USBComputerInterface

Building a USB OpenDildonics Computer Interface

=Overview=

The OpenDildonics Computer Interface (ODCI) allows you to control both PWM and on-off type OpenDildonics devices.

=Procedures=

The steps involved in building a USB OpenDildonics Computer Interface are as follows:

Parts
In its most basic configuration - controlling PWM devices - you need only one component (besides a USB cable) to create the USB Computer Interface: a Parallax USB Servo Controller (Parallax PN: 28823). If you'd also like to control on-off type devices, you'll need a normally open (NO) reed relay that can be triggered with a 5-volt signal (such as Radio Shack PN: 275-233), a 100, a , and a length of wire. You'll also need standard tools like a, , s and something to hold your components in place while you solder them.

Assembly
If you only want to controller PWM devices there is no assembly needed. Simply connect your PWM device to an open channel on the servo controller and connect the servo controller to your computer using a USB cable.

If you want to control on-off devices as well, you'll need to build a small circuit to convert the PWM signals into ons and offs.



Connect a negative lead to both the out of the capacitor and one of the coil pins on the reed relay. On a Radio Shack SPST-12VDC Reed Relay (PN: 275-233) the coil pins are located on the side of the relay that has three pins. The two pins opposite each other on that end are the coil pins. Polarity isn't important here, so just attach to the coil pin of your choice.

Next solder the other end of the capacitor to the output end of the diode (it should be marked with a line) and solder a wire from that connection to the other coil pin on the relay.

Now solder a positive lead to the input pin on the diode, and finally, solder positive and negative wires to the two available pins on the relay.

The two free wires attached to the relay are your Output wires. They will connect to your OpenDildonics Device. The other two wires are your Input wires and connect to the Parallax USB Servo Controller.

Use a standard PWM servo cable to connect the circuit you just made to the servo controller. The controller is labelled as to which pins provide Positive (+), Negative (-), and Signal (s). The Signal pin gets connected to the positive Input wire and the Negative pin gets connected to the negative Input wire.

Connecting to your device
The positive and negative Output wires connect to your OpenDildonics Device in whatever manner you have chosen - soldering, crimping, or through a connector like a 2.5mm Phone Jack (Radio Shack PN: 274-245) and Plug (Radio Shack PN: 274-289).

In the image to the left you can see the PWM cable disappearing behind the breadboard. The components on the front side are soldered to their wires on the back side with the positive and negative connections for the device jack being fed back through to the front.

The device plug in the picture goes off to a standard on-off type OpenDildonics Device. I happen to have used different plugs, but the recommended type is the 2.5mm Phone type.

Connect your PWM devices to any of the available channels on the servo controller board. If you want to control more than one on-off type device at a time using the USB ODCI you'll need to create more relay circuits like the one described above.