VPEB OC32/NG User manual

Manual OC32/NG VPEB Control your Miniature World
Page 48 of 48 Version 1 0 – December 15th, 2017 2017 Leon van Perlo
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Author: Leon J A van Perlo
Version: 1 0
Date: December 15th, 2017
OC32/NG
Manual
VPEBVan Perlo Elektronica
& Besturingstechniek
VPEBVan Perlo Elektronica
& Besturingstechniek
Smart electronics for your miniature world

Manual OC32/NG VPEB Control your Miniature World
Page 2 of 48 Version 1 0 – December 15th, 2017 2017 Leon van Perlo
Release management
This manual applies to
•PCB/module
oOC32 Rev10
2017 This document, or any information contained herein, may not be copied or distributed, in whole
or in parts, in whatever form, without the explicit written approval of the original author The making of
copies and prints by users of the OC32 module for their own use is allowed
Control your Miniature World VPEB Manual OC32/NG
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Manual OC32/NG VPEB Control your Miniature World
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9Installation of the U485
The U485 is a USB to RS485 converter designed to be used with the OC32 The U485
connects up to 96 OC32 modules to a single USB port
To use this interface it is of course necessary that your PC is equipped with a USB port
The U485 is compatible with the following operating systems:
•Windows 98
•Windows ME
•Windows XP
•Windows Vista
•Windows 7
•Windows 8, 8 1
•Windows 10
•Linux
•MAC OS/X
Windows from Vista onwards and Linux from kernel 2 6 31 usually recognize the U485 and
automatically install the appropriate driver software if your PC is connected to the Internet
So effectively, the only thing you have to do is plug in and wait a minute for the driver to
install
For the other operating systems, the correct drivers must be installed before you plug the
USB interface into the PC In case it does not work automatically with Vista or later, unplug
the U485, manually install the correct driver and try again
The latest driver can be downloaded (for free) from the website of Future Technology
Devices: http://www ftdichip com/Drivers/VCP htm
The easiest way is to use the "setup executable for default VID and PID values"
You can also find the driver on the Dinamo Users Group website
The latest version of the driver is not guaranteed to work under Windows 2000, Windows
98 or Windows ME However, there is an older version that can be downloaded and should
work in these OS versions
After the driver is installed you can plug the U485 into the USB port of your PC
The first time the U485 is inserted, the PC will load/configure the driver for the U485 and
create a virtual COM port
When everything went right you will now find an additional COM port in Control Panel ->
System -> Hardware -> Device Manager -> Ports (the exact path depends on your OS
version and language) Make a note of the COM port number You will need this later to
make the right settings in the software
The U485 is now ready for use
On the U485 there are two LEDs that have the following function:
•Green: The U485 receives data from the RS485 bus
•Orange: The U485 sends data to the RS485 bus
Note the U485 can be plugged directly in a PC USB port Should this not be the case
because of physical limitations, you can use a USB A-A extension cable Should you need to
do this, keep this cable short (less than 2 meters) The USB interface is susceptible to
noise (which is usually extensively available in a model railroad environment), while the RS485
interface is highly immune So bridge the distance with RS485 (after the U485) not by USB!
