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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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

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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
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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

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together they can be connected in parallel as long as the current does not exceed 500mA
6.4.4 LED’s antiparallel
OC32 I/O Pin: Resistor-array (preferred) or 500mA Sink Driver
With some signals, the LEDs are connected anti parallel An
example would be the Märklin "Hobby" signals 74391 and
743xx It is preferred to drive these signals with the 5V
outputs of the OC32 but the 500mA driver will do the trick
as well
Using the 5V output configuration (figure 28) the signals
can be connected to 2 consecutive outputs of the OC32
The required resistor is part of the OC32 For the resistor
array take a value of 100 Ω
Should you have some spare 500mA outputs left,
this will work also (figure 29) In that case you need
to add 2 resistors between the 2 outputs and Vp
Be aware that the signal has to be connected the
other way around because of the inverting operation
of the 500mA driver The value of the resistors
depends on the required voltage Vp At 12V a
reasonable value would be 1k5, but one could
experiment
6.4.5 LED’s on barrier bars
OC32 I/O Pin: Resistor array or 500mA Sink Driver
On Dutch railroad crossings 3 lights are fixed onto the barriers of the railroad crossing
(AHOB) The light at the end (the top light) is lit continuously where the two other lights are
blinking alternately If you want to construct this in your miniature world it might be a
challenge to attach the wires along the moving barrier In any case the fewer wires, the
better Presented is a diagram to drive these 3 LEDs with only 2 wires and 2 outputs of the
OC32 In the case of two barriers the circuit can be connected twice in parallel as long as
the LEDs you use are of the same type and from the same manufacturer (if possible from
the same production series) The (double) diode is put somewhere on the barrier Take care:
it is a SOT23 diode (SMD), also very tiny To attach the LEDs to the barrier you will have to
select SMD types also
F
ig 28
: Connecting LEDs antiparallel
in 5V mode
Q(x+1)
Q(x)
Q(x+1)
Q(x)
Fig 2
9
: Connecting LEDs ant
iparallel
in 500mA mode
Vp
Rv
Q(x+1)
Q(x)
Rv
Vp
Rv
Q(x+1)
Q(x)
Rv
F
ig 30
: LEDs on the
barriers
(5V mode)
Q(x+1)
Q(x)
BAT54C
Top
Q(x+1)
Q(x)
BAT54C
Top
F
ig 31
: LEDs on the
barriers
(500mA mode)
Q(x)
Q(x+1)
BAT54C / BAV70
Top
Vp
Rv
Rv
Q(x)
Q(x+1)
BAT54C / BAV70
Top
Vp
Rv
Rv
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K1, K2, K3 and K4 are 2,5mm spring loaded connectors
Accepted wire size = 0,08mm
2
– 0,5mm
2
K5A and K5B are 3,81mm spring loaded connectors
Accepted wire size = 0,08mm
2
– 1,5mm
2
When inserting thin wire into the K5 onne tors (0,20mm2 or less), pay attention that
the wire is entered and inserted straight in the onne tor. Otherwise the wire may not
always be grabbed entirely by the spring.
To insert wires in either type of connector:
• Strip insulation off the end of the wire for about 10mm
• In case of stranded wire: twist the strands together
• Put the connector on a solid surface with the orange clips facing upwards
• Push-in the orange clip of the pole you want to insert the wire in You can do this with
the tip of your finger or nail, but a small screwdriver or other similar tool may be handy
• Gently insert the wire until you feel it touches the end Use no force
• Release the orange clip
• Gently pull the wire to check it’s grabbed correctly
If you find it difficult to push in the orange clips without the connector flipping over, you may
want to do that while the connector is inserted in the OC32/NG module Be sure that the
module is powered off when you do and don’t push too hard, otherwise you may bend the
PCB part of the connector This risk is specifically there on the upper half of the 10 pole
connectors that go in K5A and K5B
When inserting the top connector in PCB part K5A or K5B when you have a module without
enclosure, do not push very hard, because in extreme cases you may bend the connector on
the OC32/NG While inserting, support the back of the connector to relief excessive strain
If you have the module with enclosure the risk is minimal, since the enclosure provides
mechanical support for these connectors

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3Overview
3.1 Interfa es and fun tions
Fig 5: OC32/NG overview interfaces and functions
On the OC32/NG the following interfaces and functions can be found:
Interfa es:
• I/O Pins: Two 20-pole connectors (K5A, K5B) accommodate four 10-pin plugs for 32 I/O
Pins and power supplies/GND;
• RS485 interface, two RJ45 sockets (K2A, K2B) and one 3-pole socket (K2);
• DCC interface (K3) (optional);
• Event input interface (K4) (optional);
• Four pole connector for power supply and RS232 interface (K1);
• Serial Accessory Port: The connection to control special serial devices;
On the PCB:
• 4 pairs of IC-sockets for driver-ICs Each group of 8 outputs has one socket for a
