Short version: What is the absolute minimum footprint driver circuit (NOT SMT) that will work from an Open Collector output with a 4.7K pull up to +5 (PC parallel port nStrobe pin) and drive a small OMRON G5LE-1 DC5 which has a 5 volt, 63 Ohm coil? Long version: I have a PCB that I would like to squeeze a bit more functionality into, but I have almost no real-estate available. I've managed to put a PCB mount relay on the underside of the board (with other components on the top) by fitting it's few through hole leads in between other stuff. What remained was a drive circuit for the relay. Piclist.com has a great page for PIC relay drivers at http://www.piclist.com/techref/io/relays.htm and what I think is the best page on the PC parallel port bar none at http://www.piclist.com/techref/io/parallel/signals.htm However, the quick and dirty single transistor driver from the relays page http://www.piclist.com/techref/io/relay5v.gif will not work with the actual PC parallel port outputs as specified on the parallel port page. It does work with a PIC, I verified that, but the PIC has a lot more drive than a PC parallel port pin... Especially the pin I want to use: nStrobe, which is an open collector output with a 4.7k pull-up resistor. There is another suggestion on the relay driver page that looks promising for a very small footprint solution: +24 | relay coil | drain +5 ---- gate N Channel Hexfet control source | gnd But there is no sample part number or other details. I spent some hours this weekend searching the net for N Channel Hexfet examples circuits, hoping to find something where one was used to drive a relay or used to drive something like a relay from a PC parallel port and came up empty. I would really like to avoid all the extra holes and space for a resistor, diode, etc... In addition to the drive transistor. If you are curious, the circuit is for the next version of this kit and PCB: http://www.piclist.com/techref/io/stepper/linistep/4axis2build.htm which is darn fine in most other respects... The first version (which I am now selling) works nicely for the other functions (other than the relay driver). --- James Newton: PICList webmaster/Admin mailto:jamesnewton@piclist.com 1-619-652-0593 phone http://www.piclist.com/member/JMN-EFP-786 PIC/PICList FAQ: http://www.piclist.com -- http://www.piclist.com PIC/SX FAQ & list archive View/change your membership options at http://mailman.mit.edu/mailman/listinfo/piclist