Control your Miniature World VPEB Manual OC32/NG
2017 Leon van Perlo Version 1 0 – December 15th, 2017 Page 3 of 48
Prefa e / Reading Guide
This manual describes the OC32/NG, which is an upgraded version of the original OC32
Although there are major differences between the OC32 and the OC32/NG, the /NG does
not offer new functions, since all functions are made in software and the OC32 and the
OC32/NG run 100% identical software The OC32/NG however integrates the options
previously offered by the OC32/DS32 combination and makes the system much easier to
install and easier to adapt
This manual describes only the “hardware” OC32 Rev10 (OC32/NG) Since the firmware and
software is 100% identical to the firmware for the OC32 (Rev00-Rev04), software
capabilities are described in a separate manual
In this manual we will use both names OC32 and OC32/NG When we write ‘OC32’, we mean
‘any version of the OC32’ Where we write ‘OC32/NG’ we specifically mean the /NG version
The OC32 is a product with many possibilities These extensive capabilities make the module
very attractive: in fact you can use the OC32 to control (almost) any type of accessory on
your miniature world (so basically everything except the trains and cars themselves)
Without the need to buy other specific electronics, the OC32 can do it all This versatility
has a downside: Beginners, electronically less savvy users, face the risk of losing the
overview at first Therefore, this guide attempts to structure information with the above in
mind
Each chapter covers a specific sub-topic, eg "Power Supply", "Connecting Devices" or
"Network Connection" and usually begins with information that is relevant for each user As
the chapter progresses subjects are touched which may require more specialist knowledge
or more effort to understand As a reading-aid you find a colored bar in the margin, and the
black&white spectators will note that the bars have a different width:
Green Novice: With these sections you should be able to get the basic functions working
It offers no extensive choices, clever savings or complex combinations
Blue Advanced level; Requires basic knowledge of electronics, some user-level experience
with PC software, some logic thinking or a combination hereof It requires you to
make some choices and therefore you should be able to judge the benefits and
drawbacks in your specific situation In principle everyone should be able to practice
this, however it may not be wise for everyone to start with this immediately
Orange Expert level: Requires reasonable to good knowledje of electronics, logic thinking
capabilities, some programming skills or a combination of these What is described
in these sections can lead to damage to the electronics or other devices if it is not
done correctly So practice only if you fully understand what you are doing
Should you consider yourself a “novice” and electronically limited skilled, or just looking for
the easiest start, skip the blue and orange marked sections at first If the basics work you
can always start the more advanced levels later
The OC32 is supported through the Dinamo Users Portal You find the portal at
http://www dinamousers net
The portal contains a “wiki” with quite some additional information, such as:
•Answers to Frequently Asked Questions
•Software and firmware updates
•A forum you can use for advice and to get your questions answered
We urgently request you to use our support channels in the above order before personally
contacting VPEB
Enjoy!

Manual OC32/NG VPEB Control your Miniature World
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Contents
1 OC32 - Introduction 7
1 1 A different approach 7
1 2 Functions 7
1 3 OC32 I/O Pins 8
1 4 Communication 8
1 5 DCC 8
1 6 ETI 9
1 7 SAP 9
1 8 Physical properties 9
2 Practical Notes 10
2 1 Opening and closing the enclosure 10
2 2 Using the connectors 10
3 Overview 12
3 1 Interfaces and functions 12
3 2 LED indicators 13
4 Power Supplies 14
4 1 General 14
4 2 Some words about power supplies: 14
4 3 GND or reference voltage 15
4 4 Connecting power to the OC32 15
4 4 1 The standard method: through K1 15
4 4 2 Use of separate power supplies for OC32 and connected devices 15
4 4 3 Providing power to the OC32/NG via K5A or K5B 16
4 5 5V 16
4 6 Use of model railroad- and other transformers 17
4 6 1 Use of a locomotive transformer 17
4 6 2 Rectification and smoothing of an AC voltage 17
5 Communicating with the OC32 19
5 1 Ways of communication 19
5 2 Addressing of multiple OC32 modules (serial communication) 20
5 2 1 Addressing (normal) 20
5 2 2 Adressing (extended) 21
5 3 RS485 communication 21
5 3 1 RS485 general explanation 21
5 3 2 RS485 on the OC32/NG 21
5 3 3 RS485 Termination 22
5 3 4 Connecting to a PC via RS485 22
5 3 5 Connecting multiple OC32/NG’s to a PC – Option 1 23
5 3 6 Connecting multiple OC32/NG’s to a PC – Option 2 24
5 3 7 Connecting multiple OC32/NG’s – Other options 25
5 3 8 The OC32/NG in a Dinamo(/MCC) system 25
5 3 9 The installation of a “real” RS485 network 25
5 4 RS232 communication 25
5 5 DCC control 26
5 6 Additional Options 27
5 6 1 TTL Level serial input 27
5 6 2 Dual RS485 interface 28
6 Connecting the I/O Pins 30
6 1 Selecting the electrical characteristics 30
6 1 1 Sink Drivers 500mA (TBD62083) 31
