Questions tagged [solenoid]

An electromagnet combined with an actuator to convert electrical energy into linear physical motion.

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My shift register is working when I use LEDs, but not a solenoid

I'm trying to operate a solenoid push pull motor with a shift register. It works fine with LEDs, but when I try to use the shift register to trigger my solenoid it doesn't work. I suspect it's a power ...
conor_b's user avatar
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How to build a programmable sticky button

I'm trying to build a button that can exist in two modes. Either it springs back after being pressed, or it stays pressed. I want to switch between these two modes using some complex logic, controlled ...
abednego's user avatar
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How to optimise wire gauge selection for electromagnetic applications?

Disclaimer: Hobbyist "maker" with limited experience and no relevant education. Please considerate and answer in detail. Feel free to skip to "Question". Context I have an ...
George Kerwood's user avatar
4 votes
3 answers
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How does the size of a reservoir capacitor affect battery life?

I have a circuit, powered by a 9V alkaline, where a solenoid is actuated via a MOSFET. I have a large reservoir capacitor (4700uF electrolytic) on the high side of the solenoid. I was wondering how ...
sduck's user avatar
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4 answers
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Use old PC power supply for 24v solenoids?

I'd like to use the +12 and -12 leads from an old PC power supply to power 24v irrigation solenoid valves. The values are rated 0.22A inrush current and 0.1A holding current. I only plan on 1 or 2 ...
Larry K's user avatar
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MOSFET or bipolar to drive a solenoid valve?

I have to drive a 12V solenoid valve. In the datasheet it's written: Power: 8 W. So the current drawn by the solenoid is 0.666 A. Usually, to drive small relay (about 10 or 20 mA) I use a bipolar ...
damien's user avatar
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Resonant Solenoid Drivers

Over the years I have always wondered why we do not make more use of resonance when driving things like solenoids and relays. We all use the circuit below ad-infinitum and just tolerate the current ...
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Bidirectional solid state switch for solenoid

I'm building a circuit to control a flip dot display, which is basically a matrix of solenoids which you control with bidirectional current across the 25 columns and 7 rows of the board. The ...
David's user avatar
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2 answers
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Control 12 solenoids with a raspberry pi

I'm a musician and I'm working on a funny project : control solenoids with a midi keyboard. So I have a MIDI keyboard connected to my raspberry pi connected to my breadboard. Until now everything is ...
Walkyrie's user avatar
4 votes
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How to make a solenoid armature travel at a faster rate of speed?

My project requires a solenoid with a stroke of 15mm and the travel speed must be 15mm in 2ms. What can be done to get higher speed of travel in the armature?
Donald Wehmeyer's user avatar
4 votes
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Suggestions on board designing, ground plane and layers - PCB images

I'm designing a board (with EAGLE) for my first time and, before posting here, I've read some topics and documents on how to design a board, but I still need help since I'm a beginner. My board ...
Marcus Barnet's user avatar
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3 answers
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What is good device for generating vibrations, offset weight motor or solenoid or some other?

I am building a vibrating device for that I am thinking to use a solenoid for vibration. The solenoid will be used such that device will be mounted in the floor and when a stick is put over solenoid, ...
enterprize's user avatar
4 votes
3 answers
316 views

Battery-powered 3-5 V MCU, but 12 V solenoids. How to power?

I'm building a battery-powered safe cabinet hobby project. It uses the 32L152CDISCOVERY board. I plan to charge it with a solar panel. I should operate at least 6 months without maintenance. The MCU ...
Tuppe's user avatar
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2 answers
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Do pumps and motors also need flyback diodes?

So my question is simple, we know that its good practice to use flyback diodes in solenoid valves and relays, but do pumps and motors also need them as they also have coils?
Lord Voldemort's user avatar
4 votes
2 answers
1k views

Driving pinball flipper with N-Channel MOSFET

I am trying to drive a pinball flipper using the circuit below, but after switching the flipper on a few times the MOSFET failed (short to ground) and the voltage level shifter appears to have been ...
ks0ze's user avatar
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Switching kicker solenoid with an idea out of the box

From my previous posting some may know I am planning to make a kicker solenoid. The circuit specs: Coil - 3.5 Ω, 3.4 mH (inductance) Capacitor 1000 μF, 450 V DC booster up to 410 V 12 V DC battery ...
Tito's user avatar
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2 answers
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Solenoid doesn't actuate when driven through MOSFET

I'm trying to drive a solenoid with a GPIO on a Raspberry Pi. Here's the schematic: The current through the solenoid and MOSFET should be: So the voltage drop across the MOSFET should be: leaving ...
mgalgs's user avatar
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1 answer
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Solenoid for opening door latch

