Solid state VS Mechanical
There are a few different versions of the Sainsmart board. Usb, Non Usb and solid state. The benefits of a solid state board is the speed and since there is no mechanical actions, it will be more reliable over time. You will not hear clicking noise when the relay is activated and it supports PWM ( Pulse with Modulation ) To be tested
Solid-state relays can have a much higher cycle frequency over mechanical relays, so turning a high-power device on and off frequently is best handled by a solid-state solution.
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Solid State Relays are resistant to shocks and vibrations: Since all the parts in a solid state relay are electronic and usually epoxy sealed, the risk of shock and vibration, or accidental switching from bounce electrically or mechanically is eliminated.
The SSR i am using is supporting a maximum of 2A if you have a toy that requires more than 2A, you should consider the Mechanical relay board supporting up to 10A.
Solid state relay board connections
Here is an example of a shaker motor connected to the Sainsmart Relay board and to the KL25Z. ( KL25Z Tutorial ).
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Let's break it apart. If you want a shaker motor for your cabinet , you need to connect it to a Virtual Pinball Controller like the KL25Z. The KL25Z has some limitation for the power trigger when you turn on the shaker motor. The signal must be amplified and in this scenario, the Sainsmart board act as a booster.
If you are a techy, let's say that the Sainsmart board is top notch MOSFET board.
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After you have connected all your toys to the Sainsmart board, you will need to setup DOF to make the tables speak to your Sainsmart.
USB Sainsmart board
This is the board a lot of people are using. I also used this board for quite some time and it is a descent solution for adding force feedback to your cabinet. This is a lot easier to set up than the Sainsmart solid state above. This amplifies the signal up to 10A, which means that you will never have any issues triggering even a real pinball flipper.
I am going to connect a shaker motor on the the SaintSmart 8 ports USB and show you the connections.