6 1 2 Source Drivers 500mA (TBD62783) 31
6 1 3 Sink and Source Drivers (TBD62083 + TBD62783) 32
6 1 4 Resistor Array (5V outputs) 32
6 1 5 OC32-ADM/SI (4,8A power sink-driver) 33
6 1 6 OC32-ADM/SO (4,8A power source-driver) 33
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If the OC32 is controlled from another OC32, OM32 or Lichtorgel, the ‘A’ wire should be
connected to the 500mA output port of that device That output port may not be
connected to anything else and the controlling device must be connected to the same GND
8.3 Opto oupler
An optocoupler can be used if the event input ports are activated from any other electrical
system In this case, the “A” and “K” connection of each input port is respectively the
Anode and Cathode of the IR diode of an optocoupler
The maximum current through the input port optocoupler is 50mA However, this maximum
current is never needed Therefore the advice is to stay far below this maximum The input
port is reliably triggered by a current from 1mA up There are many ways to drive an
optocoupler It is far beyond the scope of this manual to describe all possible circuits As an
example we describe the possibility to control the input port from a pushbutton or other
type of switch
Fig 45: Connecting the Optocoupler input
If you find it difficult to calculate the series resistor Rv, please have a look in the FAQ on
www dinamousers net
A simple calculation: Rv = (V - 2) / 5 gives the approximate value of Rv in kΩthat will result in
a current of 5mA through the optocoupler. V is the voltage on the “+” terminal When using a
voltage of 12V the formula gives 2kΩ for Rv (thus practically a 2k2 from the E12 series)
Fig 43: Pushbutton on
Event Input (1)
Fi
g 44: Pushbutton on
Event Input (2)
OC32
In x
A
K
IR diode
+
Rv
OC32
In x
A
K
IR diode
+
Rv
OC32
To CPU
In x
A
K
OC32
To CPU
In x
A
K
OC32
To CPU
In x
GND
A
OC32
To CPU
In x
GND
A

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K4
Resistor array
or Optocoupler
In0
In1
In2
In3
A
K
A
K
A
K
A
K
8External Events
8.1 Introdu tion
Optionally, the OC32 can be equipped with “Event Inputs” These are 4 additional input ports
by which the OC32 can react to external events
These extra input ports are inherited from a comparable function in LichtOrgel (LightOrgan)
On this device the 4 input ports can be used to start ‘a program’ Each program generates
a specific effect on your miniature world For example, the 4 programs on a LichtOrgel could
be used for
• Morning;
• Daytime;
• Evening;
• Night
But of course it is possible to define your own implementation
The function of the 4 “Event Inputs” on the OC32 is much more flexible than the comparable
function on LichtOrgel For every “Event Input” it can be configured if a “Pin” should react
and by which “Aspect” it should react The configuration by means of OC32config is
described in the OC32 firmware manual
Depending on your own preference or application, the interface to the 4 “Event Inputs” can
be through an optocoupler or a resistor array The position of the interface on the OC32 is
shown in figure 42 Each input port (In0 In3) has 2 terminals “A” and ”K”
Fig 42: Optocoupler inputs
8.2 Resistor array
A resistor array is the preferred choice if the input port(s) are to be activated by a push-
button or the contacts of a relay A resistor array can also be used if the event input is to
be activate from another OC32, OM32 or LichtOrgel and this module is on the same GND
level as the OC32 to be activated A push-button can be connected according to figure 43
or figure 44 Obviously, a push-button can be replaced by a (separately derived) contact on a
relay
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6 1 7 OC32-ADM/MX (4,8A multiplexer) 33
6 1 8 OC32-ADM/FH (4,8A Full H-bridge) 33
6 1 9 Identifying the different ADM’s 34
6 2 Multiple power-supplies, different voltages 35
6 2 1 Multiple power-supplies using Sink-drivers 35
6 2 2 Multiple power-supplies using Source-drivers 35
6 2 3 High power Voltage 35
6 3 Connecting the I/O Pins 36
6 4 Example-connections 37
6 4 1 LED’s with common anode (+) 37
6 4 2 LED’s with common cathode (-) 37
6 4 3 Incandescent Bulbs 37
6 4 4 LED’s antiparallel 38
6 4 5 LED’s on barrier bars 38
6 4 6 Decouplers 39
6 4 7 Turnout-solenoids 39
6 4 8 Turnout-solenoids (multiplexed) 40
6 4 9 Relays 40
6 4 10 Motors (unidirectional) 41
6 4 11 Motors (bidirectionall) 41
6 4 12 Servo Motors 41
6 4 13 Pushbutton or switch (input) 42
6 4 14 Input from another control system (input) 42
7 Serial Accessory Port 43
8 External Events 44
8 1 Introduction 44
8 2 Resistor array 44
8 3 Optocoupler 45
9 Installation of the U485 46

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7Serial A essory Port
Starting from firmware 3 0 0 0, the OC32 offers a Serial Accessory Port This feature
enables control of external Devices without using I/O Pins A typical example of such an
external Device could be a sound module
If the sound module has just a single function (sound on or off, e g the bell of a railroad
crossing) it is questionable whether serial control makes much sense Probably in this case
it is easier to use an OC32 I/O Pin to switch sound on or off A different case is using a
sound module that can play multiple sound fragments, such as background sound, depending