I would like to open a door latch with solenoid using a IR reciever (basically remote control). My questions are as follows: What kind of signal (AC/DC) will I require through the solenoid? Is it ...
Prabhpreet's user avatar
3 votes
2 answers
458 views

Reduce size of power source [closed]

I want to use a 9 V battery to unlock a 12 V latch. I am using 8 AA batteries now. The 9 V battery will unlatch, but is too weak to overcome any resistance, no snap!
Emil Farris's user avatar
3 votes
3 answers
709 views

Solenoid switching without relays

I have a latching solenoid that operates on 2vdc (at the lowest) all the way up to (as I have tested) 9vdc - the minimum amount of current I have tested it with is 0.01A (which is the lowest my ...
Robert Petz's user avatar
3 votes
2 answers
6k views

Solenoid Alternative?

I wanted to use solenoids in previous projects and have been let down by the fact that I can't find them here in Egypt. Plus they are a bit expensive. My question is: is there an alternative that it ...
Seif Shawkat's user avatar
3 votes
1 answer
364 views

How can I build the attached circuit diagram in a bread board?

How can I build the attached circuit diagram in a bread board? I've procured all the mentioned components. The components I have are: BLM5 Solenoid, Vishay 100V 3A rectifier diode, Welwyn 39Ω wire-...
HARI LAKSHMAN's user avatar
3 votes
3 answers
6k views

My DIY solenoid does not work

DESCRIPTION: Hi there, I don't know lot about electricity and I`m having problems with my first solenoid-prototype, I tried to build it watching you tube videos. I have attached the pictures of the ...
Hasan A.'s user avatar
3 votes
2 answers
297 views

Problem driving solenoids with an IRF540 power MOSFET

I am using an IRF540PBF power MOSFET to drive a solenoid with 24VDC which works beautifully. When I try to drive a stronger solenoid the MOSFET gets stuck in the on position until I power the system ...
Daniel's user avatar
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Calculate the number of turns in air core inductor

Coil specification: Air core coil Length 790 mm Diameter 290 mm Wire guage 18 - 1 mm diameter I need the number of turns to get an inductance of 150 mH. While searching for calculating the number of ...
Tito's user avatar
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3 votes
2 answers
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Calculating the capacitance of solenoid

I am working on a project where I need to create a fairly strong magnetic field (15~30 mT) with a solenoid. I realized it is not so easy to create a strong electromagnet. The solenoid is 6.5 cm long, ~...
M.K. Saunders's user avatar
3 votes
1 answer
301 views

Solenoid circuit current draw doesn't match calculations

I have a circuit of 6 solenoids connected to Darlington Array (http://www.ti.com/lit/ds/symlink/uln2803a.pdf) and driven by 18V (2x9V batteries) as can be seen below: From what I understand, each ...
Arturs Vancans's user avatar
3 votes
2 answers
680 views

Why is this zener in series at the base of transistor, and has something failed?

I am debugging an ancient little impact printer and in my probing have found an unexpected voltage level. I'd like to understand this part of the circuit, why it's constructed as it is, and whether ...
BZo's user avatar
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3 votes
2 answers
257 views

Why doesn't an induction heater and an induction ring launcher produce the same effect?

I want to know why an induction heater and an induction ring launcher don't produce the same effect. Both seem to use AC voltage to power a solenoid(which induces a voltage in a pipe) so why doesn't ...
Yassin's user avatar
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5 answers
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Can a linear solenoid be as efficient as a brushed motor with a gearbox?

I've heard that linear solenoids are power-hungry and tend to overheat, especially if the stroke is long. Can a linear solenoid be as power efficient as a motor with a gearbox that converts rotary ...
Fluffy's user avatar
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3 votes
2 answers
544 views

why is the outside of an electromagnet not magnetic?

On the electromagnet (5 Volts DC, built upon a transformer core) setup pictured below , only the core part is magnetic (when powered, it attracts a piece of steel) but not the 2 "wings" outside that ...
Manu de Hanoi's user avatar
3 votes
2 answers
2k views

Using pulsed power source and capacitors for driving solenoids

I'm converting a reed organ to be MIDI controlled, and I'm using solenoids to pull down on the keys. There's 88 solenoids total, and I'm going to be powering it with 2x 40A 12V power supplies. The ...
willem.hill's user avatar
3 votes
2 answers
3k views

What IC is good for driving an array of smaller solenoids?