Source Driver and one for a Sink Driver;
• 4 pairs of sockets for Add-on Driver Modules (ADM’s) ADM’s can be used instead of
driver-ICs to increase output power and for additional functions;
• Indicator LEDs, orange and green;
• DIPswitch: A dipswitch with six positions to select the address of the module;
LED Green
LED Orange
Reset jumper
RS485
interface
RS232
interface
Power
Serial Address
Selection
I/O
Pins
Sink 0 7
Source 0 7
Sink 16 23
Source 16 23
Sink 8 15
Source 8 15
Sink 24 31
Source 24 31
RS485 Termination
Power Jumper 16 31
DCC Interface
Event
Inputs
Serial Accessory Port
RS485
interface
DCC Low-
Pass Filter
ETI Opto
ADM Sockets
Power Jumper 0 15
K2A
K2B
K1
K2
K3
K4
K5A
K5B
LED Green
LED Orange
Reset jumper
RS485
interface
RS232
interface
Power
Serial Address
Selection
I/O
Pins
Sink 0 7
Source 0 7
Sink 16 23
Source 16 23
Sink 8 15
Source 8 15
Sink 24 31
Source 24 31
RS485 Termination
Power Jumper 16 31
DCC Interface
Event
Inputs
Serial Accessory Port
RS485
interface
DCC Low-
Pass Filter
ETI Opto
ADM Sockets
Power Jumper 0 15
K2A
K2B
K1
K2
K3
K4
K5A
K5B
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6.4 Example- onne tions
Provided the required voltages and currents are within the limits of the OC32 it can drive all
devices you may encounter Most parts like incandescent bulbs, LEDs and relays can be
connected directly With some simple extra components other things can be driven like
decouplers, turnout coils and motors Below you find a number of examples of devices to be
found in the miniature world are presented
6.4.1 LED’s with ommon anode (+)
OC32 I/O Pin: 500mA Sink Driver
Connect the common connection to the positive power
terminal (Vp = pin 28/29 of K5) Connect the cathodes
of the separate LEDs via a resistor to the output of
the OC32
When only one LED is lit simultaneously (like with NS 3
color signals or block signals), the resistor can be in
the common lead and the cathodes of the LEDs are
connected directly to the output of the OC32
The value of the resistor depends on the voltage (Vp), the current required by the LED and
how bright you want the LED to shine In case of ready built signals (for example Viessmann)
those resistors are incorporated and the voltage is prescribed In our opinion the 1,2k Ω
applied by Viessmann at 14 16V results in to much light, especially when the surroundings
are in the dark With this value of the resistor and the built-in LEDs the result is much more
attractive at a voltage level of 9 10V With 14V a resistor of 1,8k Ω or 2,2k Ω can do the
trick
Just experiment at day and night time before installing things definitively or use an
adjustable power supply
When more than one LED has to be connected to one output, connect the LEDs in series if
possible Otherwise provide each LED with its own resistor and connect several LED and
resistor combinations in parallel
6.4.2 LED’s with ommon athode (-)
OC32 I/O Pin: Resistor-array
Connect the common lead to the GND/0V Connect the
anode of the individual LEDs to the outputs of the
OC32 A resistor is not required because it is in the
OC32 Use a resistor array with a value of 220 Ω Low-
current LEDs being used a higher value of the resistor
array has to be applied
6.4.3 In andes ent Bulbs
OC32 I/O Pin: 500mA Sink Driver
Bulbs have to be connected between the positive
voltage (Vp) and the OC32 outputs A resistor is not
needed The voltage (Vp) has to match the voltage
required by the lamp Having more individual bulbs in
the same casing (e g a signal) the common lead has to
be connected to Vp and the individual connections to
outputs of the OC32 If bulbs have to be switched
F
ig 25: Connecting LEDs common
Anode
Vp
Q(x+2)
Q(x)
Q(x+1)
Rv
Vp
Q(x+2)
Q(x)
Q(x+1)
Rv
F
ig 26: Connecting LEDs common C
athode
GND
Q(x+2)
Q(x)
Q(x+1)
GND
Q(x+2)
Q(x)
Q(x+1)
F
ig 27: Connecting incand bulbs
Vp
Q(x+2)
Q(x)
Q(x+1)
Vp
Q(x+2)
Q(x)
Q(x+1)

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6.3 Conne ting the I/O Pins
The loads to be driven by the OC32 are being connected to the connectors K5A and K5B
Each 20-pin socket accepts two 10-pin plugs Each plug carries 8 signal wires plus Vp and
GND
The pin-out is given in figure 16 below
Fig 24: Pinout sockets K5A and K5B
GND 00 01 02 03 04 05 06 07 Vp1(0 15)
GND 08 09 10 11 12 13 14 15 Vp1(0 15)
GND 16 17 18 19 20 21 22 23 Vp2(16 31)
GND 24 25 26 27 28 29 30 31 Vp2(16 31)
GND 00 01 02 03 04 05 06 07 Vp1(0 15)
GND 08 09 10 11 12 13 14 15 Vp1(0 15)
GND 16 17 18 19 20 21 22 23 Vp2(16 31)
GND 24 25 26 27 28 29 30 31 Vp2(16 31)
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• Reset jumper Only used to start the bootloader;
• RS485 Termination jumpers;
• Power jumpers;
• DCC Low-pass jumper (only with DCC option)
3.2 LED indi ators
The functions of the LEDs on the print (green and orange) depend on the firmware Refer to
the OC32 firmware manual for the latest details Standard function can be changed by
configuration by the user
With firmware 3 0 0 the standard functions are:
Starting up:
• Orange: is lit during the starting sequence of the OC32 (if the power is switched on)
This takes about 0 25 to 0 5 seconds
Normal operation:
• Green: Flashes regularly 1 second intermittent to show that the module is active and
