I'm very glad you're feeling better!
Got a note from Graeme in AU. He will contact John for his 6 boards. I sent an email to the person about the remaining 4. John said the moment he heard from Graeme he'd place the order so it looks like we're on the way.
Jeff
____________________ Evan... Are you at home resting yet? I'm very glad you're feeling better!
Just checked with mouser, and parts are still available for shipping for boards. As of now we are at;
Chuck - 2
Rodger - 2
Jeff - 6
Gary - 3
With shipping, it comes out to be a of cost $22.00 per board, plus drop me a few dollars to have them ship to you. The only finale question will be, what color LED's do you all want? I'll drop the three of you a PM with my email for paypal. Just let me know what color you want me to order, I can make different for everybody if need be. Not a problem being only three of you.
____________________ ---> 160 LOR : 96 DIO : (2) Lamp Timers : EDM Trans
---> 25,000 up...5,000 to go
Dan Ancona wrote: I hope you guys talk about this at the mini, I really intrested, but really lost...
Dan - what are you lost about? Ask away, I'm sure you'll get your answer. Here's the way I understand it all - basically, what some of us are doing, is using a standard DIO board - that's a "Digital Input/Output board, that is often used in a computer to monitor, and control equipment, environments, etc. They come in a lot of different number of input/output's, different manufacturers, and different uses. Through software, they can either receive or send out a low voltage, low current signal, both at the same time. A brief example, would be control of a machine that moves a bottle down the assembly line, gets filled with liquid, moves, then gets a label, then moves to the end. This is just an example. The bottle is put in place, where it breaks the beam of an infrared sensor, which acts as a switch, sending a signal back to the computer, through an input (usually a relay), that the bottle is there. An output is then sent out, based on that input, that turns on a motorized conveyor, via a solid state relay. The conveyor moves the bottle down the line, where it trips a mechanical switch. The switch sends another signal, that the bottle is present, an output signal goes out to stop the conveyor, and another output signal goes out to start filling the bottle. There's a sensor under the bottle, that measures weight. When the bottle gets to a predetermined weight, another sensor sends an input signal that the bottle is full, an output signal is sent to stop filling, and another to move the conveyor again When the bottle gets to the label station, an input signal stops it, an output tells the labeler to label it, another input says the label is on, an output turns the conveyor on, when the bottle reaches the end, another switch sends an input signal, that the bottle is at end, and an output signal turns off the conveyor. As I said, this is pretty simplified, but that's one function of a DIO card. They can also be used to monitor heat/cold in a room, and run the air as necessary. There's a LOT of uses for them, in industry.
Now, what WE do is use software, to send output signals, to light our lights, at a specific time, in coordination with music. However, our Solid State Relays, take more current to trigger, than a lot of the DIO boards are capable of providing, plus sometimes an entirely different voltage. Therefore, they have to go through a "buffer", which uses the very low current to trigger a much higher current . Our buffer boards allow us to trigger the SSR's that turn on our lights, with the DIO board, without burning out the channels on the DIO board. We use an optocoupler, which uses very low current, through an led, so the signal changes from electrical, to an optical signal, then back to electrical, keeping the first signal isolated from the second signal. So, you can use 5 volts, 10 milliamps, to signal, say, 12 volts at 500 milliamps, without any danger of the 12 volts 500 milliamps, getting back to the DIO board.
Our buffer boards also "invert" the signal - in other words, the signal comes out of the DIO board as a +5 vdc signal which is called a "source" signal, but when it leaves the buffer board, it's the ground side, that gets turned on or off - called "sink signal". We use that in our home-built solid state relays. Heres a good definition of sink and source:
· Sourcing: A sourcing device provides the power or a positive potential. Sourcing devices "push" the current through the load to ground. Terms used to describe sourcing devices include PNP, Open Emitter, Normally Low, and IEC Positive Logic.
· Sinking: A sinking device provides a path for the current to ground and is not responsible for powering the device. Terms used to describe sinking devices include NPN, Open Collector, Normally High, and IEC Negative Logic.
I'm not really sure why we use sink on our home-made SSR's, unless it's so that Cat5 wires that we have running out to our SSR's only will have one +5 volt line, and the 4 signal lines will just be grounds, when they are "on". Any SSR can work you just need to have the "sink" signal to the "-" connection on the SSR, and +5 volts on all the time to the + post. Hopefully, one of the other guys will pipe in.