I have a 7 segment display where all segments are driven with a solenoid. In order to switch each segment I have to pulse a short current on the solenoid. To change the segment I have to pulse it in ...
Mattias's user avatar
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3 votes
3 answers
330 views

Door bell solenoid under alternating current [duplicate]

In my house, I have a set of door bells, fed by a transformer without a bridge rectifier. Each of them basically consists of a solenoid with a spring loaded core, so when the circuit is closed, the ...
Edzi81's user avatar
  • 33
3 votes
1 answer
4k views

Actuating a solenoid through a capacitor

I would like to actuate a latching solenoid through the following circuit: simulate this circuit – Schematic created using CircuitLab A capacitor is charged over a resistor. When this ...
vina's user avatar
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3 votes
1 answer
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Driving a 24VAC solenoid with arduino using a octocopuler and a triac

Following a previous question I have redesigned my schematic: I'm trying to energize a solenoid used to open and close a 24VAC sprinkler valve I have the following questions : 1) The GPIO leg can ...
Marc's user avatar
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3 votes
2 answers
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relay contact fails (suspect sparking)

I have a relay which is rated for 30 VDC @ 10 A or 28 VDC @ 10 A (which appears on this relay module) and I am running 12 V @ 6 A through the relay and this solenoid. After a short amount of time (...
Troy Weber's user avatar
3 votes
1 answer
272 views

Torus shaped solenoid

I need to use one of those for an experiment (a solenoid with the shape of a torus). Unfortunately, as you can see, I don't know the appropriate name for it. I have built myself a temporary one but I'...
Hadron's user avatar
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6 answers
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Is a solenoid considered a DC Motor?

For our senior project we are making an electronic door lock controlled by a raspberry pi. We created a proposal which was approved for all the specs for creating the device which we have to abide by. ...
Nick's user avatar
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3 votes
2 answers
2k views

Controlling forward/reverse current using arduino & shift registers

I'm trying to control multiple solenoids (home made) using a shift register controlled by an Arduino. Ideally I want to be able to direct them all together either inwards or outward using the current ...
Mookle's user avatar
  • 33
3 votes
1 answer
221 views

Running multiple solenoids with a seemingly "weaker than it should be" PSU

I work part-time at a piano maintenance center as an electronic engineering student. We receive quite a few self-player piano systems and recently, we got a big Steinway & Sons piano, a very ...
c p's user avatar
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3 votes
1 answer
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0.5 tesla solenoid

Alright, I am supposed to make a solenoid (water cooled) having 0.5 T field at the center. The solenoid should be ideal so we are supposed to make the length of solenoid quite large as compared to the ...
Shivanshu Siyanwal's user avatar
3 votes
2 answers
763 views

MOSFET burning out when attached to a solenoid

Apologies for the very poorly written previous question. We have a circuit that consistently burns out our MOSFETs when we attempt to use them at full power, 250V, but they seem totally fine at 200V. ...
Indigo's user avatar
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3 votes
1 answer
3k views

Can I use a 12 V solenoid valve directly connected with a 12 V battery?

Can I connect a 12V solenoid valve directly to a 12V battery?
koko htike's user avatar
3 votes
2 answers
3k views

Solenoid stays on when output turned off

I have a power supply with 12V running into a the common on my PLC. Output 0 on the PLC is wired into a solenoid. The negative on the solenoid runs into the ground on the power supply completing the ...
Ben B's user avatar
  • 41
3 votes
1 answer
460 views

How can the magnetic field produced by the shading ring of a solenoid valve be 90° out of phase compared to the coil magnetic field?

I am trying to understand how the shading ring in solenoid valves is able to produce a 90° out phase magnetic field compared to the coil's magnetic field. The logic seems different from a shaded pole ...
Bim's user avatar
  • 31
3 votes
1 answer
249 views

How do I apply Ampere's law for a solenoid with a core?

I have a solenoid with a ferromagnetic core (like a transformer). Now we know that the magnetic field H, is fully restricted inside the ferromagnetic core. My problem is with the application of Ampere'...
KSeeker's user avatar
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3 votes
1 answer
388 views

Solenoid and mechanical damping, options for ways to minimize

I have an iron rod supported by a coil spring that vibrates vertically within a solenoid coil. The solenoid has a 5 ohm dc resistance. There is no physical contact between the coil and rod. As I ...
davegravy's user avatar
  • 359
3 votes
2 answers
8k views

Flyback Diode for 24V DC Solenoid

I am trying to select a diode to prevent my circuit from being damaged by the collapsing magnetic field from the solenoid in my circuit. Solenoid power will be switched off through the actuation of ...
Robert M's user avatar
3 votes
1 answer
988 views

How can I drive 88 solenoids with an Arduino with PWM?

For a (crazy) upcoming school project I am converting a piano to be a computer-controlled player piano. I am currently planning on using solenoids mounted under the end of the keys (action side ...
willem.hill's user avatar

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