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How To Wire Up LEDs to an Output Module
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...How To Wire Up LEDs to an Output Module
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Summary
This tutorial will show you how to wire up LEDs
to a SIM-board USB Output Module, and then show you how to test the
LED in the SIM-board Universal Controller, and how to assign an action
to the LED in the software to light up when the the parking brake is
set to on in Flight Simulator 2004.
You will need...
This "Show Me How..." tutorial is provided in addition
to the SIM-board USB Help Documentation.
It is recommended you refer to both this tutorial and the Help Documentation
for your modules.
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Step 1: Set Up Your Resistors
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Take one of the ribbon cable assemblies supplied with your SIM-board
USB Output Module and insert 8 of the supplied resistors into one
end of the cable assembly, as shown (right).
Ensure each resistor is securely in place and that the legs of each
resistor are clear of each other.
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Step 2: Connect resistor assembly to Output Module
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Connect the other end of the ribbon cable assembly to the bank of
pins marked "C Supp", located just above the USB connector
socket at the top of the right edge of the SIM-board USB Output Module.
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Step 3: Connect the jumpers
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Connect 8 of the supplied jumpers to the 8 pin pairs that make up
the "A Supp" bank, located at the top of the left edge of
the SIM-board USB Output Module.
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Step 4: Check your connections are correct
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Take this moment to verify that the resistors and jumpers
are connected correctly. A picture showing the resistor and jumper connections
that you have just made is shown below.
The 8 resistors and 8 jumpers provide the configuration to allow
64 of the LED nodes to be used. (If your Output Module is capable
of driving more than 64 nodes, you can use the second supplied ribbon
cable assembly and the remaining resistors to connect to the "D
Supp" bank, and 8 of the remaining jumpers to connect to the
"B Supp" bank. This combination will allow nodes 65 to 128
to operate as well.)
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Step 5: Connect LEDs
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Connect the positive terminal of your LED to the top pin of the pin
pair marked "1" of the bank marked "AxC1". Connect
the negative terminal to the pin below this.
Repeat this step for as many LEDs as you wish, working left to right
in sequence along the pins of the top side of the Output Module. This
top side of the module will take 64 connections. As described in step
4 above, you can continue your connections along the bottom side of
the Output Module, starting at pin 1 of bank "BxD1" as node
65, working along to pin 8 of bank "BxD8" for the 128th
(and final) LED connection.
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The picture (right) shows an assembly made
of a small piece of stripboard cut to size, with 2 ultra-bright white
LEDs soldered into place in parallel. The blue wire is the positive
connection and the white wire is the negative connection. You can connect
LEDs in a similar fashion if desired (often used for cockpit annunciator
lights) or you can connect LEDs individually as you require. The picture
also shows the blue and white wires have been crimp-terminated and inserted
into a 2-way crimp housing, to make a convenient individual connection.
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Step 6: Connect the power source wires to the Output Module
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The LEDs require power to operate, and you must supply a DC power
source to the Output Module to enable the LEDs to light up. To do
this, connect a pair of wires to the pin pair marked "BANK PWR
INCOMING" pin pair "1", located just below the USB
socket on the right edge of the SIM-board USB Output Module. The wire
connected to the top pin represents the positive terminal of the supply,
and the wire connected to the bottom pin represents the negative terminal.
The picture shows a pair of wires, red for positive and black for
negative.
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Step 7: Connect the power sharing jumpers
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Next, fit 3 of the supplied jumpers over the 3 pin pairs of the "PWR
SHARE" bank, located immediately below the "BANK PWR INCOMING"
bank. This serves the function of sharing the single power source
across all 4 operating banks, allowing all 128 nodes (maximum) to
be powered from the same source.
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Step 8: Connect the power source wires to the Master Module |
Connect the other end of the power wires that you connected to the
Output Module in step 6 to the pins marked "PWR NODE OUT A"
on the SIM-board USB Master Module.
Ensure the positive wire (represented by the red wire in the picture)
is connected to the top pin of the pin pair, and the negative (black)
is connected to the bottom pin of the pair.
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Step 9: Connect the power source directly to the Master Module
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Connect a 9V DC power supply fitted with a standard 2.1mm DC jack
to the socket marked "PWR NODE A" in the "POWER NODE
CONNECTIONS" area at the top of the SIM-board USB Master Module.
Ensure the DC supply jack has a "center-positive" arrangement
(this means the inner hole of the jack is the positive, and the outer
barrel is the negative).
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Step 10: Connect the Master Module and Output Module together
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Now that we have made our LED connections and connected our power
source to drive them, we can connect our SIM-boards together.