the processor is operating normally;
• Orange: Flashes shortly when the OC32 receives a correctly addressed message
(Rs232, RS485 or DCC)
Bootloader:
When the bootloader is active (see firmware manual) both LEDs are lit continuously

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4Power Supplies
Fig 6: Connecting Power Supplies to the OC32/NG
4.1 General
Both the OC32 itself and the devices that the OC32 controls (e g signals, motors, relay’s)
obviously need a power supply to operate In many cases you can use the same power supply
for the OC32 and the devices it controls
Note that any power supply delivered to the OC32, be it for the OC32 itself or for the
controlled devices, must be a positive DC Voltage
Attention: Conne ting an AC voltage or reversing the + and – onne tions of a DC power
supply will inevitably result in a defe t in the module that is beyond guarantee. Be sure
therefore about the kind of power supply you onne t the OC32 to.
4.2 Some words about power supplies:
We often get the question if a model railroad transformer can be used for the OC32 Model
railroad transformers rarely provide a proper DC voltage You can use them conveniently,
but with a some consideration and simple modification More about that later on
For less than €20,= already you can buy a properly stabilized, configurable, switching and
therefore economical DC power supply that can provide 2-3 Amps This is more current than
an average model railroad transformer supplies, so think twice if it is worth the effort and
PWR
Sink 0 7
Source 0 7
Sink 16 23
Source 16 23
Sink 8 15
Source 8 15
Sink 24 31
Source 24 31
Power Jumper Jp1 (0 15)
K1
K5A
K5B
GND
GND
(2x)
Vp2
(2x)
GND
(2x)
Vp1
(2x)
Power Jumper Jp2 (16 23)
PWR
Sink 0 7
Source 0 7
Sink 16 23
Source 16 23
Sink 8 15
Source 8 15
Sink 24 31
Source 24 31
Power Jumper Jp1 (0 15)
K1
K5A
K5B
GND
GND
(2x)
Vp2
(2x)
GND
(2x)
Vp1
(2x)
Power Jumper Jp2 (16 23)
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6.2 Multiple power-supplies, different voltages
Even in case you have several pieces of equipment which require different power voltages,
you can drive them from the same OC32 Multiple DC power supplies can be used
simultaneously
First the OC32/NG has two separate power planes for driving loads You can separate Vp1
and Vp2 and drive each section with it’s own power supply This works for all drivers (sink,
source, ADM’s)
6.2.1 Multiple power-supplies using Sink-drivers
In addition to the fact that you have two power groups on the OC32/NG, when using Sink
Drivers the number of different power supplies is virtually unlimited The load is connected
between the plus pole of the power supply and the output of the OC32 (Sink Driver) As long
as the minus pole of all power supplies are connected to each other and to the GND of the
OC32 the plus pole of each of those power supplies can be used to feed one or more
separate accessories The plus pole of the load is connected to the plus pole of its power
supply while the minus pole of the load is connected to the output of the OC32
There is however one additional point of interest:
In the Sink Drivers free-wheeling diodes are integrated to facilitate inductive loads to be
switched-off without damage, like solenoids or relays These diodes reside between the
output (Anode) and Vp (Cathode) When using different power supplies, the consequence of
this is that always the power supply providing the highest voltage in the Vp group shall
be onne ted to Vp
In most cases it is not desirable to use that highest voltage for the internal power of the
OC32 also A lower power should by used to operate the OC32 To achieve that, PWR and
Vp have to be connected separately The power jumper JP1/JP2 on the OC32 print has to be
removed The highest voltage has to be connected to Vp The lower voltage has to be
connected to PWR
6.2.2 Multiple power-supplies using Sour e-drivers
Unlike the case when using Sink Drivers, it is not possible to connect more than one power
supply to the Source Drivers in one Vp group The Source Driver obtains the power from Vp
and only one voltage can be connected to Vp
When using both Source and Sink Drivers for different outputs but in the same Vp group it
is possible to use different power supplies as described in 6 2 1 above, but the highest
voltage has to be onne ted to Vp, being the voltage used by the Sour e Driver. All
devices driven by the source driver will be driven with the same and highest Voltage
6.2.3 High power Voltage
The Sink and Source drivers can deliver/withstand up to 50V It may not be wise to use such
a high voltage because this approaches the voltage levels that are harmful to the human
body when touched More over in the miniature world there are hardly any devices requiring
such a high voltage
If you need to use a voltage above 15V for your loads it is advisable to separate Vp and
PWR If the voltage is higher than 25V the separation is mandatory because the voltage
stabilizer of the OC32 is not specified to handle more than 25V

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Each pair can provide 4,8A as an absolute maximum
Take Care: this is a peak urrent. Continuous load shall be kept below 1,5A per hannel
and below 2,5A total urrent for ea h driver module.
