Anyway, following on from the article on Microprocessors in pinball, I was asked if I would produce an article on how a switch matrix works - so here it is. Tonights episode - the WMS WPC switch matrix (just for all you RGP'ers with modern games).

If you're a beginner, and you look at the WPC circuit below, I'm betting that your going to be somewhat confused - I know I was when I first encountered a circuit like this some years ago. The problem with this circuit involves actually knowing what goes in inside a ULN-2803 and more importantly the LM339 quad comparator.

To fully understand the circuit we need to describe how a comparator works: A comparator has two inputs - inverting (-) and non-inverting (+) and of course an output. lets deal with the inputs first. If the voltage at the inverting pin is greater than the voltage at the non-inverting (+) pin the output of the comparator will go low, this way a 'threshold' voltage can be set up on the non-inverting input which when excedeed on the inverting input, causes the comparator to change state. The output of the LM339 has an open collector - this is by far the most important aspect of this circuit and also applies to the ULN-2803 too (for which I didn't have a data sheet handy so I'm guessing a bit, but, it shouldn't effect the following circuit description).

Whats an open collector output? Well, the chips output stage has an built-in NPN transistor, who's collector is actually connected to the output pin of the LM339 (pins 1, 2, 13 and 14 - there are 4 individual comparators in a LM339 package). When you connect the output up in a circuit, you are actually connecting it to the collector of a transistor!

When the transistor switches on, it will 'sink' to ground the signal connected to it. In the WPC switch matrix circuit this will be the 5 volt strap via the pull-up resistor 'R30' and this will cause the previously high output (set via R30) to go low. This output is actually also the input to our inverter IC at U13 too.

For open collector circuits to operate correctly they must have a pull-up resistor on the output to give two defined states - high via the resistor strap and low when the transistor grounds. If a pull-up is not used, the output will 'float' (remain at an undefined level).

For and 8 x 8 switch matrix there are obvioulsy 8 column stages and 8 row stages. Notice I haven't used the word 'drivers' - simply because one of the best aspects of this circuit involves the fact that it doesn't have any! - the matrix is supplied directly from the 12 volt line via the pull-up resistors R67 and to a lesser degree R52. The TTL ICs used in the WPC cannot handle 12 volts directly - they are 5 volt devices, in fact, if you shove 12 volts into any 'ls' (low power schottky) device - you get a 'supermodel'. - nice legs but no body. By using the 2803 and LM339 at 12 volts and the 'ls' devices at 5 volts, we have a 'level-shifting' interface in action here - 12 volts down to 5 volts for our digital logic to safely read.

The switches are arranged a matrix of 8 x 8 with a diode assigned to each switch which prevents it influencing another line should it close. This is standard matrix stuff and applies to most pinball switches under uP control;

+ = intersection




row 0 +--------------+--------------+--------------+---------------->
      |        __    |        __    |        __    |        __
      '--[>|--O  O-. '--[>|--O  O-. '--[>|--O  O-. '--[>|--O  O-.(s5-s8)
               s1  |          s2  |          s3  |          s4  |
                   |              |              |              |
row 1 +----------- |-+----------- |-+----------- |-+----------- |-->
      |        __  | |        __  | |        __  | |        __  |
      '--{>|--O  O-+ '--[>|--O  O-+ '--[>|--O  O-+ '--[>|--O   
 O-+(s13-s16)
               s9  |         s10  |         s11  |         s12  |
                   |              |              |              |
                column0        column1        column2        column4...

Okay lets explain all this in more detail: Forget about the two 470 picofarad capacitors - their involvement here is purely a decoupling one and does not effect the theory of circuit operation.

Here comes the obligatory ASCII schematic (ASCII does not lend itself well to this kind of stuff unfortunately.);

The WPC Switch Matrix Circuit

(This is a real WPC matrix by the way - not an example.)

     *COLUMN*
 (typically 8 off)            +12V
 ___                    R67    |
|   |  ULN-2803     .--[ 1K ]--'
|   |     |\        |                /       matrix
|   |9   1| \18     |               /        diode
|U14|-----|  >O-----+------>Jx>----O SW1 O----|<]---->Jx>-.
|   |     | /       |                                     |
|   |     |/ U20    |                                     |
|   |               '---|470|---.                         |
|___|                    pf     |                         |
LS374                          0V                         |
                                                          |
                                                          |
                                                          |
                                                          |
             +5V                                          |
              |                                           |
              +------------------.      *ROW*             |
              |                  | (typically 8 off)      |
      ___     |  R30             |                        |
     |   |    +-[10K]-.          |                +12V    |
     |   |    |       |          |                  |     |
     |   |    |       |     /|10 |           R52    |     |
     |   |    |       |    /-|---'      .---[1K2]---'     |
o/p  |   |11  |       | 13/  |          |                 |
<---O|U13|----+-------+--<   |          |    D1           |
     |   |                \  |11  R51   |  1n4148         |
     |   |          U18    \+|--[1K ]---+---[>|-----------'
     |   |         LM339    \|          |
     |   |         (1/4)                |
     |___|                              |
     LS240                              '---|470|---.
                                             pf     |
                                                    |
                                                   0V

I should tidy up one point here - there is only ONE 74ls374 octal latch and ONE 74ls240 octal inverting driver in the WPC switch matrix, each have 8 individual latches/inverters respectively within to cope with the 8 columns and 8 rows.

Full circuit description

The WPC 6809 uP in conjunction with the WPC ASIC, selects each line to scan by writing an active bit (high or logic '1') to the latch at U14 (74ls374*), which is connected to the ULN-2803 (U20) open-collector inverter at pin 1. Llatches are used so that the uP can check the output state at the other end without having to hold the scan line high itself - it may go off and perform other duties before returning to examine the result the other end?.

[*The 74ls374 is an octal (8 off) 'D' type latch. If the 6809 uP writes an active bit to one of the latches, it is passed to the 'Q' output which holds it high ('latches' it) regardless of whether the 'D' input changes state (goes low or tri-state or whatever) providing the clocking and hold criteria is met. 'D' type latches such as this are known also as '1-bit stores'.]

When the 2803 switches state, it pulls the 12 volt strap via R67 low using the internal NPN transistor, thereby depriving that matrix line of power. If the matrix switch is open then the comparator side of the circuit is unaffected (it's simply not connected as the switch is open). The uP will then check the output of the 74ls240 inverting octal driver at U13 the other end for a change of state (going from low for an open switch to high for a closed switch).

The output of the comparator is held high via R30 so this immediately translates to a low signal being outputted by the 74ls240 under normal conditions with the switch open.

No then, if the switch is closed and the WPC writes an active bit to the latch at U14, the 2803 changes state, pulls the 12 volt strap and the matrix line low and also pulls the non-inverting input of the LM339 comparator low because it's connected through the switch. This means that the inverting input now has a higher voltage (as it is connected directly to 5 volts) forcing the LM339 output to go low (the internal transistor turns on and grounds the 5 volt strap via R30). This translates to the output of U13 going high (it's an inverter, remember), which the 6809 uP reads as a valid switch closure.

Did you get that?

The scanning method would involve writing an active bit to the first column latch at U14 and checking all 8 rows then other end for a change of state (from low to high), then advancing to the next column and doing the same thing until all 8 columns had been scanned - 8 columns x 8 rows = 64 switches.

Note also that the pull up resistors are limiting the amount of current into the LM339 output;

5 volts / 10,000 ohms = 500 uA (this current is actually more to do with the safe input current for the 74ls240).

and the ULN-2803;

12 volts / 1000 ohms = 12mA (which is actually the approx. matrix current).

Time for a beer.

-- End