Whisker.Blocks™ are designed to be extremely easy to configure and use.  In this article, we will show you how to wire analog and digital sensors to Whisker.Blocks with a variety of I/O configurations.

Whisker.Block Sensor Connections

External sensors are connected to Whisker.Blocks via M8 cable connectors on the right and left side of the device.  The right hand connector is for sensor channels 1 and 2.  For devices with three or more external sensor channels, the Whisker.Block will be configured with a connector on the left for channels 3 and 4.

Each connector has 4 positions.  The following diagram shows the pinout for the connector and is color coded to match the wire color for the M8 cable.

M8 Sensor Cables

Each Whisker.Block is shipped with a 3ft (1M) sensor cable for each populated connector.  For single and dual channel devices, one cable is provided.  For devices with three or more channels, two cables are provided.  The following diagram shows the function and color of each of the four wires in the cable.

Extension cables are also available in 3 foot and 6 foot lengths.  Extension cables have a male connector on one end and a female on the other to that the cables can be easily extended just by twisting on an extension.

Example Wiring Diagrams - Various I/O Configuration

DCA4 - Digital Input, 4-20mA Analog Input (Connector 1 only)

Note: Cable length should be kept under 100 feet for 4-20mA sensors to ensure that wire resistance does not affect sensor accuracy.  Do not apply voltage to the digital input.  It is designed for switches/contacts only.

A4A4 - Dual 4-20mA Analog Input (Connector 1 and Connector 2)

Note: Cable length should be kept under 100 feet for 4-20mA sensors to ensure that wire resistance does not affect sensor accuracy.

DCA5 - Digital Input, 0-5VDC Analog Input (Connector 1 only)

Note: Cable length should be kept under 10 feet for 0-5V sensors to ensure that wire resistance does not affect sensor accuracy. Do not apply voltage to the digital input.  It is designed for switches/contacts only.

A5A5 - Dual 0-5VDC Analog Input (Connector 1 and Connector 2)

Note: Cable length should be kept under 10 feet for 0-5V sensors to ensure that wire resistance does not affect sensor accuracy.

DCDC- Dual Digital Input (Connector 1 only)

Note: Cable length should be kept under 100 feet for 4-20mA sensors to ensure that wire resistance does not affect sensor accuracy. Do not apply voltage to the digital input.  It is designed for switches/contacts only.