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Unit 1 - 6115 4 St SE
Calgary AB  T2H 2H9
Canada

PHIDGETS Inc.

Unit 1 - 6115 4 St SE
Calgary AB  T2H 2H9
Canada
+1 403 282-7335

Dual Relay Board

ID: 3051_1B

This board has 2 SPDT mechanical relays rated at 210W for DC or 1750VA for AC.

$17.00

Quantity Available: 1000+

Qty Price
5 $16.15
10 $15.30
25 $13.60
50 $11.90
100 $11.05
50+...

For new systems and projects, we recommend using the following VINT products instead of this one.

The Dual Relay Board allows you to control larger loads and devices like AC or DC motors, electromagnets, solenoids, and incandescent light bulbs.

Features

  • Control two SPDT mechanical relays
  • Powered by an analog port of a PhidgetInterfaceKit
  • Each channel can be controlled with a logic-level digital output

Note: This board is not suitable for switching signals. It takes at least 100mA of current to bridge the oxide layer that forms on the relay contacts, and most signals will not meet this requirement. If you need to switch signals, check out the 1017 - PhidgetInterfaceKit 0/0/8.

Connection

This relay board can be controlled with Phidget digital outputs. For more details, see the Connection & Compatibility tab.

Guides

InterfaceKits and Hubs

This board requires an analog port for power and a pair of 5V digital outputs to trigger the two relays. Below is a list of Phidgets that have both of these features. If you are planning on using a VINT Hub, you should buy two REL2001 boards instead of the 3051.

Product Digital Outputs Board Properties
Part Number Price Number of Digital Outputs Digital Output Current Max Digital Output Voltage Max Controlled By
OUT1100_0
4x Digital Output Phidget
$15.00 4 16 mA 5 V DC VINT
1018_3B
PhidgetInterfaceKit 8/8/8
$80.00 8 5 V DC USB (Mini-USB)
1011_0
PhidgetInterfaceKit 2/2/2
$50.00 2 16 mA 5 V DC USB (Mini-USB)
1018_2B
PhidgetInterfaceKit 8/8/8
$80.00 8 16 mA 5 V DC USB (Mini-USB)
1010_0
PhidgetInterfaceKit 8/8/8 Mini-Format
$70.00 8 16 mA 5 V DC USB (Mini-USB)
1019_1B
PhidgetInterfaceKit 8/8/8 w/6 Port Hub
$110.00 8 16 mA 5 V DC USB (Mini-USB)
1203_2B
PhidgetTextLCD 20X2 : White : Integrated PhidgetInterfaceKit 8/8/8
$70.00 8 16 mA 5 V DC USB (Mini-USB)

Phidget Cables

A Phidget Cable is needed to connect this device to a Phidget Hub or InterfaceKit. You can solder multiple cables together in order to make even longer Phidget cables, but you should be aware of the effects of having long wires in your system.

Product Physical Properties
Part Number Price Cable Length
3003_0
Phidget Cable 10cm
$1.50 100 mm
CBL4104_0
Phidget Cable 30cm
$1.75 300 mm
3002_0
Phidget Cable 60cm
$2.00 600 mm
CBL4109_0
Phidget Cable 60cm
$2.00 600 mm
CBL4105_0
Phidget Cable 90cm
$2.00 900 mm
3038_0
Phidget Cable 120cm
$2.25 1.2 m
CBL4106_0
Phidget Cable 150cm
$2.50 1.5 m
3039_0
Phidget Cable 180cm
$2.75 1.8 m
3004_0
Phidget Cable 350cm
$3.00 3.5 m
KIT4030_0
Phidget Cable Kit
$10.00 80 mm

Enclosures

You can protect your board from dust and debris by purchasing an enclosure. An enclosure will also prevent unintentional shorts caused by objects touching the pins on the bottom of the board or any terminal screws.

Product Physical Properties
Part Number Price Material
3820_2
Acrylic Enclosure for the 3051
$8.00 Clear Acrylic


Getting Started

Welcome to the 3051 user guide! In order to get started, make sure you have the following hardware on hand:

Next, you will need to connect the pieces:

3051 1 Connecting The Hardware.jpg
  1. Connect the circuit to the terminals of the 3051. Connect one end of the series circuit to the 1C (common) terminal, and the other to either the NO or NC terminal, depending on what state you want the circuit to start in.
  2. Connect the Phidget cable to the black connector on the 3051, and connect the other end to the analog input of the 1018. If you're using a non-Phidgets device, cut a Phidget cable in half, connect the red wire to a 5V supply, and the black wire to the ground. The white wire is not used.
  3. Connect the control 1 terminal on the relay to the digital output on the 1018 using a piece of hook-up wire.
  4. Connect the 1018 to the computer using the USB cable.


