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| rcosner:
"Pretend for a moment that I don't know anything about metallurgy, engineering, or physics, and just tell me what the hell is going on." ~ Peter Venkman Hi there, I just got my LED-Wiz, and EZ Lights wires in the mail today. I switched out 90% of the buttons on my XArcade Tankstick with ones that include LEDs... and thats about where I am. I want to hook this up using only USB for power since I dont have alot of buttons to light and I have absolutely no idea what goes anywhere, the buttons with the LED's dont even indicate + or -. I am just starting to mess with this stuff so I dont know all the electronics lingo. I'm looking for just a simple, "this plugs into this" guide, pictures would be nice. In laymans terms preferably. Any help is appreciated, thank you. PS. I know the Tankstick is lame, I am just getting my feet wet by messing with something thats already working and seeing if I can take it apart and put it back together and have it still work after I am done. One day I will put together a nice 4 player control panel, but we all have to start somewhere. |
| Dekieon:
I just looked up the EZ Lights harness and it has black and red wiring. black is your ground, red is your positive. LED's are diode, which only allway electricity to flow in one direction. Since the buttons aren't showing you which is plus and which is negative. If you have a multimeter, you can use it to test the let's to see if you get signal through it or now, if not, then switch the leads around. once you get flow take take of which is positive and which is negative. If you don't have a multimeter, then you just hook one led up and see if it lights, if it doesn't then you have it backwards, so switch it around. hooking an led up backwards won't hurt it. |
| PL1:
Welcome aboard, Rcosner. I'm assuming you have LED buttons like this. When you break it down, it looks like this. From left to right, there is a microswitch and LED socket, LED holder, button body, spring, plunger, diffuser that rests in a depression on the top of the plunger and is held down by the translucent cap. The microswitch works just like the switch in the tankstick button and is wired the same way. The daisy chain ground goes to the common terminal on the bottom of the switch, and the input to the encoder connects to the NO -- normally open -- terminal. The LED socket terminals hang down like stirrups on either side of the microswitch -- easier to see them in this photo where the microswitch has been removed from the LED socket. To keep the wiring consistent and easy to remember, I connect the terminals on the side with the larger black plastic tab to black wires / ground. (the side on the bottom of the picture above) The red wire / operating voltage connects to the other terminal. (the side of the socket on the top of the picture above) If the LED doesn't light up, just unplug it, turn it 180 degrees, and plug it back in. Scott |
| rcosner:
Ok that part is easy enough, and thank you. I wont be afraid of hooking that particular piece of the puzzle up wrong. My main concern is where to connect the wires that come from the LEDs in the buttons to the EZ-LED board so that I dont melt it, myself, or my computer. The big scary warning they put on the bubble wrap indicating how they arent responisible for damage to your equipment sufficiently scared me into requesting help. All the bundled wires, I am now ok with. See the 2 black and red ones with the little clamp down leads at the bottom of the pic? Where do I connect those to on the EZ-LED board below. |
| matsadona:
If you want the buttons to be lit individually you can't use that harness. Well, only half of it. Not a fancy schematic, but you should get the message. And remember that USB can only provide 500mA in total. Each LED should be approx 20-30 mA, and the LEDWIZ itself would require some too. |
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