
Jaychadw
United Kingdom
Asked
— Edited

I have a feeling this is going to be another silly question for the ez-gurus to snigger to them selves at, but i'd like to know if there is a device that can be used as a switch. In my case to turn a light on and off using the EZ-B. I played with the idea of using a servo as a switch but I am not really convinced this is the best way to go.
No there is no such thing as a silly question on this forum, we are all here so we can ask questions and if we can help others also. If you want to switch a mains ( ac )circuit I would suggest using a relay with an opto isolator,that will allow you to control it with a digital output from EZB You can purchase these as a complete unit.
Thank you for saying that. I always worry that some one is going to think I'm daft. Some forums people can be quite insulting and im still not used to the helpful freindlyness here.
Digital relay, I'm sure I've seen one of those recently
Please be carefull if you are switching ac mains voltage as it should be encased in a housing for safety.
this is a possibility
remember you may be asking a question that could assist others
If you are not familiar with making connections to a mains circuit I suggest you use a dc adaptor and say a 12v dc bulb to experiment with.
My plan is to basically connect a light to a battery. It isn't going mains powered. Although, I am also building an automatic docking station that is to power up when the robot gets to it so that is very useful for this.
I agree with Bravia. All questions are helpful. Even if we don't know the answer right away, you will have several people looking it up for you. Searching the forums may also yield an answer because it may have come up before. Here is another possibility like Bravia's but is solid state relay and rated for 2 amps. (always watch the volts and amps)
EBAY
Another EBAY
EDIT: I now see you're wanting it for DC. There are a few options in the forums to hand make them using TIP 120 transistors or MOSFETs. I will find premade ones and post below soon.
Single channel MOSFET
4 channel MOSFET
As I've said before you can always make them (i.e. TIP120 circuit) from designs posted in the forum by Rich and Josh.
@Bravia definitely has some good advice here, figured I'd add a bit to it.
@Jaychadw what you might be looking for is a Solid State Relay (SSR) which has all the benefits of a mechanical relay but without the noise (electrically and audibly). They seem to be getting pretty cheap in price on ebay.
EDIT: Sorry @Tony beat me to it
@Troy and @Bravia Excellent advise I really appreciate you guys putting the time in to help me with this. I know what you mean, everyone here has helped me with my understanding with everything in such a supportive manner.
I am very low on funds so building my own may be a good idea. Finding it hard enough to spare funds for servo's and sensors. That being said a prebuilt one would be far more suited to what I require. By nature I am a coder, including AI and CV, so making the leap to full robotics was only right and has been amazing but i'm still very unsure about making my own circuits. I'm ok soldering a load of pre made parts together in the right(ish) way to get results but beyond that I get a little stress
@Troy and @Bravia i'm certainly going to be looking into SSR's. Within a couple of hours I have a greater understanding of this. When I've raised my equipment and REALLY get going with what I'm doing, I can't wait to show you all. As in essence you've helped me create it
What about the TIP Circuit?