Thanks!

That makes me really happy to hear! Good work getting through your project! I'm glad the video helped.

That's really wonderful to hear! Nice work!

Thank you so much!

Glad it helped!

@@MattInglot i am using three power supply 5, 12 and 24 vdc, should i connect all 0 ve /grd together, to be given to the diffrent powered dc outputs ?

@@MattInglot can i use Adriuno in place of costly PLC to manage a DIY project comprising of 4 dc outputs and 3 ac outputs (0.2 - 9 amp via ssr) and 7 dc inputs....using relay module ? (my plc ladder has 58 rungs in total )

@@anandjoshi8554 Yes absolutely. If using multiple supplies in the same circuit, tie the grounds together.

@@anandjoshi8554 Yep. I'm not experienced with PLCs but Arduino can certainly control all this stuff. Just keep in mind that PLCs are very different than Arduino, again not experienced with them but my understanding is they are built to withstand harsh environments and be super reliable and all that.

Thanks so much I really appreciate it! More vids are coming soon too.

When I bought my little pack of mosfets, I worked out that a relay that could handle the same current (70A) would probably cost a good bit more than the 10 I bought put together. Relays, of course, tend to have higher voltage ratings and I hear they're not too fond of PWM switching roles... 😁

Thank you :)

Thank you!

Thank you kindly! It feels risky putting up a 20 minute explanation to something that others explain in 10 so this is reassuring to hear.

Thank you so much!

Thank you!

optocouples dont take much amps, because the optic part of them burns out. but they are cool.

Nicely done!

Thanks!

Thanks that's really appreciated!

Awesome, I'm so glad to hear :D

Thanks so much that's really awesome of you. What is your project?

Thanks so much, glad it helped!

Thanks and great tip!

Thanks so much!

Very glad to hear!

Awesome! What are you building?

@@MattInglot On my channel I recently built a flip top tool cart. I am trying to automate the flipping of the cart. I am going to use solenoids as the locking mechanism.

@@FirthFabrications Cool! That sounds like a great use for one.

Thank you!

Lots of great points thanks!

Yes good point! Thank you!

100% That's a good approach too.

@dylans voice it depends upon what you are thinking of in terms of switching currents . If you mean external circuits that are not connected to the circuit and power supply then bypassing the power lines and shielding the board within a metal enclosure will probably work. If the anticipated noise is due to induced ground currents then the way to proceed is to insure that there are no non isolated connections to the power to the external controls and that the ground for the controller is only connected to the power supply directly.

@dylans voice plenty fast for this application. Look at the data sheet for the one you choose for performance data.

That's a great point.

I don't see why not. Give it a shot and if you run into issues go down the troubleshooting rabbit hole until you figure it out. One thing I'd wonder about is voltage drop on the battery when firing the solenoid, and needing to throw some capacitors in to counteract that. I may play around with this one day with my scope hooked up, just haven't had a chance to do it. If I do it I'll make a video. But for sure play around, have fun, see what you learn.

Thank you!

Thanks so much Joshua!

I'm powering it off the wall plug. You can use batteries of course.

Thank you I am glad it helped :D

What a great question. You got me so curious about this that I looked up how those old school fire alarm bells work and you're not far off with your idea. I managed to find this article: www.aplustopper.com/working-of-an-electric-bell/ It looks like these types of bells already use electromagnets to function (remember, that's really all a solenoid is...), and there are different ways of making that mechanism work. What I love about the one in that article is that it naturally creates the ringing by interrupting the circuit when it the hammer hits the bell, which allows it to retract back, which closes the circuit and activates the electromagnet, which brings the hammer back to the bell, and so on. You could very easily swing a hammer with a solenoid in a similar way. Just have the hammer pivot on something, so that when the solenoid pulls down the hammer swings and hits the bell. You could then vary the frequency with how often you pull down the solenoid (eg. fire it once a second, twice a second, etc). You are correct that you can control the strength of the hit by varying the voltage, however you don't need a variable power supply. If you're using an Arduino like in my example, just make sure you connect the solenoid to a PWM pin, then use Arduino PWM functionality to simulate the voltage change (eg. 50% PWM would effectively give you half the voltage). Note that you won't necessarily have a linear correlation between PWM frequency and volume so if you're building a volume knob or something you will have to experiment with how to map the PWM frequency to the desired volume. Keep in mind that the purpose built fire bell mechanisms like the one I linked have a very small amount of travel, which allows them to ring at a (relatively) high frequency. If you buy an off the shelf solenoid, like the ones on Amazon, those things take a (relatively) long time to plunge back up after plunging down so that will limit the frequency. That should really be it. Be sure to watch the video because that Arduino circuit is exactly what you need, and the rest is just building the mechanical piece. Good luck!

