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yet another volcano button question (& Keywiz)

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jcroach:
Great questions.

Tiger-Heli:

--- Quote from: jcroach on July 07, 2005, 01:56:45 pm ---The ultimarc site has great info on it for their products. 

I found this on the site for the I-Pac.

LEDs: The three LEDs use the following inputs, which become bdirectional:
Player 1 Button 7
Player 2 button 7
Player 1 button 8
These inputs can still be used for buttons even if LEDs are connected but note that when the buttons are pressed the LEDs will light. You can wire your own LEDs to these connections.

I have the I-Pac VE which doesn't have an LED header, so I'm going to conenct up to the inputs as quoted above. 

One question, Andy Warne from Ultimarc e-mail me a while back and recommended 220 ohm resisters, but HoopstarsGarage recommended 330 ohm resisters.  I'm a little confused, but granted I know nothing about electricity! Anyone able to shed some "light" on the subject?  Sorry, bad pun.

--- End quote ---
The Ultimare site has good info, but nothing like you can get from this board.  You don't want to use Buttons 7 and 8 with the VE, btw, from my upcoming encoder page revision:

I-PAC LED Considerations

On all Ultimarc encoders, LED

RandyT:
Your questions about this should probably be posed directly to Andy if you want info specific to the IPAC.

But the difference may be accounted for by the fact that the LED output on a bi-directional pin would be modulated (meaning that the signal to the LED is still 5v, but it's cycling on and off very rapidly) so it may be possible to use a lower value resistor without harm.  LED's are usually capable of much higher output when modulated.

The only caveat is that when the button on a bi-directional port is held down, the LED is no longer being modulated and a lower value resistor becomes a "bad thing".  So if you are using them bi-directionally, make sure you have the right resistor in there based strictly on the Ohm's law based equation:

Resistance=(Source Voltage - LED Operating Voltage) / LED Forward Current

But as always, don't attach an LED (or any electronic component) where the current requirements exceed what is available at the source you want to draw it from.  Otherwise, the result will almost always be damage to the source.

RandyT

Tiger-Heli:

--- Quote from: RandyT on July 07, 2005, 02:53:21 pm ---The only caveat is that when the button on a bi-directional port is held down, the LED is no longer being modulated and a lower value resistor becomes a "bad thing".  So if you are using them bi-directionally, make sure you have the right resistor in there based strictly on the Ohm's law based equation:


Resistance=(Source Voltage - LED Operating Voltage) / LED Forward Current

--- End quote ---
Also, just to clarify - I believe I read earlier that the Pin Header and the screw terminals are physically connected, so regardless of how you wire them up, you are using them bi-directionally if you have any switch connected on the corresponding input.

mmmPeanutButter:
RandyT, I sometimes wonder if the guy in the KeyWiz logo is modeled after you.    :)

That would be pretty cool. 

How do women like the pointy hat?   

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