on the time of the day and maybe specific circumstances, or playing announcements in
station about arrivals and departures of trains In these cases you want more control
options and controlling a Device by serial command may be an interesting option
Of course a sound module is just an example In principle you can control all kind of Devices
that have a serial input for control The requirement is that the protocol is extremely
simple, just a few characters for a control command, and control is unidirectional The OC32
can send command to the external Device, but the external Device cannot send anything
back If you are handy with microcontrollers, you could develop your own control module for
‘something’, e g based on a Microchip or Atmel microcontroller, and control this serially
from the OC32
The SAP shares the serial hardware (UART) with the RS232 interface on the OC32 The
consequence is that, when using the SAP, the normal RS232 port can no longer be relied
on The SAP therefore can only be used when you control your OC32 operationally by
RS485, DCC or of the module functions autonomously
The SAP has a TTL level interface (0-5V) Many microcontrollers feature a built-in serial port
working on a 0-5V level and can be interfaced directly If you need RS232 or RS485 levels,
you’ll need to add a signal converter after the SAP
The SAP can be found on the 6-pin connector, next to the diagnostic
LEDs The same connector also offers 0V/GND and 5V connections You
can use this 5V to power a signal convertor, or even your external
controller, if it does not consumes to much power Be aware that the
current to this port is negated by the on-board 7805 at the OC32 How
much additional current can be drawn safely depends on e g how many
outputs you already drive by resistor arrays and what unstabilised Voltage
you apply to your OC32
K6
+5V
GND
TxD
K6
+5V
GND
TxD
F
ig 41
: Pinout SAP

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To easily provide power to a servo and connect it to the OC32, a separate compact
connection module has been developed, the SP04 With the SP04 up to 4 servos can be
connected in a close range When you have more servos or have servos at different
locations, multiple SP04 modules can be used A separate manual for the SP04 is available
6.4.13 Pushbutton or swit h (input)
OC32 I/O Pin: Resistor array
An OC32 Pin can also be used as input This opens the possibility
to control a Device, connected to the OC32, such as a railroad
crossing, by means of a switch, pushbuttons or e g reed
contacts, connected to one or multiple Pins of the same OC32
Also the activation or de-activation of pushbuttons and flipping a
switch can be reported to the controlling PC, if the software on
that PC’s supports this function
A pushbutton or switch is connected between OC32 Pin and GND
6.4.14 Input from another ontrol system (input)
OC32 I/O Pin: Resistor array
Perhaps you want to control the OC32 from another system and you may do that by
“hardwired interfaces”, so by connecting a number of individual wires
If ‘the other control system’ offers relay-outputs (potential-free contacts), the contacts of
these relays are no different than the contacts of a pushbutton or switch Therefore you
can make the interface as described in paragraph 6 4 13 Replace the shown
pushbutton/switch by the make/break relay-contact Make sure that via the relay-contact no
other high or negative Voltage can reach the OC32 Pin
If your external system has electronically active outputs, then to interface successfully with
the OC32, these outputs may in principle offer no higher voltage than 5V or any lower
Voltage than 0V to the OC32 If the outputs supply more than 5V you can limit the Voltage
delivered to the OC32 by means of a Voltage divider as shown in figure 40 below The
resistor Rs depends on the output-voltage of your external system and can be found with
the help of Table 2
If your external system offers Open Collector (or Open Drain) outputs, the you can interface
these directly to the OC32 Pin as per paragraph 6 4 13 However it is mandatory that in
this case both systems share the same GND/0V If this is not the case, you can insert an
intermediate relay or an optocoupler between both systems
Output Voltage (V) Rs (kΩ)
6 1,0
7,5 2,4
9 3,9
12 6,8
15 10
18 12
24 18
Q(x)
GND
Extern systeem
4k7
Rs
F
ig 40
: External system with Voltage conversion
Table 2: Series resistor for Voltage Conversion
F
ig 39: Connecting Pushbutton
Q(x)
GND
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, 2017 Page 7 of 48
1OC32 - Introdu tion
1.1 A different approa h
The OC32 is an electronic module to control accessories in your Miniature World The
module has 32 I/O Pins who are universally usable
The major difference with “traditional electronics” is that in the traditional approach specific
electronics is used for each device For instance there are signal-decoders for signals, and
even different types per signalling system, decoders for turnouts, illumination controllers for
controlling lights in buildings and streets, etc
With the OC32 a different approach is taken The module is so versatile that (almost) any
device you find on a miniature world, from a simple light to a complex railway crossing, can
be controlled by the O32 Therefore when applying the OC32 the necessary electronics is
