REL1000 User Guide

Required Hardware

• A REL1000 4x Relay Phidget
• A VINT Hub
• A Power supply
• A 3-wire Phidget cable
• A USB cable
• A computer

Connecting the Pieces

1. Connect the REL1000 to the VINT Hub using the Phidget cable.
2. Connect the VINT Hub to your computer with a USB cable.
3. Connect the circuits you're switching to the terminal blocks on the REL1000. If you want the circuit to be closed by default when the relay is not energized, connect the two ends of the circuit to the NC and COM terminals. If you want the circuit to be open by default, connect it to the NO and COM terminals instead. It doesn't matter which end of the circuit is connected connected to each of the two terminals in either case.
4. Connect the power supply to the barrel jack on the REL1000.

Testing Using Windows

Phidget Control Panel

In order to demonstrate the functionality of the REL1000, the Phidget Control Panel running on a Windows machine will be used.

The Phidget Control Panel is available for use on both macOS and Windows machines.

Windows

To open the Phidget Control Panel on Windows, find the icon in the taskbar. If it is not there, open up the start menu and search for Phidget Control Panel

macOS

To open the Phidget Control Panel on macOS, open Finder and navigate to the Phidget Control Panel in the Applications list. Double click on the icon to bring up the Phidget Control Panel.

For more information, take a look at the getting started guide for your operating system:

• Getting started with Windows
• Getting started with macOS

Linux users can follow the getting started with Linux guide and continue reading here for more information about the REL1000.

First Look

After plugging the REL1000 into your computer and opening the Phidget Control Panel, you will see something like this:

The Phidget Control Panel will list all connected Phidgets and associated objects, as well as the following information:

• Serial number: allows you to differentiate between similar Phidgets.
• Channel: allows you to differentiate between similar objects on a Phidget.
• Version number: corresponds to the firmware version your Phidget is running. If your Phidget is listed in red, your firmware is out of date. Update the firmware by double-clicking the entry.

The Phidget Control Panel can also be used to test your device. Double-clicking on an object will open an example.

Relay Output

Double-click on a Digital Output object labelled Power Relay in order to run the example: [[Image:{{{1}}}_RelayOutput_Example.jpg|center|link=]]

General information about the selected object will be displayed at the top of the window. You can also experiment with the following functionality:

• Toggle the state of the relay by pressing the button.

Testing Using Mac OS X

1. Go to the Quick Downloads section on the Mac OS X page.
2. Download and run the Phidget OS X Installer
3. Click on System Preferences >> Phidgets (under Other) to activate the Preference Pane
4. Make sure your device is properly attached
5. Double click on your device's objects in the listing to open them. The Preference Pane and examples will function very similarly to the ones described above in the Windows section.

Testing Using Linux

For a general step-by-step guide on getting Phidgets running on Linux, see the Linux page.

Using a Remote OS

We recommend testing your Phidget on a desktop OS before moving on to remote OS. Once you've tested your Phidget, you can go to the PhidgetSBC, or iOS pages to learn how to proceed.

Technical Details

Safety

The relays on the REL1000 are SPDT (Single pole, double throw). This means there is a Common pin (C), a Normally Open pin (NO) and a Normally Closed pin (NC). When the relay is unpowered, the switch will be resting in the Normally Closed position, as seen in the diagram. When the relay's DigitalOutput object is toggled in software, it will switch to the Normally Open position. If the DigitalOutput object is closed (using the Close() method), the relay will always return to the Normally Closed position. For this reason, it is considered a best practice to call Close() at the end of your program on in the "closing" portion of your project.

If communication between the REL1000 and your computer is broken (e.g. if the Phidget cable is unplugged), the relay will not change state. You will, however, get a detach event for the attached channels of that Phidget, so you may want to handle this case in your DigitalOutput detach handler. Since communication is already interrupted at this point, you can't tell the DigitalOutput to return to the Normally Closed position, but you can set a warning in your program to notify someone to come and reset the system manually.

Further Reading

You can read more about how mechanical relays work on our Mechanical Relay Primer.

What to do Next

• Programming Languages - Find your preferred programming language here and learn how to write your own code with Phidgets!
• Phidget Programming Basics - Once you have set up Phidgets to work with your programming environment, we recommend you read our page on to learn the fundamentals of programming with Phidgets.