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I am new to electrical engineering, just an enthusiast. In our school, we are having introductory classes in electrical engineering using Arduino. Our teacher taught us about the use of the relay module: the uses of each pin and basic information about how an electromagnet is used for controlling the inner mechanism of relays.

The problem is that I do not have access to the required hardware so I am using Tinkercad for simulation, which instead of having a relay module, has just a DPDT Relay: LU-5-R. I checked its datasheet to find the names of pins (Vcc, Gnd, IN, NO, COM, NC) as they are not mentioned on the Tinkercad site, but there is no direct mention of such names for the pins in the datasheet as well.

Here is the datasheet: https://datasheet.octopart.com/LU-5-R-Rayex-datasheet-10584258.pdf. I looked at some other project made by someone else on the same site and thought this to be the correct labeling for the pins:

tinkercad pins

zoomed image of just the dpdt relay

The code does not do anything fancy, it just switches between HIGH and LOW voltages given to IN pin (if my connection is correct for IN pin). The code works correctly for the bulb connected to NO pin, as it switches between glowing and not glowing. But, if the pins I chose were accurate, then the other bulb should have switched between glowing and not glowing too, but instead it glows continuously. I suppose this is due to my incorrect labeling of the pins.

So, my questions are:

  1. How can one find the names of the pins from the provided datasheet?
  2. What is the correct labeling for the pins?
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  • \$\begingroup\$ The pin configuration is printed on the top of the relay, as shown in the screenshots. You don't even need the datasheet. \$\endgroup\$
    – Hearth
    Commented Sep 12, 2023 at 15:38
  • \$\begingroup\$ Also note that a relay does not have Vcc and ground pins. \$\endgroup\$
    – Hearth
    Commented Sep 12, 2023 at 15:39
  • \$\begingroup\$ IDK if Tinkercad does SPICE-like simulation or if it has a virtual oscilloscope, but if so, then once you get your model working, you should look at what happens to the voltage on the Arduino's GPIO pin (Pin 7 in your diagram) at the moment when the relay clicks off. Then, Google for freewheeling diode if you want an explanation for what you see. \$\endgroup\$ Commented Sep 12, 2023 at 16:25
  • \$\begingroup\$ Thanks, @Hearth! I think I mixed between relay and relay module. I will search more about the functioning of relay now. Thanks, @Solomon Slow too! I will test that. \$\endgroup\$ Commented Sep 12, 2023 at 16:37

2 Answers 2

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From the datasheet (annotations added).

IMPORTANT NOTE: The diagram is from the bottom rather than looking through the part from the top as is more common in modern times. This treatment has historical roots- when single-sided PCBs were very common then PCB design was frequently done using a bottom view of the PCB. Often using Bishop Graphics sticky tape and pad stickies.

enter image description here

The two COM pins are connected together. The remaining two pins are the coil connections and they are interchangeable.

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  • \$\begingroup\$ Thanks! I was expecting the relay pins to be similar to those of relay module pins. Now I have worked out the required circuit and my program now works exactly as I want it to do! \$\endgroup\$ Commented Sep 12, 2023 at 16:47
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The data sheet has drawing of the relay contact and coil pins.

The NC pin is the normally closed and NO is the normally open pin.

Also please notice that you have a relay. It has just contact pins and coil pins. It is not a relay module that takes in a logic level signal from Arduino.

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  • \$\begingroup\$ Thanks! That helped. \$\endgroup\$ Commented Sep 12, 2023 at 16:48

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