444 replies to this topic

[arngrim]

ok i just understood what is a normal ledwiz user

 

I would say if the user has a configuration that deviates from the virtual ouptut kit, he needs to enter his own config on the configtool and grab the ledcontrol.ini files

[vulbas]

hello zeb, i have a problem with my virtual output kit.

look the video 

 

 

when i activate contactor, knocker, gear etc.... the power LED increases.

I put the contact 750ma for led. I have 750ma. I have a 500w power supply.

if I do nothing activates the LEDs are low.

Edited by vulbas, 30 June 2013 - 06:50 PM.

[vulbas]

nobody for my problem ?  

Edited by vulbas, 01 July 2013 - 05:43 PM.

[The Loafer]

It is our national holiday over here in Canada so things being equal, I hope Zeb is taking the day off and is as drunk as a skunk in a trunk! I am sure he or someone else who is familiar with Zeb's board will get back to you pronto.

[vulbas]

ho ok. good party all  

[zebulon]

Sorry guys, I really don't monitor this thread very much any more. I set up a forum for Q&A on my site to try to keep all of the info easily accessible.

 

I'm not sure what the issue is that concerns you Vulbas.

 

This is similar to the issue raised by Spektre awhile ago with regard to the power handling of the design. What is happening is that as you load the circuit with active outputs, the power available to each is lower (ie: the leds dim). When you activate the contactors and motors, you are drawing more current through the circuit (specifically the 12v line that is common to the amplifier, motors base of the opto outputs and gate of the MosFETs) which is then saturating the base of the opto output allowing more current to flow on the output of the mosfet making the leds brighter.

 

While this sounds like a problem, think about the average load that runs through the outputs during gameplay. At any given time you may have 3 or 4 outputs active at the same time but that's about it. When you run a test like you are where you have all of the leds active, motors running and contactors firing at the same time, you are bound to have some changes in performance. It's like dropping down a gear while driving without reducing your speed first, the sound of the engine increases and the rpms jump up....the difference here being that you won't blow the engine on the boards, you're actually balancing the circuit.

 

I have some revisions to the design in the works, one of which is the addition of pull down resistors on the emitter in parallel with the existing pull down resistors on the gate of the mosfet in an effort to cause this exact effect.

[Sir Cheddar]

Hi Zeb,

hope you monitor this thread for one more message

Just to be really sure, I want to use two dedicated strobe leds and the W part of two RGBW leds on my backbox for strobe efects. I can connect the plus of the strobe output and the plus of the LED outputs on the booster board, can't I?

Edited by Sir Cheddar, 02 July 2013 - 09:15 PM.

[zebulon]

Depends on how you have wired your leds.

 

On the boards, the (+) output for the leds is 3.3v and the (+) output for the strobe is 12v.

 

If you haven't already made the leds common (+) on the led itself, then you could connect the 12v to a resistor and then to the led. If the leds have been connected as common (+) then they are already getting 3.3v so the resistor should go through the ground lead like the image below.

 

 Parallel Strobes.png   14.16KB   50 downloads

[Sir Cheddar]

Thank you for that information. I haven't made the LEDs common + yet so putting in an resistor should be easy.

[nromo]

Thanks

Edited by nromo, 20 October 2013 - 02:04 AM.

[zebulon]

New Board Design Coming Soon - in testing phase now.

 

http://www.zebsboard...ut-kit-2-detail

 

2 output kits left in stock - clearance priced.

[maxxsinner]

That is some fine work there Zeb. These boards just keep getting better and easier to install.

[zamzam974]

Hey Zeb,

 

after wiring the  contactors and use your led control ini file i got the left flipper contactor (FL) not reacting with ledwiz.

all the others are working fine  so far, i am using the ledwiz sister board and your virtual output.

when i direct wire port 9 to the contactor it does work so i check all the connections but no luck so far.

what can the issue be at this point?

thanks for the help

[zebulon]

Did you solder the ledwiz to the adapter or clamp it?

Have you checked the output at the ledwiz terminal to see if there is a signal being passed? (or is this the port 9 that you wrote about?)

[zamzam974]

The 2 board are just clamped together should I solder them?
Yes I tested port 9 on the ledwiz and connected a wire from it to the contactor and it worked.

[Slydog43]

its a very easy solder job, i fluxed and solder took very well, looks like machine dipped

[zebulon]

Yeah, the clamping is very touch and go. Unfortunately the terminal blocks on the ledwiz aren't always 100% dead on with the holes in the board.

 

If you use a standard, rosin core solder for electronics it does come out looking machine dipped. It doesn't take a lot of solder either.

[antropus]

Hey Zeb,

I'm back from my grave to haunt you!
We just had a second child (second son), so pinball took a back seat, but I'm slowly coming back

I have a very stupid question (nothing new here...), but I don't remember seeing it posted anywhere so I'll ask here:

now that we have Pinball FX2 running so great in our cabs (Pinball Arcade next), the lack of force feedback, at least for the flippers really kills the experience.
What would be the smartest way to get them up and running for Pinball FX2 and any other table with no support for ledwiz? Should I wire them directly? If so, how is the connection made considering I'm using your booster board+ledwiz+iPac32? Any schematics would be really appreciated.
The ideal would be to have a switch somewhere in my cab that could be turned on or off for the flippers (after all, I would hate to be texting something and hearing flippers firing all the time!).
Via software would be ideal, but not sure how that works.

Is there any way you know that could be done using software only? I tried running a custom flippers.vbs file from autohotkey. That way I was able to assign the flipper buttons to commands to the ledwiz to fire the contactors. It works ok, but there's lag involved for some reason. What would be your solution, wise oracle?

Thanks,
-Kris

ps.: I love the new booster board design!

[zebulon]

My solution would be to use the opto circuits that wolf designed and fire them direct. By doing it that way you could easily put in a night mode switch that would kill the power to the optos and shut off the flipper solenoids (contactors).

 

It would also free up 2 outputs on the board for you to use with something else.

 

I can do up the circuits for you if you like. They come in around $30 for the pair.

 

Congrats on the newest edition BTW. I tripped across your facebook page and dropped a quick note when I saw that you had a new addition.

Edited by zebulon, 05 December 2013 - 08:52 PM.

[antropus]

Thanks Zeb!
That sounds like a good way to go. It should be fast and reliable that way. I just wish there was a way to do this through software. I mean, I'm pretty sure someone could come up with a solution for this, since all toys, lighths and contactors are already controlled by software from the emulators anyway. A gateway to have access to that side of things by using a standalone little app would be so good, since you could just call it whenever you wanted via ahk scripting and still keep it fully functional for the emulators that already support it.