How to connect input?

Once you read my question it will be obvious that I am very new to this.
Q: how do you attach your inputs to the WebControl digital input? Are there specific plugs one can purchase, use something from old computers? I have ordered Digital Thermomerters but have not received them yet.
Rainer

If you are connecting to 1-wire bus, you connect it to the 1-wire terminal. If you connect it to analog or TTL input, you will need to connect to the 16 pin plug.  That part number is listed in the user guide.  Or you can use Ross' terminal board,  you can write to RossW on this forum to order it. or  there is another post in this sub forum  points to a plug and connector that you can purchase online...
 

That helps a ton, TY!

I have used a old 16 pin dual header to 15 pin mini-D cable found in the older PCs. These were cables that extended the serial ports from the I/O board to the back of the PC case. One pin wiring is missing but I didn't need that one. From there an old serial extension cable split in half gets me loose wires to connect to terminals or solder. There are also break-out boards just for this particular port but you will also need a cable jumper.

Breakout board - whoda thought! Again, am new to this - at 57 trying to understand electricity
TYVM for that information - it does help.
Still have to figure out how to connect 7 temp sensors in a row, but I will experiment when I get the order.
Great help!

Rainer

rfeyer said:

Breakout board - whoda thought!

Click to expand...

 
Also http://webcontrol.rossw.net/ if you want something for the WC8

TY for the link and I most likely will once I understand electronics a little more - currently I am still not sure how to connect temp sensors in a row, so, that has to be tackled first

rfeyer said:

I am still not sure how to connect temp sensors in a row,

Click to expand...

What kind of sensor did you order?
 
For my projects used a combination of naked DS18B20 sensors in TO92 packages and premade cable assemblies.
 
The TO92 package works great if you are mounting the sensor on a PC board. To measure other stuff I use temperature assemblies from eBay. To attach the sensor to the main cable used old 4-terminal telephone junction blocks I had laying around.
http://www.ebay.com/itm/10pcs-DS18b20-Waterproof-Temperature-Sensors-Temperature-Transducer-BEST-/171288961886?pt=LH_DefaultDomain_0&hash=item27e19e235e
 
/tom

tom.
thank you for the reply - I did order the DS18B20's. Tried to find out what a TO92 package is but could not find, will continue to search.
 
I will have up to 7 temp sensors scattered around the house, but again, do not know how to have them run in serial. But I have not received them yet (did not know the Amazon provider was in China, hence, could take another 4 weeks), but will order the ones you sent the link for if I can get them earlier, then I can do a trial and error connection.
Junction blocks sound like a great idea! I was raised in Germany many decades ago and wires were split together with screw in junction boxes, very convenient. I will see if I can find them online.
Thanks for your help!

Rainer

TO92 is a common three lead plastic transistor package. It is easier to use then the smaller surface mount packages.
http://www.ebay.com/itm/5PCS-DS18B20-DALLAS-18B20-TO-92-1-Wire-Digital-Temperature-Sensor-IC-/201200959743?pt=LH_DefaultDomain_0&hash=item2ed88300ff
 
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/TO-92
 
To connect temperature sensors to the WC use a cable with at least three wires: 5V, ground, and data. Run it to each location you need a sensor. The sensor has three leads, connect them up to the cable. Each sensor has a unique serial number which is why you can connect up multiple sensor to the wire and still figure out which one is which.
 
/Tom

That TO92 looks nice - that way it can also be mounted on a board! TY for that - will play with these as well. Eventually the whole house will be hooked up as well (this is all kinda addicting )
 
As far as the temp sensors - the second can then be picky backed off the first (and so on) or does each individual sensor get hooked up back to the WC? I believe I read that it is piggy backed, yes?
 
I have ordered several eBooks on electricity/ electronics and micro-computing - so, my questions eventually should become more worthy (less ignorant)

You may like these ones too! If you search eBay sites you should find packages of 5 and 10 for even less money.
 
Make sure you get the three wire versions.

Amazing price! Unfortunate that it takes weeks for delivery, but, again, price wise it's worth it. I will get some more just in case. Am also making a list of items like resistors etc which I may need  and order ahead

The DS12B20 (note "B") claims 0.5% accuracy and with CAI's latest firmware will ship out 0.1% resolution into the WC8 board.
 
As a thermal sensor for human comfort usage accuracy they are ideal.
 
There is a bit of a defacto standard using RJ45 (8 pin - think Ethernet) jacks for 1Wire devices but unless you plan to introduce other brands and other off-beat sensors that use with those connectors it probably isn't worth your while to install a female on the WC8 to support that system. IOW, just wire them in to the terminals.  Of course the price increases with flexibility of that system.
 
I only use one digital input for my anemometer so I just found od PC junk-box parts for the input. For extensive I/O play I would consider Ross's expansion board due to less messy and you can install pull-up and pull-down resistor or other small adaptions to accommodate your personal affections.

I will definitely look into RossW's expansion board - and TY for the information above - hoping the DS12B20's will show up soon so I can start practicing.
I've just started reading about resistance, Pull Up/ Pull Down. Still sounds a little foreign, especially figuring out how much resistance one needs to consider, but, that is what reading and internet is for - big learning curve, but worth it at the end.
TY again!

Rainer