This week, Yoctopuce adds two new modules with USB-C connectivity to its catalog: the Yocto-PowerRelay-V2-C and the Yocto-PT100-C. Let's take a quick look...
Yocto-PowerRelay-V2-C
The Yocto-PowerRelay-V2-C is the USB-C equivalent of the Yocto-PowerRelay-V2. You can use it to drive loads up to 5 Amps and 150VAC. Note, however, that in DC, there's a derating: at 5 Amps, you can only switch 30 VDC. What's more, if you intend to drive inductive loads, you'd be better off using a Yocto-PowerRelay-V3-C rather than a V2. If you respect these few constraints, the Yocto-PowerRelay-V2-C is a compact and relatively inexpensive USB relay that will do you a lot of good.
The Yocto-PowerRelay-V2-C, with a white relay, but it could just as easily be orange
Like all Yoctopuce modules that drive relays, the Yocto-PowerRelay-V2-C integrates various small automations that you can use to greatly simplify your own control code.
Don't be put off by the white color of the relay. Apparently TE connectivity decided to change the color of the PE014005 relays without telling anyone. In fact, lately at Yoctopuce, it's always a surprise when we open a package with these relays, as we don't know whether we're going to come across orange or white relays.
In terms of price, the Yocto-PowerRelay-V2-C comes out at 24.50 Swiss francs, very similar to the Micro-B version.
Yocto-PT100-C
The Yocto-PT100-C is the USB-C version of the Yocto-PT100, our most accurate temperature sensor. It interfaces PT100 probes, also known as RTD resistors, which are in fact rather special resistors of which the value varies according to the temperature. The Yocto-PT100-C precisely measures this variation and deduces the temperature.
The Yocto-Pt100-C, USB-C version of the Yocto-PT100
Note that the Yocto-PT100-C is sold without a probe, because PT100s come in a multitude of forms and are generally quite expensive. So you'll need to buy your own probes from a specialist retailer. Note, however, that you can quite easily make your own PT100 probe at a lower cost. It's also worth mentioning that the measuring part is electrically isolated from the USB part, so there's no risk of your measures being disturbed by ground loops.
When we calculated the price of the Yocto-PT100-C, we noticed that it was significantly cheaper than the Micro-B version. We did a little investigating, and it turns out that some components cost us slightly less than they did in 2013, the year the Yocto-PT100 was launched on the market. As a reminder, the unit price of a Yoctopuce module is calculated at the time of its launch as three times its component cost, after which this price is no longer modified, bin barring exceptional cases. We have therefore decided to sell the Yocto-PT100-C at 75.50 Swiss francs, and to exceptionally lower the price of the Yocto-PT100 from 83.85 to 75.30 Swiss francs, in order to keep our prices somewhat consistent.
That's all for this week.
