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Digital Outputs
Description of the 8 digital outputs available on the Application Board.
A tour through the features of the Application Board.
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The Application Board provides 8 digital outputs. Digital outputs are capable of sending only two signals - on and off. This kind of control is well suited to devices like relays, lights, valves, and solenoids, to name but a few.
There are 2 banks of 4 digital outs on the Application Board, each driven through a dual half H-driver, with a current rating of 1A per channel. This means you can use the 8 outputs to drive reasonably powerful devices in several different configurations:
Each individual output can control a solenoid, valve, relay, light, or fan.
Adjacent outputs can be paired to control up to 4 DC motors.
Groups of 4 adjacent outputs can be used to control up to 2 stepper motors.
Note: Any combination of these configurations is acceptable. For example, you could mix and match 2 individual outputs, one DC motor, and a stepper motor to make use of all 8 digital outs. Be sure not to try to use outputs for more than one device at a time - a single output cannot, as you might guess, be used simultaneously to drive a DC motor and a stepper motor.
There are 2 banks of 4 digital outs on the Application Board, each driven through a dual half H-driver, with a current rating of 1A per channel. This means you can use the 8 outputs to drive reasonably powerful devices in several different configurations:
Each individual output can control a solenoid, valve, relay, light, or fan.
Adjacent outputs can be paired to control up to 4 DC motors.
Groups of 4 adjacent outputs can be used to control up to 2 stepper motors.
Note: Any combination of these configurations is acceptable. For example, you could mix and match 2 individual outputs, one DC motor, and a stepper motor to make use of all 8 digital outs. Be sure not to try to use outputs for more than one device at a time - a single output cannot, as you might guess, be used simultaneously to drive a DC motor and a stepper motor.
PWM
There are 4 PWM devices on the Controller Board. Each PWM signal is duplicated on adjacent outputs on the Application Board:
- PWM 0 - digital outs 0 and 1
- PWM 1 - digital outs 2 and 3
- PWM 2 - digital outs 4 and 5
- PWM 3 - digital outs 6 and 7
Each individual output can be independently configured to output the direct PWM signal or the inverted signal. To control each output completely independently, use it as a Digital Out, instead of a PWM.
To change the jumper, lift it off the board and replace it facing the label of the voltage you'd like. One side of the jumper must always cover the middle pin.
Note: if you don't have a main power supply connected to the board, ie you're running off USB power, there will be no voltage available at the V+ connector.
Digital Out Power
Each bank of digtial outs has a voltage/ground pair (VOut and Gnd) on the connector to provide power for output devices you connect to the board. By default, the board is set to provide 5V at VOut, but can be easily changed by configuring the voltage select jumper. The voltage for each bank of outputs can be set independently to one of three values: 5V, V+, or VExt (External Voltage). VExt can be supplied by an external power supply that can be connected at either of the 2-position external power connectors.
The selected voltage will be available at the VOut connector - VOut1 for the first bank and VOut2 for the second.
| The output voltage select jumpers. |
|---|
To change the jumper, lift it off the board and replace it facing the label of the voltage you'd like. One side of the jumper must always cover the middle pin.
| Set to 5V | Set to V+ | Set to VExt |
|---|---|---|