Using a USB cable (A-male to B-male), connect the A-male end of the
cable (flat end) to the USB socket marked "TO FIRST SIM-BOARD"
on the SIM-board USB Master Module.
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Step 11: Connect the Master Module and Output Module together (part 2)
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Connect the other end (the B-male or box end)
to the USB socket marked "FROM PREV" on the SIM-board USB
Output Module.
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Step 12: Connect the Master Module to your PC
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Using a second USB cable, connect the B-male (box) end of the cable
to the USB socket marked "TO PC USB PORT" on the SIM-board
USB Master Module.
Finally, connect the other end of the cable to a free USB socket
on your PC.
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Step 13: Install the SIM-board USB drivers
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(If you have already installed the Windows driver file for SIM-boards
USB, skip this step and go straight to Step 14).
If this is the first time that your SIM-boards have been connected
to this USB port on your computer, Windows will attempt to identify
the hardware item. A few seconds after you connect the Master Module
to your PC, Windows will pop up a "Found New Hardware" dialog
box.
You should follow the instructions detailed in the "How
To Install the SIM-board USB Windows Driver file" tutorial,
which you can access here (it will pop up in a new browser window).
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Step 14: Load the SIM-board Universal Controller software
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Now load the SIM-board Universal Controller application in the normal
way.
A few seconds after loading, a new "USB Connection" will
be listed in the left hand side of the window, and the Output Module
will be listed as "Module 01".
Click on the "Module 01" Output Module entry in the list
to display this module's nodes for configuration.
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Step 15: Set module function
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The first action to take is to verify that the Output Module has
the correct configuration set for use. Given that steps 1 to 3 of
this tutorial have set up the Output Module for Common Anode arrangement,
we must also ensure that the software tells the Output Module that
we want it to operate in Common Anode mode.
To do this, click on the current Module Function that is assigned
to reveal a drop-down list of options. The list of options shown
will depend on the module you have purchased (the picture shows
the options for a top-of-the-range SIM-board USB Output Module MAXI
version). Select a function from the list that refers to common
anode mode.
Note: the default setting for all Output Modules is common anode,
so unless you have previously changed this setting, you should not
need to alter this setting.
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Step 16: Test the LEDs
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To test the LEDs, click on the circular disc shape next to the
"Node 01" text of node 1.
By clicking on this disc, the LED will toggle on and off and the
disc will change colour to represent the current state of the LED
(green for on, red for off).
Additionally, right-clicking on the disc will bring up the brightness
slider control, allowing you to test the brightness fading of the
node. Slide the slider from fully bright (255) to fully dim (0)
and back again.
If this test performs correctly, you have successfully wired up
your LEDs to the associated nodes.
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Step 17: Assign a Flight Simulator function to a test node
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Having verified that the LEDs are operating correctly in test mode,
you can now assign a function to a node to have it automatically
turn on and off depending on a given aircraft condition within flight
simulator.
For this example, we will use the parking brake indication.
Click on Node 01 to expand the node and reveal its configuration
settings. Then click on "On value" and from the list that
pops up, select "FS Parking Brake On" from the "FS
: Gear" subsection. This action will command the LED to light
up when the parking brake is on within flight simulator, and will
command the LED off when the parking brake is released. Click "Select"
to assign this action to this node.
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Step 18: Load Flight Simulator
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Load Flight Simulator on your PC, or if you are using WideFS over
a network, ensure you have Flight Simulator and the appropriate applications
of WideFS running and connected properly.
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Step 19: Run your test project
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From the left hand side of the SIM-board Universal Controller window,
select the "Run Project" option. Your simple project will
begin to run, meaning that it is now active and commanding the LED
as you have set it. If there is a problem with the project, or an
error occurs, the details will be shown in the message area at the
bottom of the window.
To test your project, minimize the SIM-board Universal Controller
window and use your keyboard to toggle the parking brake on and off
within flight simulator. The keyboard actions to do this are: period
key (.) to release the parking brake (off) and Ctrl-period to set
the parking brake (on). When you perform these actions, your LED will
turn on and off as appropriate.
Congratulations! You have now made your first project using LEDs
with a SIM-board USB Output Module.
To stop your project, click on "Stop Project".
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Step 20: Use the Floating Help Icon
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You will notice that as you move your mouse over the nodes, a "floating
help" icon appears which when clicked, offers you in-program
help with connecting your devices. Help is provided for each node
type for each module available in the SIM-board USB series, and will
offer you further Step-by-Step instructions on how to wire the given
node that you have clicked on.
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Go back to: SIM-boards "Show Me How" Series 
How To Wire Up LEDs to an Output Module