31204

599 Menlo Drive, Suite 100 Rocklin, California 95765, USA Office: (916) 624-8333 Fax: (916) 624-8003 General: info@parallax.com Technical: support@parallax.com Web Site: www.parallax.com EFX Products: www.parallaxefx.com RC-4 Relay Board (#31204) Solid-State Relay Controller General Description Whether you build props or design small-scale industrial controls, there will likely come a time when you need to control high voltage AC devices from a digital controller (like the Prop-1). The RC-4 is designed just for this purpose, giving the engineer the ability to control up to four AC loads (per board). Outputs may be controlled directly (with a mat switch, for example) or remotely through a simple serial interface that allows the host microcontroller to control up to four RC-4 relay boards. Applications   Props and holiday displays Small-scale industrial control Features         Controls up to four Crydom D2W series solid-state relays LED on each channel indicates relay status Serial control for connection to host microcontroller User-configured baud rate (2400 or 38.4k) for serial control User-configured address allows up to four RC-4 boards on one serial connection Direct control with simple N.O. switch input on any channel Current consumption: 13 mA @ 5 vdc (no relays active) Compact size: 2.5” x 3” © Parallax, Inc. • RC-4 Relay Board (#31204) • 10/2005 1 Mounting the RC-4 NOTE: The RC-4 is designed to switch high-voltage AC circuits which can be very dangerous, even lethal, if mishandled. The RC-4 should be mounted before installing relays and connecting control and switched AC wiring. Mount the RC-4 on a non-conductive surface using ½” (12 mm) stand-offs and appropriate hardware. Mounting the RC-4 above a conductive (metal) surface could lead to the possibility of a hazardous condition. Installing Relays The RC-4 is designed for Crydom D2W series (and compatible) solid-state relays. If using product from another relay manufacturer, it is the user’s responsibility to ensure the mechanical and electrical specifications match the Crydom D2W series. Nominal Input Impedance Typical Input Current @ 5vdc Must Turn On Voltage Must Turn Off Voltage 1500 ohms 3.0 mA 3.0 vdc 1.0 vdc Trim the relay legs to ¼” (6 mm) with diagonal cutters before installing – this ensures the best mechanical performance of the RC-4 relay sockets. The relays may be installed in any order and in any position, though when installing fewer than four relays starting at position K1 is recommended. Connections – Switched AC Power DANGER: The RC-4 is capable of switching voltages that can be lethal if mishandled. High voltage AC wiring should be installed by a qualified electrician. Before making any high-voltage connections to the RC-4, ensure that all power has been removed. 2 © Parallax, Inc. • RC-4 Relay Board (#31204) • 10/2005 Each relay output has two connections; this connection acts as a switch to control the hot side of the AC circuit, as shown in the illustration below. Connections – Serial Control For most applications the RC-4 will be connected to a host microcontroller like the Prop-1 or a BASIC ® ® Stamp 2 model in a Board of Education (BoE). To make the connection between the host controller and the RC-4 use a 3-wire servo extender cable (e.g., Parallax #805-00001 or #805-00002). When making the connection it is important to note the color-coded polarity of the extender cable: W = white, R = red, B = black. NOTE: When using the BoE as the host controller platform the servo voltage jumper must be set to Vdd (+5 vdc) – if this jumper is set to Vin the RC-4 will be damaged. Baud Rate Selection The RC-4 supports two baud rates: 2400 baud for the Prop-1 (BS1 family) and 38.4k baud for the BS2family and other microcontrollers. Baud rate is set with a jumper on the Baud header. Jumper Out In Baud Rate 2400 (Prop-1, BS1, and compatible controllers) 38.4k (BS2 and compatible controllers) Address Selection Using a serial connection allows the host controller to connect to up to four RC-4 boards; to do this, however, each must have a unique address. The RC-4 board address is set with jumpers on the A0 and A1 headers. A1 Out Out In In A0 Out In Out In © Parallax, Inc. • RC-4 Relay Board (#31204) • 10/2005 Address 0 (%00) 1 (%01) 2 (%10) 3 (%11) 3 The illustration below shows the RC-4 configured for 2400 baud, set to address 2 (%10). RC-4 Serial Protocol The RC-4 serial connection conforms to the Parallax AppMod bi-directional communications protocol, which operates at TTL (0 – 5v) using “open-true” baud mode to enable daisy-chaining devices. All exchanges are initiated by the host controller. The format of host communications to the RC-4 is as follows: "!RC4", address, command { , data } … where “!RC4” is the preamble that allows the RC-4 to exist on the same communications line as other devices (e.g., PSC), address is the board address set with jumpers on A0 and A1, command is a single character command designator, and data is any value that may be required by command. The following section details valid commands (“V”, “S”, “R”, “X”, and “G”) for the RC-4. “V” – Get RC-4 Version number Syntax: Replay: “!RC4”, address, “V” 3-byte (ASCII) version string Prop-1 Example: SEROUT Sio, OT2400, ("!RC4", %00, "V") SERIN Sio, OT2400, id0, id1, id2 DEBUG "RC-4 Version ", #@id0, #@id1, #@id2, CR “S” – Setup All Relays Syntax: Reply: “!RC4”, address, “S”, newStatus – newStatus is new relay status: %0000..