There is no current limitation in the OC32-ADM, so you have to take care of that
Fig 22: An installed ADM
6.1.9 Identifying the different ADM’s
If you have an ADM and it does not have a type description on it, you can identify which
version you have by the following:
• OC32-ADM/SI: At the top-side the TBD62083 is present, the TBD62783 is missing and
at bottom-side the 4 IC’s next to “P” are present
• OC32-ADM/SO At the top-side the TBD62783 is present, the TBD62083 is missing and
at bottom-side the 4 IC’s next to “N” are present
• OC32-ADM/MX At the top-side both TBD62783 and TBD62083 are present, at bottom-
side 4 IC’s are present, 2 in the “P” row, 2 in the “N” row
• OC32-ADM/FH All components are present
Fig 23: ADM’s, top-row=bottom-side, bottom-row=top-side
from left to right: SI, SO, MX, FH
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risk to re-use equipment designed for other purposes, especially if your electronic skills are
limited
2 Amps is a good start since the current cannot do too much harm if you make a mistake It
may not be enough to power all the devices in your miniature world, especially if your
ambitions are virtually unlimited In that case you can always buy a more powerful power
supply later on and use the 2Amp supply to service your OC32’s More on multiple power
supplies later on, but the message for now is: Unless you already know exactly what you
need/want, a simple and standard 2Amp DC power supply is probably the best option to
start
4.3 GND or referen e voltage
We assume that you have a connection point in your miniature world that we can call 0V,
Ground (GND) or reference voltage It might be that this “reference voltage” cannot always
be found easily, but in a layout controlled by a PC, this reference voltage often is the “GND”
of the communications port that your PC uses to control the layout
The 0V/GND (as stated above) of your miniature world has to be connected to the GND
connection of the OC32 All points in figure 6 that are labeled “GND” are interconnected on
the module itself
If your skill level on electronics is insufficient to find the reference point, then choose for a
separate power supply to power the OC32(‘s) In that case the OC32’s form a separate
subsystem within your miniature world and you won’t have to worry about the issue above
4.4 Conne ting power to the OC32
The power supply for your OC32 has to be a DC power supply with a Voltage level between
7V and 20V (preferably 15V max) The power needs to be smoothed but not necessarily
stabilized
4.4.1 The standard method: through K1
Connect the minus-pole of your power supply to the connection of K1 marked GND/GD
Connect the plus-pole of your power supply to the connection of K1 labeled PWR (figure 6)
If you leave the “Power” jumpers Jp1 and Jp2 on the module (as delivered ex-factory) the
supply voltage as provided on K1-PWR will become available on the 20-pin connectors K5A
and K5B on connections Vp1 and Vp2 (plus) and GND (minus), so you can feed your
connected devices with this For detailed pin-out, see figure 24
4.4.2 Use of separate power supplies for OC32 and onne ted devi es
If the item to control requires a high supply voltage or may cause a lot of interference (e g
turnout coils with endstop), it can be wise to separate the power supply of the OC32 from
the one for the devices to control You will then power the devices with e g a voltage of 18V
and the OC32 itself with e g 9V This has 2 advantages:
• Possible interference signals and noise from connected devices will not interact that
easily with the electronics So therefore in some ases it can improve stability
• The voltage conversion on the OC32 will waste less energy and therefore there will be
less dissipation While reducing the voltage from 9V to 5V less energy will be dissipated
than when the OC32 needs to reduce 18V to 5V
On the OC32/NG you’ll find two “Power jumpers” JP1 and JP2 These jumpers forward the
PWR power you supply to K1 to the Pin connectors JP1 connects PWR to Vp1 on K5A, JP2
connects PWR to Vp2 on K5B If you remove JP1 or JP2 the respective Vp will be separated

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OC32
internal
power
GND GND
Vp1
GND
Vp2
PWR
Jp1
Jp2
Drivers
16 31
Drivers
0 15
from the central PWR supplied to K1, allowing you to use separate power supplies for your
devices and the OC32 itself Per OC32/NG you can even have two different power supplies
for devices and a separate one for the OC32 itself
4.4.3 Providing power to the OC32/NG via K5A or K5B
The power you supply to K1 will be forwarded to Vp1 and Vp2 on the K5 connectors You can
also do it the other way around: While the power jumper JP1 is installed, power supply
connected to Vp1 on K5A will be forwarded to PWR and power the internal electronics of
your OC32/NG Similar, while the power jumper JP2 is installed, power supply connected to
