Getting Started

Welcome to the 1031 user guide! In order to get started, make sure you have the following hardware on hand:

• 1031 PhidgetLED-64
• USB cable and computer
• power supply
• LEDs and cables

Next, you will need to connect the pieces:

1. Connect the power supply to the barrel jack. If your power supply does not have a jack, you can connect the wires to the power terminal beside it, making sure the polarity is correct.
2. Connect LEDs to the PhidgetLED's outputs. You can slide the pins of an LED into the connector (short end to a black wire, and the long end to the red wire beside it), or you can cut the LED cable in half and solder the LED on.
3. Connect the PhidgetLED to your computer using the USB cable.

Now that you have everything together, let's start using the 1031!

Using the 1031

Phidget Control Panel

In order to demonstrate the functionality of the 1031, the Phidget Control Panel running on a Windows machine will be used.

The Phidget Control Panel is available for use on both macOS and Windows machines.

Windows

To open the Phidget Control Panel on Windows, find the icon in the taskbar. If it is not there, open up the start menu and search for Phidget Control Panel

macOS

To open the Phidget Control Panel on macOS, open Finder and navigate to the Phidget Control Panel in the Applications list. Double click on the icon to bring up the Phidget Control Panel.

For more information, take a look at the getting started guide for your operating system:

• Getting started with Windows
• Getting started with macOS

Linux users can follow the getting started with Linux guide and continue reading here for more information about the 1031.

First Look

After plugging the 1031 into your computer and opening the Phidget Control Panel, you will see something like this:

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 If your Phidget is listed in red, your firmware is out of date.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 (LED)

Double-click on a Digital Output object, labelled LED Driver, in order to run the example:

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

• From the Forward Voltage drop-down menu, select the appropriate voltage for your LED. It is recommended to set the forward voltage to the first setting above the maximum voltage specified by your LED's datasheet.
• Use the Current Limit slider to set an appropriate limit for your LED. The current limit will be specified in your LED's datasheet.
• Use the large button to toggle power to the LED.
• Use the Duty Cycle slider to precisely control the amount of power supplied to the LED.

Finding The Addressing Information

Before you can access the device in your own code, and from our examples, you'll need to take note of the addressing parameters for your Phidget. These will indicate how the Phidget is physically connected to your application. For simplicity, these parameters can be found by clicking the button at the top of the Control Panel example for that Phidget.

In the Addressing Information window, the section above the line displays information you will need to connect to your Phidget from any application. In particular, note the Channel Class field as this will be the API you will need to use with your Phidget, and the type of example you should use to get started with it. The section below the line provides information about the network the Phidget is connected on if it is attached remotely. Keep track of these parameters moving forward, as you will need them once you start running our examples or your own code.

Using Your Own Program

You are now ready to start writing your own code for the device. The best way to do that is to start from our Code Samples.

Select your programming language of choice from the drop-down list to get an example for your device. You can use the options provided to further customize the example to best suit your needs.

Once you have your example, you will need to follow the instructions on the page for your programming language to get it running. To find these instructions, select your programming language from the Programming Languages page.

Technical Details

General

The 1031 uses four controller chips that allow you to vary the current and voltage supplied to each channel. It does not use pulse-width modulation, another common control method for LEDs.

Multiple LEDs on a Single Channel

You can have multiple LEDs hooked up to a single channel on the 1031, (for example, a short string of LEDs) to reduce the amount of wiring, although keep in mind that you'll lose control of the individual lights, and can only toggle or dim the entire string. When using multiple LEDs on a single channel, you'll need to increase the voltage limit for that channel. If the LEDs are too dim at the maximum voltage, you should spread them out to other channels.

High-Current Considerations

If you're using high-current LEDs, you should spread your load evenly across the board to avoid having one of the controller chips overheat. There are four controller chips, each controlling the channels on a quarter of the board.

Board Connector Diagram

The connector used on the 1031 LED board is a Molex 70543-0003. The mating connector used on our LED cables is the Molex 50-57-9404.

Further Reading

For more information, take a look at the LED Primer.

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.