The "up to" figure is just that: A maximum rating, beyond which the board may be damaged.

Some of our competitors leave it at that. They pick the absolute maximum rating out of the data sheet for the component they are using, and quote that as what you can do with their product, with no additional qualifications.

We try to be better than that. Sure, we quote an "up to" headline figure, though even that is carefully tempered by consideration of the overall design of the board, and how you are likely to use it. But then we go the next step and give you some information on how far you can push the board without compromising long term reliability. That extra information is in the board's technical data.

If this leaves any unanswered question about using our boards in your product, feel free to ask us via our contacts page. Our support comes from the actual engineers who designed the product, not via a forum.

Relays very often drive mains (120/240V) loads. This can be dangerous!

There are design rules governing devices that connect to the mains. One such rule concerns the "tracking distance" between a mains connected terminal and the "safe" side, i.e. anything a human may touch. The rule in the US is 6mm.

We have seen competitors' products advertised as 120V/240V rated, but clearly violating the 6mm rule. Such products could get you into a lot of trouble! If you are making a product that connects to the mains, you must take electrical safety into account.

The XIRO16 adds 8 relays and 8 digital inputs to your SPLat controller. It is easy to use, appearing simply as another 8 inputs and 8 outputs.

The output relays have ratings up to 5A. Six of the relays are wired for normally open contacts SPST/Form A (close on activation). Two are wired as change-over, SPDT/Form C. For electrical safety the relay contacts are separated from the control circuitry by 6mm board spacing, and the relays are UL and VDE listed/approved. See the documentation for more detail, including a link to the relay data.

The inputs provide provide industry standard NPN compatibility. Tying the input pin to ground (0V) registers as an On (True/logic 1) state. Leaving it open circuit or driving it to the positive supply voltage registers as an Off (False/logic 0). See the documentation for more detail.