not calculated per function, but calculated per square meters Depending on the number of
controllable items per area the OC32’s are placed at “strategic locations” Every item can
be connected to the nearest OC32 By means of configuration it is determined how each
device is controlled and from what system, e g a train-control system, car-control,
day/night simulation or even completely autonomous by the OC32
1.2 Fun tions
The OC32 software has extensive configuration possibilities Those who have some basic
knowledge of programming techniques can adapt the OC32 completely to their personal
preferences Those who do not (yet) have this knowledge choose the predefined
configurations With a few simple mouseclicks a group of outputs can be configured for e g
a Dutch signal, German signal, a traffic light or railway crossing
The OC32 offers a great number of random-functions With these functions fixed patterns
can be avoided or interrupted and it is possible to generate surprising effects Some
examples are:
• Welding arc imitation, only one LED needed (e g to be used in your locomotive shed);
• Simulations of gas-lanterns with irregular lighting;
• Simulation of fluroscent lamps with traditional starters;
• Lighting of buildings with different or a slightly different switching pattern every night;
• Movement e g by means of a servomotor with random variations, e g for a digging
machine or crane;
• …
Fig 1: OC32/NG

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Fig 2: U485
1.3 OC32 I/O Pins
The OC32 I/O Pins are used to connect the devices in your miniature world The OC32
I/O Pins need to be equipped with ‘drivers’ that fit the electrical characteristics of the type
of device which is connected, such as:
• Incandescent lamps
• LEDs, common anode (plus) or common cathode (minus)
• Relays
• DC motors, also bidirectional (electronic reverse)
• Servomotors
• Memory wire
• Solenoids for e g turnouts and decouplers (up to 4 8A peak-current)
• Pushbutton, switch or other contact
When you buy the OC32, standard drivers are installed, but you may need to change the
drivers, depending on your specific application Changing drivers can easily be done by you as
a user
We will cover the drivers in much more detail later in this manual
1.4 Communi ation
The standard version of the OC32/NG is equipped with 2 serial interfaces: An RS485
interface and an RS232 interface Via these interfaces the OC32 can be configured and
controlled It can be connected to a PC, a Dinamo or Dinamo/MCC system A singe
connection supports up to 96 OC32 modules Both serial interfaces can be used
simultaneously
The RS232 interface is unidirectional This means you cannot use this interface to read data
from the OC32, nor can you verify the OC32 configuration through this interface The
RS232 interface is mainly there for compatibility with the OM32 and for situations where
you want to control OC32’s with a standard PC COM-port
The RS485 interface is bidirectional It offers full
control capabilities Using RS485 you can bridge a
distance up to 1 200 meters!
RS485 is not what you find on a standard PC
Therefore VPEB designed the U485 This extremely
compact module simply turns any USB port into an
RS485 interface
1.5 DCC
The OC32 can be ordered with a DCC input
1
, by which the module can be controlled from any
DCC compatible digital system The OC32 can then function as a very flexible Basic DCC
Accessory Decoder and as an Extended DCC Accessory Decoder Unfortunately there are
few DCC command stations today that transmit Extended ADCC Accessory Packets The
amount of basic and extended DCC addresses and the basic and extended DCC start
addresses used can be configured by software
The OC32 cannot be configured through DCC The possibilities are extremely large and
configuring through DCC would become very complex to the user So configuration needs to
be done through one of the serial interfaces
1
The DCC Interface can also be added afterwards by the user All components needed are ‘through hole’ (so not
SMD) You need to solder to the PCB however
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6.4.10 Motors (unidire tional)
OC32 I/O Pin: 500mA Sink Driver
or
OC32 I/O Pin: OC32-ADM/SI 4,8A Sink Driver
Driving a DC motor, which needs to run in one direction
only, is quite simple Connect the motor between Vp and
the output like in Fig 36
When the motor draws more current than 350mA at maximum load (not being maximum
speed) preferably use the OC32-ADM/SI
6.4.11 Motors (bidire tionall)
OC32 I/O Pin: Sink Driver + Source Driver
or
OC32 I/O Pin: OC32-ADM/FH 4,8A H-bridge
A bidirectional motor is a motor that runs into two directions An example is a turnout
motor which moves slowly The problem is reversing the current to have the motor run the
other way around This can be done with a so called "H-bridge" circuit By putting both a Sink
Driver and a Source Driver into the OC32 such a H-
bridge is established The motor has to be connected
between two consecutive outputs
The motor runs in one direction when output Q(x) is
active When output Q(x+1) is active the motor runs
in the other direction Also the speed can be adjusted
Take are: It is of vital importan e that Q(x) and
Q(x+1) are never a tive at the same time.