Vp2 on K5B will be forwarded to PWR In these cases you can leave K1 unconnected You
will have all OC32 connections at one side, with the exception of the connections for
communication
Note that, while both JP1 and JP2 are installed, Vp1 and Vp2 are automatically connected
The schematic is essentially as indicated in figure 7
Fig 7: Power distribution schematics
4.5 5V
Internally, the OC32 operates on a supply voltage of 5V The OC32 obtains this from the
supply voltage PWR, delivered on K1 or delivered on Vp1/Vp2 through jumpers Jp1/Jp2 The
OC32 itself ensures an accurate stabilization, so you don’t have to worry about that
yourself
In rare instances, you may want to have access to the internal 5V system of the OC32
If you make use of so-called 5V outputs (see further on), then the power for these outputs
is obtained from the internal 5V If you use the outputs to their load limit and at the same
time , the available supply voltage on PWR is high (e g higher than 15V), then the stabilizer
on the OC32 can become quite hot The most obvious solution in this case is to split Vp and
PWR and feed the OV32 from e g a 7-9V power supply Alternatively you may provide an
external 5V directly, especially if it is already present in close proximity of the OC32, very
well stabilized and it has an efficient regulator
Also in some cases you may need a 5V connection, e g if you want to drive LED’s,
connected with their cathode to an output configured for 5V operation (see paragraph …)
You then can make your own 5V supply, or derive it from the OC32
On the OC32/NG, the 5V is no longer available by default on K1, as was the case with the
previous models The reason is that this 5V is directly connected to the OC32 CPU Any
Voltage over 5 1V or under 0V applied to this interface will cause severe damage to the
OC32 Since the 5V interface is hardly ever needed, it has been removed to protect the
OC32 from unintended errors
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The resistor array shall be a DIL16 version with individual resistors The value of the
resistors can be selected as required but preferably do not go below 100 Ω In most
connection examples a reasonable value is suggested
A 5V output in this configuration can supply/sink 40mA, however
Take are:
• The total load of all 5V outputs on ports 0..15 shall not ex eed 100mA;
• The total load of all 5V outputs on ports 16..23 shall not ex eed 100mA;
• The total load of all 5V outputs on ports 24..31 shall not ex eed 100mA.
In this case the power for the outputs is retrieved by the processor from the electronics
power supply If a non stabilized power is connected to PWR and the OC32 has to stabilize
it, the PWR should be modest The difference in voltage multiplied by the current is
converted into heat PWR has to be at least 7V and if the 5V outputs require much power
the adagio is the lower PWR the better”
6.1.5 OC32-ADM/SI (4,8A power sink-driver)
Use this driver when the required current is larger than the 500mA supported by the
standard driver A load is connected between Vp and the ADM output The current flows
from the positive voltage (Vp) through your load to the output and on the OC32 via the ADM
to GND/0V
Each output can provide 4,8A as an absolute maximum
Take Care: this is a peak urrent. Continuous load shall be kept below 2A per hannel
and below 3A total urrent for ea h driver module.
There is no current limitation in the OC32, so you have to take care of that
6.1.6 OC32-ADM/SO (4,8A power sour e-driver)
Use this driver when the required current is larger than the 500mA supported by the
standard source driver The load is connected between the output and GND/0V The current
flows from positive voltage (Vp) via the ADM on the OC32 to the output of the OC32 and
then via your load to GND/0V
Each output can provide 4,8A as an absolute maximum
Take Care: this is a peak urrent. Continuous load shall be kept below 2A per hannel
and below 3A total urrent for ea h driver module.
There is no current limitation in the OC32, so you have to take care of that
6.1.7 OC32-ADM/MX (4,8A multiplexer)
This driver offers 4 sink-driver ports and 4 source-driver ports It is intended as a module to
drive a matrix of turnouts One MX can drive 8 turnouts (2 solenoids each), two MX’s
together drive 32 turnouts (2 solenoids each)
The MX can provide 4,8A as an absolute maximum This is a peak current, but since the /MX
is a matrix driver, this will hardly be a problem in practice
6.1.8 OC32-ADM/FH (4,8A Full H-bridge)
This driver is the high-current version of the sink+source driver combination as described in
section 6 1 3 Same conditions apply

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Each output can provide 500mA but
Take Care: the maximum total urrent for the 8 outputs of ea h group is 1 A.
