Digital I / O Board

Ikaurus

Is it possible to connect the i/o board directly to a rs232 on a Panel PC? Any code or HW exampels arround? I'm a beginner on electronics and need a simple way to control some Inputs and putputs.

Mike Green

Assuming you mean the "Digital I/O Board Kit", the answer is "not really". Some RS232 interfaces on PCs these days don't really meet the voltage requirements of the RS232 standard and you might be able to use the flow control signal lines (DTR, DSR, RTS, CTS) for 1 or 2 inputs and outputs, but you might just damage the I/O Board.

You would do better with some of the boards from EFX-TEK, a Prop-2 with a couple of I/O Amigos if you need relays for controlling AC power. The Prop-2 can be used with the Digital I/O Board Kit as well and plugs into an RS232 port for either programming or control. There are plenty of code examples, both from Parallax and EFX-TEK. The Prop-2 can directly control small DC loads on the order of 12V and 1A and can handle DC inputs up to 5V. If you want to control AC or sense AC, you'll need a relay for control or an optoisolator for sensing like what's on the Digital I/O Board.

You could also get a Parallax Stamp Board of Education for use with the Digital I/O Board. The Prop-2 is an equivalent specifically designed for controlling small DC loads and sensing switch closures and other 5V signals.

Ikaurus

thanks for your advice. I'm more into chemistry and trying to learn how to controll my synthesys apparatus systems. I will start with the stamp

Mike Green

"What's a Microcontroller?" is a great introductory text for the Stamps and "Basic Stamp Syntax and Reference Manual" is a helpful reference. "Basic Analog and Digital" is another useful text. All of these are downloadable for free although you can buy paper versions if you prefer that.