This can be set-up in the OC32 configuration
When the motor draws more current than 350mA at
maximum load (not being maximum speed) preferably use the OC32-ADM/FH
6.4.12 Servo Motors
OC32 I/O Pin: Resistor array
A servo motor is a motor with integrated electronics, that can be moved into a desired
position by means of a digital control signal The servo motor requires a separate power
supply to operate The voltage usually has to be between 4,5V and 6V Details can be found
in the documentation of the manufacturer
Normally speaking a servo motor has three
leads: GND, Power and input These have to
be connected according to figure 38
Take are: A servo motor an draw quite
some urrent and espe ially the heaper
versions generate a lot of interferen e. To
prevent negative impa t on the
Ele troni s, it is wise to in orporate a
separate stabilizer and apa itor into the
5V power supply of the servo motor.
F
ig 36: Conneting a
motor
Vp
Q(x)
M
Vp
Q(x)
MM
F
ig 37: Connecting
bidirectional motors
Q(x+0) M
Q(x+1)
Q(x+2)
Q(x+3)
Q(x+4)
Q(x+5)
Q(x+6)
Q(x+7)
M
M
M
Q(x+0) MM
Q(x+1)
Q(x+2)
Q(x+3)
Q(x+4)
Q(x+5)
Q(x+6)
Q(x+7)
MM
MM
MM
Fig 38: Connecting a
s
ervomotor
GND
Q(x) Input
5V
+-
GND
Q(x) Input
5V
+-

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6.4.8 Turnout-solenoids (multiplexed)
OC32 I/O Pin: OC32-ADM/MX (4,8A Multiplexer Driver)
If you have a large amount of turnouts to control, multiplexing is a very cost-effective
method to achieve this With one ADM/MX installed, 8 I/O pins control 8 drive units (so 16
solenoids) Two ADM/MX’s control up to 32 drive units (so 64 solenoids) by just 16 I/O Pins
Multiplexing requires some additional components, but nevertheless is it a cost-effective
solution Moreover, the multiplexing and additional components mitigate the potential
spiking problem as described in paragraph 6 4 7, it saves wiring and multiplexing makes very
efficient use of your power supply
The only drawback of multiplexing is that it is slightly more work to install Therefore there is
a separate document on turnout multiplexing with the OC32 We’ll just mention the basics
here Please refer to the separate document for more info and details
6.4.9 Relays
OC32 I/O Pin: 500mA Sink Driver
Sometimes a galvanic separation is needed between
output and switched load Also when you want to switch
something that requires AC (e g synchronous motors)
this is a valid solution Several types of simple DIL relays
are available and after some searching around they can
be found for prices between € 2,= and € 3,50
The diagram to connect a relay is rather simple: just connect it between Vp and the output
of the OC32 We are talking about a monostable relay, meaning that the relay will always be
in idle position when no voltage is applied As soon as and as long as voltage is applied to the
coil the active position is maintained If the voltage is switched off the relay goes back into
the idle position
Take care: some relays are polarity sensitive It is important to connect the right pole to Vp
and to the OC32 output The power supplied by Vp needs to match the voltage required by
the coil of the relay This is indicated on the relay or can be found in the documentation of
the manufacturer of the relay
F
ig 35
:
Connecting a relay
Vp
Q(x)
Vp
Q(x)
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 2017 Leon van Perlo Version 1 0 – December 15
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1.6 ETI
The OC32 can be equipped with 4 additional, galvanically separated Event Trigger Inputs
(optocouplers) This enables the OC32 to react on external events Which actions are taken
on any external event is completely user-configurable This offers the additional possibility to
use the OC32 as a self-supporting “scenery controller”
1.7 SAP
The OC32 features an additional serial output-port (Serial Accessory Port), by which special
equipment can be controlled One can think of sound-modules to generate environmental-
sound or sounds related to the devices the OC32 controls The advantage of this serial
interface is that it won’t cost you any of the 32 I/O Pins The additional serial output is
available on any OC32 revision, so also the older modules, when firmware 3 0 or later is
installed