There is not a real current limitation in the OC32 You have to take care of that yourself or
to be certain you have to put a fuse in between So it is not possible to load all 8 outputs of
a single group with 350mA each In the case of more "heavy" loads they have to be spread
over more groups
6.1.3 Sink and Sour e Drivers (TBD62083 + TBD62783)
If both a Source Driver and a Sink Driver are placed in one Group, two consecutive outputs
of that group are going to act as a pair For the electronic engineers: this means that the
group is acting as an quadruple H-bridge In most cases the load is connected between two
consecutive outputs Those two consecutive outputs can have three different states:
• Both outputs off = load off
• Output Q+0 negative, output Q+1 positive = current into one direction
• Output Q+0 positive, output Q+1 negative = current into the other direction
• Both outputs on = NOT ALLOWED
If you hook-up a DC motor, with this type of connection, not only the speed can be
controlled, but aso the directon of rotation An application in practice would be a turnout
motor like Tortoise or Hoffman
Attention: In this onfiguration only one output of ea h pair may be a tive
simultaneously! Otherwise the result is a short ut and a fried driver IC. The OC32 has a
safety me hanism for this. To be sure that this me hanism works properly the "hardware
onfiguration" has to be set orre tly (see OC32 firmware manual)
6.1.4 Resistor Array (5V outputs)
In this case a resistor network is inserted in the receptacle of the Sink Driver A resistor
array is nothing else than multiple resistors in an IC housing It fits into the place where a
driver would be placed otherwise
A resistor array is not a real driver The I/O Pin of the OC32 processor is connected through
a resistor to the equivalent I/O Pin of the module The resistor provides some protection to
the processor and current limitation to protect the load Because the processor operates
with 5V internally, the output voltage of this kind of output is restricted to 5V The
electrical power is obtained from the processor directly As a result the power is limited
This setup can be used in the following situations:
• Driving a servomotor A servomotor has its own power supply and needs only a digital
control signal to determine the position Sink and Source drivers would disturb the
control signal and for that reason the resistor array is used
• Driving a LED The substantial advantage is that the series resistor for the LED is
incorporated in the OC32 The LED can be connected directly Most often the LED is
connected between output and GND but it can be done between two outputs or
between +5V and the output as well
• For using the I/O Pin as input The input signal applied to the Pin shall remain between 0V
and 5V The resistor acts as a (limited) security mechanism, so the input is not
immediately destroyed when accidently a wrong Voltage is applied to the Pin When you
use all Pins of the bank as input, you best use a somewhat higher resistance value (e g
1k Ω ) for improved protection
• More complex situations like 3 LEDs on the barrier of an automatic railroad crossing
(AHOB) which are driven with two outputs and two wires
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If you need the 5V interface, it can be made available
by a simple modification:
• If not already present, solder a dual-pin header
(pitch 2,54mm) onto position JP3
• Place a jumper on JP3 to activate the 5V
interface
If you want to provide your own 5V supply, then
connect its minus to pin 2 of K1 (GND) and its plus
to pin 3 of K1 (5V)
Furthermore the following requirements need to be satisfied:
• JP1 and JP2 may NOT be installed
• The pin PWR on K1 may NOT be connected
• Ideally the power voltage should be between 5 0V and 5 1V and be stabilized very well at
a short distance of the OC32 An improperly stabilized power supply or a long wire
length will lead to instability of the OC32 A negative voltage or a voltage higher than
5 5V will inevitably lead to a serious defect in your OC32 and costly repair!
4.6 Use of model railroad- and other transformers
4.6.1 Use of a lo omotive transformer
If you have a locomotive transformer for a DC system , you can use it as a power source for
your OC32 and connected items Take into account that in most cases a locomotive
transformer does not provide a real DC voltage, but a pulsing voltage
For a correct operation it is highly advisable and in most cases even mandatory to smooth
the voltage pulses with a capacitor This can be done by connecting the capacitor to the
supply voltage in parallel, preferably as close to the transformer as possible The value of the
capacitor depends on the total current that you will need from the supply As a guideline,
use about 2500 µ F per Ampere Obviously the specified voltage of the capacitor needs to be
higher than the voltage you will actually provide to the OC32
Furthermore it is very advisable to me hani ally blo k the dire tion swit h on your
transformer, to prevent an a idental reversal of polarity from happening!
4.6.2 Re tifi ation and smoothing of an AC voltage
If you don’t have a DC voltage but an AC voltage only, then you can transform that into a DC
voltage with 3 simple components How this is achieved can be found in figure 9
Attention: Sin e the re tified voltage will be onne ted to your OC32(‘s), the OC32(‘s)
will be onne ted to your digital system or to your PC and in the latter ase your PC to
your digital system, it is essential that the AC voltage sour e (the transformer itself) is
not onne ted in any other way to your digital system. It might be feasible, but you have
to know exa tly what you are doing, and how your digital system is onstru ted. If you
don’t know that, then see to it that the se ondary side of the transformer (the low
voltage side) is not onne ted in any other way. Ignoring this warning an result in
damage of your OC32, your digital system or both!
So, if you have a separate AC transformer or a transformer with a separate secondary side
that you can use, you can use the schematics as shown in figure 9 for rectification and
smoothing To the left you connect the output of your AC transformer The value of the
capacitor depends on the total current you need As a guideline, use about 2500 µ F per
Ampere The diode bridge needs to be able to cope with at least the voltage and current
that you are going to obtain and the voltage that the capacitor needs to cope with has to
Before mod
Fig 8 After mod

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be at least the voltage level PWR It
makes sense to incorporate a fuse to
take care of the risk of fire during a short
circuit!
