Author Topic: Choosing a switch for DC signals of small current  (Read 2683 times)

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Offline takedaTopic starter

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Choosing a switch for DC signals of small current
« on: November 24, 2015, 06:23:08 pm »
Hi all,

I need to create a board with a lot of switches. That switches will control some jumpers on a development kit for a microcontroller (there is no need to say something specific about this).

Consider that the development kit has some 2-pin headers that when connected (short circuited) with a jumper they configure the kit.
Typically they are all pulled up 3.3V lines that are grounded when short circuited.

I need to create a board that will control the development kit's pin headers so that I can create a set of different configurations for the jumpers.

This is required because I need to run nightly acceptance tests for the DK, during which the jumper configuration changes (from test to test)

But enough with this. A am mostly a software engineer, I know how to use a relay, the basic BJT configurations but I can't make a decision on this
since I need a lot of switches (let's say 40) that will be controlled by a microcontroller (and some extra digital circuitry accessories)

Any ideas on what to choose for this switch?
Should I use miniature smd relays (which is the easiest but very expensive and space consuming)?
Could I use optocouplers as a DC switch for low current? (<1mA) Anything else?
Can I use analog switches such as dg9431?

Thanks
« Last Edit: November 24, 2015, 06:40:47 pm by takeda »
 

Offline Jeroen3

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Re: Choosing a switch for DC signals of small current
« Reply #1 on: November 24, 2015, 06:39:09 pm »
Buy more development kits. (fastest)

A switchmatrix all depends on the functions of the pins. Are these fully digital, or do they share analog for some features or maybe open drain like i2c.
« Last Edit: November 24, 2015, 06:42:19 pm by Jeroen3 »
 

Offline takedaTopic starter

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Re: Choosing a switch for DC signals of small current
« Reply #2 on: November 24, 2015, 06:41:20 pm »
This is impossible since I have more than 20 configurations per test suite. Anyway, consider this impossible.
« Last Edit: November 24, 2015, 06:50:18 pm by takeda »
 

Offline suicidaleggroll

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Re: Choosing a switch for DC signals of small current
« Reply #3 on: November 24, 2015, 06:42:05 pm »
Typically they are all pulled up 3.3V lines that are grounded when short circuited.

Is that always the case?  If so there's no need for switches/relays at all, you should be able to just drive them directly from a 3.3v GPIO (or shift register or similar).  You could also use Nch FETs to pull the 3.3v side down to ground.
 

Offline takedaTopic starter

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Re: Choosing a switch for DC signals of small current
« Reply #4 on: November 24, 2015, 06:49:57 pm »
Yes you are right, I can use a shift register and drive from the output of this ensuring there is a protective in series resistor.

Yes this is always the case, some pulled up lines to Vcc (where VCC is typically 3.3V). There are some leds also on the board controlled by a jumper but I don't need to control them electronically.

Thanks
 

Offline takedaTopic starter

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Re: Choosing a switch for DC signals of small current
« Reply #5 on: November 24, 2015, 07:43:49 pm »
I have been naive, I am sorry for the misleading information. The jumper configuration regards connections between a microprocessor's pins
to external lines like UART pins of an FT232 chip.

Let's say it's a Atmel 8bit proc on side and an ft232 chip on the other and some jumpers connect

AVR's PinB0 --> FTDI UART TX
AVR's PinB1 --> FTDI UART RX

something like that for all pins. No pulled up lines in any case (except just for the reset line)

I think I will go with miniature relays, 16 per development kit.
 

Offline Jeroen3

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Re: Choosing a switch for DC signals of small current
« Reply #6 on: November 24, 2015, 07:57:04 pm »
Is it this board perhaps? https://www.embeddedartists.com/products/lpcxpresso/xpr_base.php
It has the highest count of selection jumpers I've ever seen. And that includes that some switches operate muxes and buffers.
 

Offline takedaTopic starter

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Re: Choosing a switch for DC signals of small current
« Reply #7 on: November 24, 2015, 08:22:14 pm »
No it's not. I would prefer to not say. Sorry
 

Offline Simon

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Re: Choosing a switch for DC signals of small current
« Reply #8 on: November 25, 2015, 07:37:27 am »
You can get electronicly controlled analogue switches.
 


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