Description:

This is a must for driving any circuits that require more current than a microcontroller itself can put out. Most microcontrollers, such as the Arduino, or single board computers like the Raspberry Pi or the Beagle Bone Black can only output 20 - 30 mA of current out of a digital pin.

The high current driver breakout is based on ST Micro's ULN2003 Darlington array. It takes a simple 5V TTL signal to drive the triggered output. It will drive up to 50V and 2 watts of power (1 watt per channel, but the channels can be paralleled for over 1 watt). The circuit can handle about 500mA continuously. The circuit also has inductive load transient suppression which occurs when driving such things as coils on relays.

All our high current drivers have 7 channels. All but the basic assembled board and one relay board have status LEDs which will light with a TTL (+5VDC) logic input. The boards that have relays are rated at 10A@120VAC. An external power source is plugged into the board that drives the loads. If you use the relays, then the supply needs to be either 5VDC or 12VDC. The 5VDC coils will draw about 60mA each. The 12VDC coils will draw about 37mA each.

Applications:

• Driving high power LEDs like our 3-LED or 6-LED light boards
• Driving Relays

Documentation and Support:

• ULN2003 Datasheet