The reason I am using a DIO board, is because you can get a lot of channels, fairly inexpensively. I paid $60 for two DIO96 boards, which have 96 channels on each. The DIO is ONLY good for on/off signals, no dimming capability whatsoever, but my display can take advantage of that. So I have 192 channels, with the two DIO cards, but I have to have a buffer board, for every 48 channels, so I have 4 buffers all together. Without the SSR's, I have under $250 wrapped up in the DIO's and buffers, and have 192 channels of on/off. Pretty decent, I think!
If you shop wisely, you can do well on the SSR's, also - I bought 250 store-boughts for $200, and I etch my own boards, to mount them on. So, I'm paying about $1.25 per channel, for on/off, as far as the SSR's go, and $1.30 per channel for DIO and buffers, or about $2.60/channel out to the lights. Not too bad, I don't think...
Here's a pic of my SSR's for the DIO channels:
Now, this is the way I understand it all - I don't think I'm very far off, but if I am, I'm sure Jeff, or Chuck, or someone will correct what I said. I hope it makes sense, and answers your question, or enlightens you a bit...
Thanks a LOT, Chuck and Jeff, for allowing me to be a part of this - gotta love it!!
Quite simply put, this board connects Measurement Computing DIO expansion cards, to readily available homemade Solid State relays.
LOR software will control DIO cards on/off only. There are no lighting effects other than on and off...
Each board has 12 sockets with 4 channels in each for 48 channels. 2 of these boards and a 96 channel DIO card are a perfect match. The ribbon cable for the 96 channel card matches this controller exactly. The problem is, it's been 6 months since I've seen a MC PCI DIO board on eBay...
John has full payment for the order and will be placing it when the manufacterer open's Monday.
Jeff
Last edited on Mon Apr 20th, 2009 01:28 pm by Jeff Millard
____________________ Evan... Are you at home resting yet? I'm very glad you're feeling better!
Jeff Millard wrote: Quite simply put, this board connects Measurement Computing DIO expansion cards, to readily available homemade Solid State relays.
LOR software will control DIO cards on/off only. There are no lighting effects other than on and off...
Each board has 12 sockets with 4 channels in each for 48 channels. 2 of these boards and a 96 channel DIO card are a perfect match. The ribbon cable for the 96 channel card matches this controller exactly. The problem is, it's been 6 months since I've seen a MC PCI DIO board on eBay...
Jeff
Thanks, Jeff! But, it should be mentioned, this card will also work with the National Instruments DIO96 card, and they can be found fairly often on ebay. You DO have to do some creative wiring of the cables, to make the channels match up, and all the cables work together, but surely worth the effort, if a Measurement Computing card can't be found. I guess I'm saying it's a great multi-use board!
51fordf2 wrote: Thanks, Jeff! But, it should be mentioned, this card will also work with the National Instruments DIO96 card, and they can be found fairly often on ebay. You DO have to do some creative wiring of the cables, to make the channels match up, and all the cables work together, but surely worth the effort, if a Measurement Computing card can't be found. I guess I'm saying it's a great multi-use board!
Roger
Yes, but the National Instruments cards will NOT work with LOR. The software requires that the DIO card be compatable with Measurement Computing's InstaCal software. PCI NI boards do not. There has been some discussion that the ISA NI boards can be addressed by InstaCal, but I have not had a chance to test that.
The extension boards were a perfect mach for the cases I assembled. Thank you very much!!!
Jeff
____________________ Evan... Are you at home resting yet? I'm very glad you're feeling better!
Yes, but the National Instruments cards will NOT work with LOR. The software requires that the DIO card be compatable with Measurement Computing's InstaCal software.
The extension boards were a perfect mach for the cases I assembled. Thank you very much!!!
Jeff
Ahhhh...ok, never mind....
I didn't realize that, I'm still too cheap for the LOR software, and using the freebies. Does LOR update their software very often? Maybe it's an alternative??
OK, I want to discuss a little about the cost of using this stuff. A new PCI DIO96 card from Measurement Computing is $269. The high density cable is $50. This board costs anywhere from $35 to $45 to make. Solid state relays are around $7 each to make. You need 24 of them for a full 96 channels. That equates to $522 at the cheapest. Or $5.44 per channel. I got the MC board from eBay for $75. That made it $3.42 per channel.
Jeff
____________________ Evan... Are you at home resting yet? I'm very glad you're feeling better!