Take into account that rectification and
smoothing will increase the voltage a bit
In most cases the voltage PWR will be
about 1 1 times the nominal AC voltage
of the transformer
Fig 9
: Rectification and smoothing AC
supply
Alternating Current
(transformer)
~~
+
_
GND
PWR
+
_
3A-T
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• When installing regular drivers, install sour e drivers in sour e-driver so kets only
and install other drivers in sink-driver so kets only
Fig 21: Locating the drivers on the OC32
In the following sections, the different sort of drivers are being explained in more detail If it
is unclear to you it is not of great concern Just take the examples of section 6 4 There is
explained which driver you need for specific types of devices
6.1.1 Sink Drivers 500mA (TBD62083)
This is the default driver delivered with the OC32/NG module A load is connected between
Vp and the 500mA output The current flows from the positive voltage (Vp) through your
load to the output and on the OC32 via the Sink Driver to GND/0V
Each output can provide 500mA but
Take Care: de maximum urrent per group of 8 outputs is 1A
There is not a real current limitation in the OC32 You have to take care of that yourself or
to be certain you have to put a fuse in between So it is not possible to load all 8 outputs of
a single group with 500mA each In the case of more "heavy" loads they have to be spread
over more groups
6.1.2 Sour e Drivers 500mA (TBD62783)
With a Source Driver the load is connected between the output and GND/0V The current
flows from positive voltage (Vp) via the Source Driver on the OC32 to the output of the
OC32 and then via your load to GND/0V
Sink 0 7
Source 0 7
Sink 16 23
Source 16 23
Sink 8 15
Source 8 15
Sink 24 31
Source 24 31
ADM 0 7
ADM 0 7
ADM 8 15
ADM 8 15
ADM 16 23
ADM 16 23
ADM 24 31
ADM 24 31

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6Conne ting the I/O Pins
6.1 Sele ting the ele tri al hara teristi s
The 32 I/O Pins of the OC32 are subdivided into 4 groups of 8 I/O Pins The 32 I/O Pins can
be driven individually and independent of each other Per group of 8 I/O Pins, the electrical
properties can be chosen This is done by placing the right "driver" depending on the required
properties A "driver" is an Electronic Module (ADM) or an Integrated Circuit (IC) which has
to be inserted into a socket on the OC32 This can be done easily by yourself
On the OC32/NG you will find 4 pairs of IC sockets and 4 pairs of ADM sockets This may
depend on the exact version of your OC32 Not all sockets are available on all models
Consult your vendor if in doubt
Per group of 8 I/O Pins, you use either the IC sockets OR the ADM sockets (not both, unless
in very special cases, not covered in this manual)
When using the IC sockets, you have the following options:
• 500mA Sink Driver (TBD62083
4
): This is the default output-type;
• 500mA Source Driver (TBD62783
3
);
• Resistor-array (5V output with integrated resistor);
• Both Sink Driver (TBD62083) and Source Driver (TBD62783)
The correct place for the drivers on the OC32/NG is depicted in fig 21
Attention: Sour e Drivers and Sink Drivers have there own re epta le. Do not
inter hange them be ause this would ause short utting. Resistor arrays have to be
pla ed in de Sink Driver re epta le.
Attention: Using resistor arrays pin 9 and pin 10 (those pins at the largest distan e
from the not h) are left empty.
Note that on the PCB there is text printed to help you indicate the right socket for your
driver in case you don’t have this document at hand or just to double-check that you are
using the right socket for the right driver!
ADM modules are “Add-on Driver Modules” that are specifically developed for the OC32/NG
OC32-ADM’s can be purchased from the VPEB partners At the moment the following
ADM’s are available:
• OC32-ADM/SI: 4 8A 8-port Sink Driver;
• OC32-ADM/SO: 4 8A 8-port Source Driver;
• OC32-ADM/MX: 4 8A Multiplexer, 4-port sink + 4-port source;
• OC32-ADM/FH: 4 8A 4-channel Full H-bridge;
When hanging drivers, please observe the following:
• Remove and install drivers only when power is OFF
• Remove IC’s arefully without ex essively bending pins
• Install either regular drivers OR ADM’s for the same group of 8 I/O Pins, never both.
You an sele t per group of 8 I/O’s if you use a regular driver or an ADM
• When installing an ADM, observe polarization. The ADM has an 8-pin and a 12-pin
onne tor and the OC32/NG has 8-pin and 12-pin so kets, so the way the ADM shall
be installed an be learly identified. Also double he k that the ADM is orre tly
installed (without offset) before applying power.