Now that you have everything together, let's start using the 3051!

Using the 3051

Phidget Control Panel

In order to demonstrate the functionality of the 3051, we will connect it to the 1018, and then run an example using the Phidget Control Panel on a Windows machine.


The Phidget Control Panel is available for use on both macOS and Windows machines. If you would like to follow along, first take a look at the getting started guide for your operating system:


Linux users can follow the getting started with Linux guide and continue reading here for more information about the 3051.

First Look

After plugging in the 3051 into the 1018, and the 1018 into your computer, open the Phidget Control Panel. You will see something like this:

1018 Panel.jpg


The Phidget Control Panel will list all connected Phidgets and associated objects, as well as the following information:

  • Serial number: allows you to differentiate between similar Phidgets.
  • Channel: allows you to differentiate between similar objects on a Phidget.
  • Version number: corresponds to the firmware version your Phidget is running. If your Phidget is listed in red, your firmware is out of date. Update the firmware by double-clicking the entry.


The Phidget Control Panel can also be used to test your device. Double-clicking on an object will open an example.

Digital Output

Double-click on a Digital Output object in order to run the example:

3051 DigitalOutput OnOff Example.jpg


General information about the selected object will be displayed at the top of the window. You can also experiment with the following functionality:

  • Toggle the state of the digital output by pressing the button. This will change the relay state.


Technical Details

General

A relay is an electrically-controlled switch. Although many types of electrical switches exist, a relay's mechanical nature gives it the advantage of reliability and current-switching capacity. The main disadvantage to using mechanical relays is their limited life-span, as opposed to solid state relays who do not suffer from this drawback. For more information on mechanical relays refer to the Mechanical Relay Guide


Using a Digital Output Relay

3051 1 Relay Diagram.jpg

Relays have a connection scheme determined by the arrangement of contacts within the relay. Because relays are a type of switch, they are defined in the same way other electromechanical switches are defined. In switch schemes, the number of poles represents the number of common terminals a switch has, and the number of throws represents the number of switchable terminals that exist for each pole. The relays used in the Dual Relay Board are SPDT relays: single pole, double throw. The internal construction of this type of relay is depicted in the diagram to the right. Many other types of relays exist: SPST, DPDT, and DPST, to name a few. In an SPDT relay, one of the throw terminals is labelled Normally Closed (NC), and the other is labelled Normally Open (NO). As the name indicates, the normally closed terminal is the terminal connected to common when the relay coil is not powered. When the relay coil is energized by the relay control circuit, the electromagnetic field of the coil forces the switch element inside the relay to break its contact with the normally closed terminal and make contact with the normally open terminal. The switch element would then connect the normally open terminal and the common terminal.

Using Relays as an H-Bridge to implement Forward/Reverse

Connect the load to the COM terminals, in this case the wires of a DC motor. The Normally Open (NO) terminals are connected to the power supply (VCC), and the Normally Closed (NC) terminals are connected to the ground (GND) of the power supply. Connect the Control pins to a digital output. You can toggle the corresponding output to switch the relays. Looking at the diagram, when LeftCtrl is enabled and RightCtrl is disabled, the current will flow from the NO terminal of relay K1 through the motor and into the NC terminal of relay K2. This will cause the motor to rotate in one direction. Similarily, if LeftCtrl is disabled and RightCtrl is enabled, the current will flow from the NO terminal of relay K2 through the motor and into the NC terminal of relay K1. This will cause the motor to rotate in the opposite direction. When both LeftCtrl and RightCtrl are disabled, both ends of the motor will be shorted to ground and no current will flow. When both leftCtrl and RightCtrl are enabled, both ends of the motor will be shorted to VCC and again, no current will flow.

1014 1 Bridge Diagram.jpg


Wetting Current

When a relay is in one switch position for a period of time, oxidation of the open contact(s) can occur. Depending upon the internal coating material of the contacts, oxide films of varying density will be displaced upon the surface of open contacts; this film acts as an insulator to current flow. When the relay is switched, a certain amount of current flowing through the contacts, known as the wetting current, is required to remove the film of oxides and ensure proper conduction. Because of this requirement, these relays are not reliable for signal switching. See the device specification on page 10 for detailed requirements.

Load Noise

If highly inductive loads are used with the Dual Relay Board, it is recommended that a noise limiting component be used to prevent damage to the device. An MOV, TVS diode, or kickback diode (for DC applications) shunted across the load will assist in dissipating voltage transients.