If the SAP option is used, the OC32 cannot be controlled anymore via the serial RS232
interface and therefore the RS485 or DCC interface needs to be used for this
1.8 Physi al properties
The OC32/NG is supplied as an assembled printed circuit board with or without enclosere
The physical dimensions are:
• 104mm x 100mm x 20mm (l x w x h, without enclosure, without connectors)
• 136mm
2
x 100mm x 20mm (l x w x h, without enclosure, with connectors)
• 104mm x 113mm x 27mm (l x w x h, with enclosure, without connectors)
• 136mm
1
x 113mm x 27mm (l x w x h, with enclosure, with connectors)
2
Allow for at least an additional 30mm to facilitate wiring in the connectors

Manual OC32/NG VPEB Control your Miniature World
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, 2017  2017 Leon van Perlo
2Pra ti al Notes
2.1 Opening and losing the en losure
If you purchased the “boxed” version or the version with enclosure, it is good to know how
to open and close the enclosure before reading the next sections
To open the enclosure grab the upper half of the enclosure between thumb and a finger at
both sides, just behind the two clamps (small bumps), as indicated in figure 3a below
Squeeze the top part of the casing slightly together and pull upwards The upper half should
flip open as in figure 3b Once open at approx 30 degrees you can remove the top half
entirely
Fig 3a Opening the enclosure Fig 3b
To close the enclosure, first insert the upper half in about a 30 degree angle into the
triangular notches as per figure 4 Carefully check both corners are inserted correctly Now
gently close the upper half The casing should slide just next to the DIPswitch No
substantial force should be necessary until the casing hits the two clamps at both sides
near the other end To close completely, push the upper half now between the two clamps
No excessive force should be neccesary If required, press both sides towards eachother as
you did when opening the case
Fig 4: Closing the enclosure
2.2 Using the onne tors
The connectors supplied with your OC32/NG are spring-loaded types This means you can
use solid wire, stranded wire and pre-tinned wire and in all these cases will have a solid
contact, provided the wire is correctly inserted No tooling is required except a wire-
stripping tool A small screwdriver may be handy
Control your Miniature World VPEB Manual OC32/NG
 2017 Leon van Perlo Version 1 0 – December 15
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, 2017 Page 39 of 48
6.4.6 De ouplers
OC32 I/O Pin: OC32-ADM/SI (4,8A Sink Driver)
Solenoids may draw up to 1,5A (or more) That is too much
for the 500mA driver so you will need an OC32-ADM/SI to
solve that The solenoid is connected between Vp and the
OC32 I/O Pin
6.4.7 Turnout-solenoids
OC32 I/O Pin: OC32-ADM/SI (4,8A Sink Driver)
Solenoids may draw up to 1,5A (or more) That is far too much for the 500mA driver so you
will need an OC32-ADM/SI to solve that The turnout solenoids are connected between Vp
(common wire) and two consecutive OC32 I/O Pins
Fig 33: Solenoid driven Turnout
If you have turnouts with end-switches that switch-off current when the end-position is
reached, you may, in some cases experience problems with the stability of your system This
specifically can happen when the distance between your turnouts and the OC32 is short
The reason is that end-switches can cause very high Voltage spikes when the current
flowing through an inductor is suddenly interrupted Stopping the current by electronics is a
far more subtle process
Our first advice is to remove the end-switches if reasonably possible Many experience
problems with end-switches after years of operation, since the continuous spikes are not
only a pain for the electronics, but also lead to contact burn-in At some point the turnout
motor will stop working Knowing that, removing them in the first place will solve problems
now and possible problems in the future
If you cannot or choose not to remove the end-switches, the spiking problem can be
mitigated by soldering two 1nF multilayer capacitors between the connecting wires of your
turnout drive-unit If you do, place them as close to the drive unit as reasonably possible
Fig 34: Solenoid driven Turnout with end-switches
Vp
Q(x)
F
ig 32
: Decoupler solenoid
Vp
Q(x)
Q(x+1)
Straight Thrown