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  1. #1
    Join Date
    May 2019
    Posts
    6

    optical switch help

    What am I doing wrong here? Working on retrofitting my plasma table with all new electronics, but I cant get the old optical switches (homing for X and Y) to work. They have 3 wires. I figured out which ones are power and ground and put them their own 5v power supply. The last wire should be a signal wire that reads 5 volts when the light beam is detected or 0 volts when the beam is broken, no? I have the signal wire hooked up to my meter, but the voltage doesn't change when I break the beam. Fairly certain they work. I doubt both of them would go bad at the same time. The old manual from the machine says they run on 5 volts, but I looked up the part number and the specs have them at 10 volts. Think I should order a 10 volt power supply? Every other optical switch I've looked up runs on 5 volts, so I assumed mine would too.

  2. #2
    Join Date
    Feb 2009
    Posts
    6028

    Re: optical switch help

    Depends, NPN or PNP type ? May need a pull up or pull down resistor as well. Some interface boards have the pull up/down built in.

  3. #3
    Join Date
    May 2019
    Posts
    6

    Re: optical switch help

    I believe it to be PNP type. Here's a pic of the internal circuit according to the part number.

  4. #4
    Join Date
    Mar 2007
    Posts
    2083

    Re: optical switch help

    The internal diagram is for an open collector NPN output - the output either switches to ground or is open circuit whats the part number?

    which breakout board or controller are you connecting the optical switches to ?

    John

  5. #5
    Join Date
    May 2019
    Posts
    6

    Re: optical switch help

    Part number: sx4009-p1

    Using a G540 drive. I’m having doubts on these things working. I just wanted to use em since they’re already installed on the machine. Probably gonna end up tossing them and just fabbing up some brackets for some micro switches

  6. #6
    Join Date
    May 2019
    Posts
    6

    Re: optical switch help

    Part number: sx4009-p1

    Using a G540 drive. I’m having doubts on these things working. I just wanted to use em since they’re already installed on the machine. Probably gonna end up tossing them and just fabbing up some brackets for some micro switches

  7. #7
    Join Date
    Mar 2007
    Posts
    2083

    Re: optical switch help

    a single sx4009-p1 should work to a G540

    sx4009-p1 data sheet
    https://docs-emea.rs-online.com/webd...6b81250fac.pdf

    John

  8. #8
    Join Date
    May 2019
    Posts
    6

    Re: optical switch help

    I appreciate all the help. I think I'm just gonna put micro's on it and call it a day.

  9. #9
    Join Date
    Mar 2007
    Posts
    2083

    Re: optical switch help

    what was not clear from the sx4009-p1 data sheet is if the switch is normally open or normally closed

    Did you try connect more one opto-switch to a G540 input ?
    if so how did you wire them ?

    with switches with NPN outputs like the sx4009-p1
    you can only wire normally open switches in parallel

    John

  10. #10
    Join Date
    May 2019
    Posts
    6

    Re: optical switch help

    I didn’t even get that far. I’ve been busy just trying to bench test them to make sure I had the wiring right and they were working properly. It sounds like they won’t work anyway if they can only be wired in parallel. Wouldn’t that stop both axes if one was triggered?

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