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Allthatslack
22-04-2016, 10:50
One quick question;
Is it possible to turn on and off a light using the Signal and Ground ports on the roborio? Or is there another way to wire up a light that allows one to manually turn on and off the light?

Thank you,
Team 1389 The Body Electric
rich2202
22-04-2016, 10:54
Or is there another way to wire up a light that allows one to manually turn on and off the light?


A simple MANUAL switch works.

If you want the RoboRio to do it, then the conventional way is to use a Spike Relay.

Signal line works if the LED does not exceed the power draw limit of the signal line.
Arhowk
22-04-2016, 10:56
Our team hooked all of our LEDs to the PCM since we have no pneumatics
pilleya
22-04-2016, 10:58
Yes, we are using a spike to control the high power light ring on our robot and it works great. You'll need to be able to run you LEDs on 12v to be able to use it
Allthatslack
22-04-2016, 10:59
Thank you all! I will tell my team and we will see what works best for our robot. I will let everyone know what come up with!
pilleya
22-04-2016, 11:00
Our team hooked all of our LEDs to the PCM since we have no pneumatics

PCM is an option, but if you are using pneumatics you'll need to be careful with how much current you draw( this depends on how powerful your LEDs are)
notmattlythgoe
22-04-2016, 11:03
Our team hooked all of our LEDs to the PCM since we have no pneumatics

Do you have any current draw issues with doing this?
apm4242
22-04-2016, 12:50
Thank you all! I will tell my team and we will see what works best for our robot. I will let everyone know what come up with!

Hi 1389! Team 4242 used a zoomable led flashlight, a voltage converter, and a spike relay to do this on our robot. We're sharing a bus with you guys on the way to St. Louis and I'd be happy to tell you everything you need to know. Until then, check out this thread:

http://www.chiefdelphi.com/forums/showthread.php?p=1558122#post1558122
Arhowk
23-04-2016, 16:51
Do you have any current draw issues with doing this?

No. We have four strips that run the length of our robot (~30in) and we've never had any current issues (I think we load tested them at around 200mA last I remember... that number may be totally wrong though)