Re: poor man's IO?

[nobody@xxxxxxxxxxxx (Dave Houston)]

"E. Lee Dickinson" <lee@xxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxx> wrote:

>
>"wkearney99" <wkearney99@xxxxxxxxxxx> wrote in message
>news:3tSdnc1BCNmzs3jfRVn-iQ@xxxxxxxxxxxxxxxx
>> I'm aware of that one can use a gamepad or joystick to provide a "poor
>> man's
>> I/O interface" for input signals.  But how about output relay closures?
>> What's available with a USB interface that would lend itself to being used
>> for controlling switches, presumably with external relays?  I'm thinking
>> of
>> using something like this for handling stuff like the 12v signalling
>> question posed in another thread.  I'm not insisting on taking the cheap
>> way
>> out but would prefer to find something in the sub-$50 range.  Perhaps with
>> at least 8 outputs?
>
>There's a parallel port relay board available at www.electronickits.com - 8
>relays. They also have a serial version at around $60, iirc.
>
>The parallel port one is actually very simple, and you can find plans for an
>equivalent all over the 'net, and in a number of books. Basically, an
>optoisolator, transistor, and a relay.
>

The parallel port board cited is only $35 assembled.

     http://www.electronickits.com/kit/complete/elec/ck1601.htm

The same source has a USB I/O board (w/o relays) for just under $50 in kit
form. You'll pay far more for anything that's USB, assembled, with relays.
That may change now that the $5 Silicon Labs CP2102 chips are available.

     http://www.electronickits.com/kit/complete/data/vek8055.htm