Controller Test Bar

[blurp]

Here's my new 24-channel controller test bar. I got sick of having to gather up strings of lights every time I needed to test a controller. 24 night lights, 24 sheetrock screws, and a stick. Now I can just grab the female pigtails from the controller and slap them on the nightlights quickly.

P1020320.JPGP1020321.JPG

[FIRECOP252]

Good Idea....might have to consider doing something like that myself...thanks for sharing

[dirknerkle]

Terrific idea!

[Materdaddy]

I had a similar approach for an 8-channel controller although I wasn't testing the controller so much as I was testing some code I wrote.

I wanted something easy/simple that wasn't a whole string of lights and took up too much room. Now I have the entire thing in a 99¢ pencil box from staples.

[Wayne J]

Blurp,
Fantastic idea! I like the route you took. I may have to make me one of those.

I had a similar approach for an 8-channel controller although I wasn't testing the controller so much as I was testing some code I wrote.

I wanted something easy/simple that wasn't a whole string of lights and took up too much room. Now I have the entire thing in a 99¢ pencil box from staples.

I followed a similar route. I made it to mount the board so I could work on it some if needed.

testboard.JPG

[Materdaddy]

Blurp,
Fantastic idea! I like the route you took. I may have to make me one of those.



I followed a similar route. I made it to mount the board so I could work on it some if needed.

testboard.JPG

I like all of these ideas using spare/old parts!

Wayne, I especially like the stand-offs you have to mount the PCB.

[CaptKirk]

Now if ONLY there was some sort of inexpensive solid state indicator that we could build on board that could indicate a channel is active. It would need to be some sort of light emitting device of some sort- maybe even a diode type thing. Too bad there is not anything we could use like that on controller designs...



BTW Matterdaddy, your video is giving me a Chumby...

[budude]

Now if ONLY there was some sort of inexpensive solid state indicator that we could build on board that could indicate a channel is active. It would need to be some sort of light emitting device of some sort- maybe even a diode type thing. Too bad there is not anything we could use like that on controller designs...



BTW Matterdaddy, your video is giving me a Chumby...

gee - subtle... Only issue is that the LED does not tell you that the TRIAC is working which is really the important thing to test...

[CaptKirk]

Brian, when I have I ever been subtle! And I grant you the actual output is not tested but channel indicators sure go a LONG way to being able to SEE the health of a board, even if just the logic and not the true output. Besides it is ANOTHER blinky/flashy show on your board! We don't need more cowbell, we need more LED!!

[Matt_Edwards]

Capt'n is dreaming of the good olde days with the OLSEN 595 boards.

You could of course upgrade to RPMs 16Ch AC controller. They have LEDs in series with the optos.