Tuesday, January 17, 2012

Switches and Relays: Part 1


Using the above Single-Pole Double-Throw switches (SPDT), we constructed a simple circuit of alternating switches, per the diagram below.


However, this seemingly simple circuit provided many headaches, and troubleshooting with a multimeter to verify available voltage and continuity of the hand-built circuit pointed to a break in continuity within the bread board itself.



As it turned out, this conclusion was correct--this specific breadboard model has separate circuits for the top and bottom half of the board, noted by a small "W" stamped on the white plastic, just to the right of the ground-side of the brown wire in the picture above.



The next circuit posed more challenges, but of a different nature. Constructing the circuit manually proved to be difficult  due to the scale of the parts being manipulated and lack of finer, more precise tools. Furthermore, because the relay could not be set within the breadboard (while still achieving the desired circuit), an alternate method of attachment was devised by structuring the relay with two stiff, green, single-strand wires and its pins at a visible facing.

This structure may not have been ideal in the most ergonomic sense, but it provided a better method of troubleshooting shorts or opens in the circuit.


**This circuit and exercise is yet to be completed

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