Wiring your LED tube indicator (the illegal way)

[Mr. Lim]

A lot of our team has come down with a nasty cold/flu bug lately, but one of the benefits of this has been the strange "snot box" that the team collectively produced. It also happens to signal to our feeder what type of tube we would like him to deliver to our robot.

http://www.chiefdelphi.com/media/photos/36292

The snot box is wired for 12V, and each of the three indicators uses about 60mA of current. While trying to figure out how to wire the thing, we broached a few options:

1) 2 Spikes: 1 - 12V supply from the PDB via 20A breaker, 2 - relay outputs from the DSC

2) Custom circuit: 1 - 12V supply from the PDB via 20A breaker, 3 - digital outputs from the DSC

3) Solenoid Breakout (illegal): 3 - solenoid outputs from a 12V powered solenoid breakout

I'm pretty sure #3 is illegal, but I would love to be proven otherwise, because I think it's the most elegant option of the 3 above. Fundamentally the "Solenoid Breakout" is a DC Sourcing Module rated for 750mA per channel - it's not specifically made to power solenoids. The limitation is that it can't source a large amount of current.

But it does have the juice to source 60mA worth of LEDs, right?

If it does, wouldn't it be the nicest way to power the "snotbox?"

[McGurky]

Team 1716 is using one spike to control 2 LED's to indicate the desired tube. We decided that a "White Led" for a white tube would not be the best solution as it is very difficult to see in bright lighting conditions(although with your snot box i don't know whether this would be the case or not).

This is how we will be indicating... however we do anticipate a problem if something gets disconnected and we are unable to power the LED, it will always be white. We then have a hand signal system if this goes down.

If red LED is on: Give Red tube
If blue LED is on: Give Blue tube
If no LED is on: Give white tube

On another note, we are placing a ping pong ball over our LED's to diffuse them and make them more visible, this might be a lighter solution than your "snotbox", but just a suggestion.

[PAR_WIG1350]

Teams are allowed to bring non-powered analyst to feeder signaling devices with them so such a devise isn't all that necessary.

[Vikesrock]

Originally Posted by PAR_WIG1350

Teams are allowed to bring non-powered analyst to feeder signaling devices with them so such a devise isn't all that necessary.

The robot will likely be much closer and easier to see than somebody in the opposite driver station.

[MagiChau]

Originally Posted by Vikesrock

The robot will likely be much closer and easier to see than somebody in the opposite driver station.

You could wave up giant colored stick(s) in the air, everyone will see that.

[McGurky]

Originally Posted by MagiChau

You could wave up giant colored stick(s) in the air, everyone will see that.

but when you are driving, it is much easier to spend the 10th of a second it takes to push a button than fumble for the correct colored stick and hold it up.

At least in my opinion

[thefro526]

Originally Posted by MagiChau

You could wave up giant colored stick(s) in the air, everyone will see that.

Once there are tubes on the top row of pegs, signs become a lot more difficult to see.

We're using three different LED patterns to indicated tubes to our Human Player. They're each wired to their own spike and use both the M+ and M- terminals. We were fortunate enough to have the weight and space for three spikes so this was the easiest solution for us - but if we did it again, we would probably use two spikes and have the LEDs ground to the PD.

[RyanN]

Originally Posted by Mr. Lim

A lot of our team has come down with a nasty cold/flu bug lately, but one of the benefits of this has been the strange "snot box" that the team collectively produced. It also happens to signal to our feeder what type of tube we would like him to deliver to our robot.

http://www.chiefdelphi.com/media/photos/36292

The snot box is wired for 12V, and each of the three indicators uses about 60mA of current. While trying to figure out how to wire the thing, we broached a few options:

1) 2 Spikes: 1 - 12V supply from the PDB via 20A breaker, 2 - relay outputs from the DSC

2) Custom circuit: 1 - 12V supply from the PDB via 20A breaker, 3 - digital outputs from the DSC

3) Solenoid Breakout (illegal): 3 - solenoid outputs from a 12V powered solenoid breakout

I'm pretty sure #3 is illegal, but I would love to be proven otherwise, because I think it's the most elegant option of the 3 above. Fundamentally the "Solenoid Breakout" is a DC Sourcing Module rated for 750mA per channel - it's not specifically made to power solenoids. The limitation is that it can't source a large amount of current.

But it does have the juice to source 60mA worth of LEDs, right?

If it does, wouldn't it be the nicest way to power the "snotbox?"

You can get away with one Spike if you want. Wire the positive side of the LED's to M+ and M-. M+ would control one LED set, M- would control another LED set.

[Tom Line]

Originally Posted by RyanN

You can get away with one Spike if you want. Wire the positive side of the LED's to M+ and M-. M+ would control one LED set, M- would control another LED set.

If one positive is connected to the M+ and another positive to the M-, where do you ground them legally?

[apalrd]

Originally Posted by Tom Line

If one positive is connected to the M+ and another positive to the M-, where do you ground them legally?

PD board, or you can piggyback on the Ground terminal on the Spike. That's legal.

[RyanN]

Originally Posted by apalrd

PD board, or you can piggyback on the Ground terminal on the Spike. That's legal.

Exactly! It was the old/cheap/easy method of wiring double acting solenoids back in the IFI days before you had a true solenoid breakout board.