Phidget Cable

Analoginput.jpg

The Phidget Cable is a 3-pin, 0.100 inch pitch locking connector. Pictured here is a plug with the connections labelled. The connectors are commonly available - refer to the Analog Input Primer for manufacturer part numbers.

What to do Next

  • Programming Languages - Find your preferred programming language here and learn how to write your own code with Phidgets!
  • Phidget Programming Basics - Once you have set up Phidgets to work with your programming environment, we recommend you read our page on to learn the fundamentals of programming with Phidgets.


This device doesn't have an API of its own. It is controlled by opening two DigitalOutput channels on the Phidget that it's connected to. For a list of compatible Phidgets with Digital Outputs, see the Connection & Compatibility tab.

You can find details for the DigitalOutput API on the API tab for the Phidget that this relay connects to.

Product Specifications

Physical Properties
Switch Type SPDT
Switching Speed Max 20 cpm
Recommended Wire Size (Control) 16 - 26 AWG
Recommended Wire Size (Load) 12 - 24 AWG
Operating Temperature Min 0 °C
Operating Temperature Max 70 °C
Board Properties
Controlled By Digital Output (5V)
Current Consumption Min 14 mA
Current Consumption Max 180 mA
Supply Voltage Min 3.3 V DC
Supply Voltage Max 12 V DC
Electrical Properties
Dielectric Strength 1.5 kV AC
Contact Resistance Max 100 mΩ
Load Voltage Max (DC) * 30 V DC
Load Voltage Max (AC) 277 V AC
Load Current Min 100 mA
Load Current Max (DC) 7 A
Load Current Max (AC) 12 A
Turn-on Time Max 10 ms
Turn-off Time Max 10 ms
Customs Information
Canadian HS Export Code 8473.30.00
American HTS Import Code 8473.30.51.00
Country of Origin CN (China)

*Note: Switching this relay at voltages higher than 30V will result in a reduced product lifespan.

Please Note: This relay cannot be switched at its maximum AC voltage and current at the same time. Ensure that total power of the load does not exceed the switching power for the relay. For example, you can switch this relay at 277V AC and 6.3A (1750VA), or at 145V AC and 12A (1750VA), but not at 277V and 12A (3324VA).

Documents

Estimated Relay Lifespan

The lifespan of the relays on this Phidget vary depending on how much current you're switching and whether it's AC or DC. The following graph illustrates the relationship between load current and relay lifespan:

FUNCTIONAL

The vertical axis is the lifespan of the relay (number of actuations) and the horizontal axis is load current in amps. As you can see, increasing load current from 5A to 10A can reduce relay life by more than half.

Product History

Date Board Revision Device Version Packaging Revision Comment
October 2007 0N/A Product Release
September 20081N/ABigger connectors, Bigger board
September 20201N/ABRemoved Phidget Cable from packaging

Have a look at our relay boards:

Product Electrical Properties
Part Number Price Load Current Max (AC) Load Voltage Max (AC) Load Current Max (DC) Load Voltage Max (DC)
REL1101_1
16x Isolated Solid State Relay Phidget
$50.00 (per channel) 8 A (per channel) 30 V DC
REL1100_0
4x Isolated Solid State Relay Phidget
$25.00 (per channel) 8 A (per channel) 30 V DC
REL1000_0
4x Relay Phidget
$30.00 12 A 277 V AC 7 A * 30 V DC
1014_3
PhidgetInterfaceKit 0/0/4
$55.00 12 A 277 V AC 7 A * 30 V DC
1017_2
PhidgetInterfaceKit 0/0/8
$85.00 2 A 250 V AC 2 A 120 V DC
REL2001_0
Relay Phidget
$10.00 12 A 277 V AC 7 A * 30 V DC
REL2002_0
Signal Relay Phidget
$12.00 2 A 240 V AC 2 A 120 V DC
REL2103_0
Solid State Relay Phidget
$15.00 10 A 30 V AC * 10 A 30 V DC
3051_1B
Dual Relay Board
$17.00 12 A 277 V AC 7 A * 30 V DC
3053_0
Dual SSR Relay Board
$30.00 (per channel) 9 A 28 V AC (per channel) 9 A 40 V DC
1012_3
PhidgetInterfaceKit 0/16/16
$95.00
3054_0
SSR Relay Board 0.5A
$10.00 500 mA 28 V AC 500 mA 40 V DC
3052_1
SSR Relay Board 2.5A
$15.00 2.5 A 28 V AC 2.5 A 40 V DC
1014_2B
PhidgetInterfaceKit 0/0/4
$55.00 12 A 277 V AC 7 A * 30 V DC
1017_1B
PhidgetInterfaceKit 0/0/8
$85.00 2 A 250 V AC 2 A * 120 V DC