4 The TBD series is a MOSFET driver with a very low Voltage drop Instead you may use a ‘normal’
bipolar driver, being the ULN2803 or equivalent as SINK driver and the UDN2981A or equivalent as
SOURCE driver, however these may introduce a higher Voltage drop
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5Communi ating with the OC32
Fig 10: OC32 communication connections
5.1 Ways of ommuni ation
The OC32/NG has 3 communication-interfaces:
• an RS485 communication channel
• an RS232 communication channel
• a DCC interface
The three interfaces are independent and can be used simultaneously, as long as the
distinct channels don’t receive conflicting commands
The RS232 channel and the DCC interface can (seen from the OC32) only receive
information The RS485 channel is bidirectional
In the communication with the OC32, 3 levels can be distinguished:
• Operational: This involves commands that have to do with the situation in which your
miniature world is in normal operation Examples are commands for setting a signal or
switch in a specific state All communication interfaces can be used for this level
• Configuration: This involves commands for the configuration of the OC32, for example
whether an output is to be used for a servo or LED and for setting the parameters for
servo control For this level both the RS232 and the RS485 interface can be used The
RS485 interface has the advantage here because with this level it is also possible to
read the settings of the OC32 and therefore gives you the possibility of verification
RS485
interface
RS232
interface
Serial Address
Selection
RS485 Termination
DCC Interface
RS485
interface
DCC Low-
Pass Filter
K2A
K2B
K1
K2
K3
K4
K5A
K5B

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• Firmware-update: With this you can provide the OC32 with new firmware It can only be
done via the RS485 interface
The OC32 can be controlled in 4 different ways:
• Via a Dinamo or Dinamo/MCC system In most cases you will use the RS485 interface
• Straight from a PC with the appropriate software In this case you preferably use the
RS485 interface or, if you happen to have a COM-port and no U485, the RS232
interface
• By a “digital system” via the DCC protocol Note, with this method you can only send
operational commands
• Autonomously or by pushbuttons/switches
As described above the communication channels are available simultaneously You can use
this feature for example when you control your OC32 in a Dinamo system via RS485, or in a
digital system via DCC, but require an additional channel to give operational commands to
the OC32 from a separate PC program to control day/night simulation
5.2 Addressing of multiple OC32 modules (serial ommuni ation)
Using the serial interfaces RS485 or RS232, you can connect multiple OC32 modules to
the same communication bus In order to determine with which module you are
communicating, each module has an address With normal addressing you can address up to
16 modules, with extended addressing up to 96 modules
Note that the ‘serial address’ is shared between the RS485 and RS232 channels, so if you
use both channels simultaneously, the OC32 will have the same address on both interfaces
5.2.1 Addressing (normal)
Each OC32 receives a unique address (0 15) The address to which the OC32 reacts is set
by dip-switches It doesn’t matter whether the communication is TTL, RS232, RS485 or a
combination of those, nor whether your central system is Dinamo or your OC32’s connected
straight to your PC
Table 1 below shows which settings of the dip-switch correspond to which address For the
record: this is the standard numbering starting from 0 If your software starts numbering
from 1 onwards, you have to add 1 to each address
Address:
0 1 2 3 4 5 6 7
SW1 ON OFF ON OFF ON OFF ON OFF
SW2 ON ON OFF OFF ON ON OFF OFF
SW3 ON ON ON ON OFF OFF OFF OFF
SW4 ON ON ON ON ON ON ON ON
Address:
8 9 10 11 12 13 14 15
SW1 ON OFF ON OFF ON OFF ON OFF
SW2 ON ON OFF OFF ON ON OFF OFF
SW3 ON ON ON ON OFF OFF OFF OFF
SW4 OFF OFF OFF OFF OFF OFF OFF OFF
Table 1: Address setting of the OC32
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pin-hole pairs and don’t cut deeper than some 0 2mm below the surface of the PCB or you
may damage the internal layers Use a multimeter to check that both pin-hole pairs are
actually isolated
Now solder a 2-pin and a 3-pin 2,54mm pin header at the position of JP5
Also solder an 8-pin IC socket at the position of IC14, observe correct polarity
Before modification After modification
Fig 19: Adding a second RS485 bus
Installing 2 jumpers on JP5 on postions marked “CON” will restore the old situation
Inserting a Maxim MAX3082 or the cheaper Texas SN65HVD3082 (DIL version) in socket
IC14 will turn K2 into an RS485 channel 0
A jumper on JP5 in postion marked TD0 will activate an RS485 terminator on channel 0
As a summary you’ll now have the following selections:
• 2 jumpers on K5, position “CON”, IC14 empty:
Standard situation
Channel 0 = RS232 (or TTL if you made the mod)
Channel 1 = RS485 available on K2, K2A, K2B
• NO jumper on K5, RS485 driver in IC14:
Channel 0 = RS485 available on K2, no termination
Channel 1 = RS485 available on K2A, K2B
DO NOT CONNECT K1 pin 4!
• Jumper on K5, position TD0, RS485 driver in IC14:
Channel 0 = RS485 available on K2, terminated
Channel 1 = RS485 available on K2A, K2B
DO NOT CONNECT K1 pin 4!
RS232+RS485 2xRS485 2xRS485
Original situation No terminator on chan 0 Terminator on Chan 0
Fig 20: Selectable options for second RS485 bus

2x