Question about electronic Relays

[leglez]

Ok I have a modded xbox, with 1 HDD. I am putting another HDD in but want to keep the original. In an xbox only 1 HDD can be turned on at a time. So I am going to wire a switch up to the power of the molex adapter going to the hdds, so I can select which hdd I want. Here is a guide telling how to do it. But what I am wanting to do is put the switch in my controller. So here is my idea:

Starting in the controller run a wire from the ground to a toggle switch.
On the other side of the toggle switch run it to the yellow wire in the xbox cable (it is only used for lightguns).
Inside of the xbox run the other end of the yellow cable to the input on a relay.
Hook the power of one hdd up to the always on of the relay.
Hook the power of the other hdd up to the always off of the relay.

If I did this then when I hit the switch it would shut one hdd off and turn the other on correct? I do not know much about relays.

Also here is a diagram I made if you don't understand.

Diagram

Edit:

Now that I am looking at it I think on a relay the input goes to the always on or always off. Correct me if I am wrong. If this is correct then I should run 12v to the relay's input.

Or I could run the always on always off of the relay to the ground of the hdds.

 

[Evadman]

drop the relay and get a on-off-on switch.

 

[leglez]

Well I could do that but then the switch would have to be located on the console. I am wanting to put it in the actual controller. And there is only 1 wire in the controller that you can use that runs back to the actual system.

 

[Evadman]

you can't change the HD's with the unit on.

 

[leglez]

I know but I can restart the system from the controller and while it is restarting I can switch.

 

[The Batt?sai]

Originally posted by: leglez
I know but I can restart the system from the controller and while it is restarting I can switch.

its still powered right? i thought only sata was hot swappable.?

 

[Evadman]

Originally posted by: leglez
I know but I can restart the system from the controller and while it is restarting I can switch.

No you can't. that's my point. the xbox is PATA and the devices are assigned their ID's within the first few ms.

 

[Rubycon]

Why don't they have USB ports on them? Even if the internals have it you could icy dock it with a hacked bios of course. I'm just speculating of course as I've never used an x box.

 

[leglez]

Well crap

I guess I could always build a Xerc and use it in one of my old Xbox DVD remotes. Then I believe I could power it down from the controller switch the HDDs and then power it back on with a Xerc. Sorry for making it so difficult, I just am wanting to do a new mod that I haven't seen done before.

Why don't they have USB ports on them? Even if the internals have it you could icy dock it with a hacked bios of course. I'm just speculating of course as I've never used an x box.

The xbox controllers or USB, just the actual port is modified. All you have to do is take out the old ports and plug USB ports in and it works. What do you mean Icy Dock it?

 

[Special K]

OP, maybe I'm misunderstanding your diagram. I have redrawn the schematic to show all pins of the relay. Are my connections correct? How are you planning to connect the toggle switch to the coil pins of the relay? I guess that is what I couldn't tell from your diagram.

relay.jpg

 

[leglez]

I have never worked with relays so I am not really sure. I thought there was just 1 input for the relay. So I was just planning on running a wire straight from the toggle switch to the input of the relay. But from your diagram it appears that the input has a positive and negative. If the relay is inside the case, I can get ground for it.

So could I do this:

12V from controller connected to the switch, connected to the + of the relay
And then have ground coming off the PSU going to the - of the relay?

 

[Rubycon]

Originally posted by: leglez
What do you mean Icy Dock it?

Text

 

[Special K]

Originally posted by: leglez
I have never worked with relays so I am not really sure. I thought there was just 1 input for the relay. So I was just planning on running a wire straight from the toggle switch to the input of the relay. But from your diagram it appears that the input has a positive and negative. If the relay is inside the case, I can get ground for it.

So could I do this:

12V from controller connected to the switch, connected to the + of the relay
And then have ground coming off the PSU going to the - of the relay?

Like this?:

relay.jpg

 

[leglez]

Also I am planning on using This relay if that makes a difference

Like this?:

Yes that is correct

 

[Special K]

Originally posted by: leglez
Also I am planning on using This relay if that makes a difference

Like this?:

Yes that is correct

EDIT: Here's another way of doing it:


relay3.JPG

 

[Rubycon]

Ouch that's kind of scary - I thought by your original dwg and title you were talking about an electronic aka solid state relay not an electromechanical relay designed for automotive lighting, etc.

Using such a relay in a computer environment may prove to be risky. You may better off with a MOSFET relay with zero bounce and RFI from arcing, etc. Even a simple bias on a TO-220 case MRF511 MOSFET should suffice for a hard drive power source.

 

[leglez]

Do you know where to find a solid state relay? Sorry I just searched radioshack for relay and that was the first thing that came up didn't know there were any different types. Also I searched for MOSFET on radioshack and this is the only thing that came up I know it is a transistor but I don't know what a transistor is so maybe it is what I need.

Here

 

[Special K]

Originally posted by: leglez
Do you know where to find a solid state relay? Sorry I just searched radioshack for relay and that was the first thing that came up didn't know there were any different types. Also I searched for MOSFET on radioshack and this is the only thing that came up I know it is a transistor but I don't know what a transistor is so maybe it is what I need.

Here

Try buying from here, they have a much bigger selection:

Digikey

 

[leglez]

Wow your right it has a bigger selection well out of the 451 types of Mosfet relays would This work?

If not here is my search Here

I am really confused because there are so many options, and all of them that I can see have an integrated switch which I don't think I need because the relay is going to be in the console and the switch is going to be in the controller

 

[leglez]

Bump

 

[leglez]

Up for the morning

 

[speg]

This is totally off topic, but do you guys have any favorite sites I go to and learn about this stuff? I was thinking of picking up a "starter kit" for electronics to get my feet wet.

 

[leglez]

Bump still needing a direct link to the proper relay because I can't find an exact one

 

[Evadman]

Guys, come on think about this logicly. This will not work in the way leglez want's it to. Using a different relay isn't going to work either. The end all be all fact is that you can not switch HD's when the unit is on, even if you are 'really quick'. You only have a few ms from power on to device selection on the PATA cable. No mater how it is done, the controler will have power long after the PATA has picked the slave device, so there is no way that you will be able to control the HD switch from a controler. It is a great idea, but it iis not possible with PATA drives.

 

[leglez]

No like I said earlier if I make a Xerc, I can shut the unit off with the regular remote, switch the HDDs with the regular remote, and then power the unit back on with the Xerc long after I switched hdds.