%1111 none Prop-1 Example: SEROUT Sio, OT2400, ("!RC4", %00, "S", %0001) In this example, relay K1 will be activated, while K2, K3, and K4 will be deactivated. 4 © Parallax, Inc. • RC-4 Relay Board (#31204) • 10/2005 “R” – Set/Reset Individual Relay Syntax: Reply: “!RC4”, address, “R”, rlyNum, newState – rlyNum is output: 1..4 – newState is new state of relay: 1 = On, 0 = Off none Prop-1 Example: SEROUT Sio, OT2400, ("!RC4", %00, "R", 4, 1) In this example, relay #4 (K4) is activated. “X” – Reset All Relays Syntax: Reply: “!RC4”, address, “X” none Prop-1 Example: SEROUT Sio, OT2400, ("!RC4", %00, "X") In this example, all relays (K1..K4) are deactivated. “G” – Get Relay Status Syntax: Reply: “!RC4”, address, “G” One byte that holds current relay status – Bit0 = K1, Bit1 = K2, Bit2 = K3, Bit3 = K4 – 1 indicates relay is On; 0 indicates relay is Off. Prop-1 Example: Main: SEROUT Sio, OT2400, ("!RC4", %00, "G") SERIN Sio, OT2400, rlyStatus In this example, bits 0..3 of rlyStatus will hold the current state of the RC-4 relays. Connections – Direct Control In applications where intelligent control is not required the RC-4 relays may be activated through a direct connection. Direct control is achieved by connecting power and control signal to headers X1..X4 (as required). Note that power is carried to the X1..X4 connections on the R (red: +5 vdc) and B (black: ground) connections. By connection a normally-open button or switch between the W (white: signal) and R connections, the corresponding relay is brought under direct control (on when button pressed). The diagram the follows shows the connection of the power supply and four normally-open push-buttons to control relays K1..K4. © Parallax, Inc. • RC-4 Relay Board (#31204) • 10/2005 5 NOTE: When using direct control the power supplied to the R connections of the X1..X4 connectors must not exceed +5.25 vdc, otherwise damage to the RC-4 will occur. When using an external power supply you must ensure that it is regulated to +5 vdc. Most plug-in (“wall-wart”) power supplies are not regulated – if using this kind of supply, proceed with caution to prevent damage to the RC-4. Example Program The following program demonstrates the RC-4 features under serial control using the Prop-1 (BS1) controller. When using the Prop-1 the serial baud rate is set to 2400 (Baud jumper removed). ' ========================================================================= ' ' File....... RC4_Test.BS1 ' Purpose.... RC-4 Features Test ' Author..... Team EFX -- Copyright (C) 2005 Parallax, Inc. ' E-mail..... teamefx@parallax.com ' Started.... ' Updated.... 01 SEP 2005 ' ' {$STAMP BS1} ' {$PBASIC 1.0} ' ' ========================================================================= ' -----[ Program Description ]--------------------------------------------- 6 © Parallax, Inc. • RC-4 Relay Board (#31204) • 10/2005 ' ' RC-4 demonstration program ' -----[ I/O Definitions ]------------------------------------------------SYMBOL Sio = 0 ' -----[ Constants ]------------------------------------------------------SYMBOL SYMBOL Baud Addr = OT2400 = %11 SYMBOL SYMBOL IsOn IsOff = 1 = 0 ' %00 - %11 ' -----[ Variables ]------------------------------------------------------SYMBOL SYMBOL SYMBOL id0 id1 id2 = B0 = B1 = B2 ' version string ' -----[ Initialization ]-------------------------------------------------Reset: DEBUG CLS ' -----[ Program Code ]---------------------------------------------------Main: SEROUT Sio, Baud, ("!RC4", Addr, "V") SERIN Sio, Baud, id0, id1, id2 DEBUG "RC-4 Version ", #@id0, #@id1, #@id2, CR Test_Set: FOR id0 = %0000 TO %1111 SEROUT Sio, Baud, ("!RC4", Addr, "S", id0) GOSUB Show_Status PAUSE 500 NEXT Test_Reset: SEROUT Sio, Baud, ("!RC4", Addr, "X") GOSUB Show_Status PAUSE 500 © Parallax, Inc. • RC-4 Relay Board (#31204) • 10/2005 ' get version ' set outputs ' all off 7 Test_RelayCtrl: FOR id0 = 1 TO 4 SEROUT Sio, Baud, ("!RC4", Addr, "R", id0, IsOn) GOSUB Show_Status PAUSE 500 NEXT FOR id0 = 1 TO 4 SEROUT Sio, Baud, ("!RC4", Addr, "R", id0, IsOff) GOSUB Show_Status PAUSE 500 NEXT Test_Ignore: ' send invalid relay number SEROUT Sio, Baud, ("!RC4", Addr, "R", 5, IsOn) GOSUB Show_Status ' no change END ' -----[ Subroutines ]----------------------------------------------------Show_Status: SEROUT Sio, Baud, ("!RC4", Addr, "G") SERIN Sio, Baud, id1 DEBUG CR, "Status = ", #%id1 RETURN ' get status For additional programming examples be sure to visit us on the web: www.parallax.com www.parallaxefx.com forums.parallax.com NOTE: The RC-4 makes the control of AC circuits very easy, still, caution must be used when installing and using the RC-4 for its intended purpose. Parallax recommends that the RC-4 and related wiring be installed in a suitable enclosure that can be secured to prevent accidental access to live AC circuits. Consult a qualified electrician regarding the use of AC in your props and displays. For questions on RC-4 application and control, feel free to consult Parallax Team EFX at: teamefx@parallax.com. 8 © Parallax, Inc. • RC-4 Relay Board (#31204) • 10/2005