You don't need a mosfet because the relay will act as the switch instead of the mosfet. And if you are using a relay module then it takes care of some of the details of using relays correctly (like a protection across the relay since it's also an inductor). I would definitely still put a diode on the solenoid (make sure the polarity is reversed like discussed in the video, else you will short out your circuit!) to protect anything the solenoid is hooked up on the same circuit with including your power supply.

Yes. You'll probably get away without the grounded gate if you have the Arduino hooked up to it, but I don't see a reason not to ground it. If you leave the diode out, you will potentially fry your Arduino.

Thanks I appreciate it :)

Thanks. You want the fuse to blow as a protection measure if the load on the circuit is higher than expected, which most likely means something has shorted out and will draw all the current the power supply can put out (until the supply's own fuse blows). So if we assume that solenoid was indeed 2A, you want something higher. I eyeballed 3A because it gives the margin of error, but should still blow if the circuit has a serious fault (again almost certainly a short because something got plugged in wrong or loose). The goal is protect the power supply and possibly prevent a fire if you're using a supply that can put out way more current than you need (think those DIY ATX ones without current limiting). That said, fuses are complicated: kzfaq.info/get/bejne/ja1hZNWHyLOzno0.html As for the breadboard: it was there to demo only, yes I should have pointed it out. Basically you might not get full power from your solenoid if you use a breadboard because of the high resistance it has.

Thank you!

You can use PWM to change the strength of the magnet which would in turn affect the velocity of the plunger, and maybe more importantly, how much force it hits things with (in the case of an application like a pinball machine flipper). Don't expect any fine control over this though! If you want that, you should really be looking at a stepper motor instead. Solenoids are great when you need that little bit of very sudden (and strong) movement. But you frequently see people trying to use them in places where a stepper is the better solution (and vice versa). Why controlling velocity of a solenoid is a funny thing: The acceleration changes with how much of the plunger is within the magnetic coil vs outside of it, because then more of the plunger has a magnet acting on it, and you get exponentially more force. Acceleration determines the change in velocity. So if the acceleration gets faster and faster as more of the plunger enter the magnetic coil, the velocity also gets faster and faster as the plunger enter. Put in simpler terms, when the solenoid activates, the plunger is initially moving very slowly (relatively speaking) and by the time it plunges all the way, it's moving extremely fast. It's not a linear speed. You can see force charts for some solenoids in their datasheet. Don't think you can see acceleration or velocity normally, but it's going to be a similar idea. All the action happens towards the end of the plunge.

The resistor numbers aren't particularly critical in this case. About 10K from Gate to ground pulls the Gate down after the drive signal is released, and the 100 ohm from signal to Gate is just a little protection. If the gate signal is being driven by a logic output, you may not need either of those resistors.

Thanks Jean. You absolutely can, that's actually one of the benefits of this setup (as opposed to using a relay). Look up PWM - Pulse Width Modulation. This is what modern pinball machines do to allow the operator to adjust the strength of the flippers for example.

Thank you! :)

Thanks. Yes you can build the exact circuit I show and just make sure to hook up the mosfet gate to a PWM enabled pin on the Arduino. Then you can use PWM to control the strength of the electromagnet.

Hey Chris, it's been a while since I've played with this circuit but taking a quick look at my schematic again (which you can download in the video description by the way, may help to make sure everything is wired up right), I'm pretty sure it's because the load isn't part of a complete circuit when the Gate is pulled down to 0V. So you're getting some potential differences but they should be meaningless. If you try to connect your meter in series with the load and measure current you can verify that nothing is happening. All that said, if you're using two power supplies like I did in my project, make sure the GNDs of the supplies are tied together so that they agree on what 0V is. Or you will get all sorts of interesting measurements and very possibly damage the Arduino. Good luck!

Technically yes, but uhh what are we vibrating here? When I think "vibration" I think either a speaker, or a I think of a DC motor with an uncentered mass attached to it that vibrates when it spins. Solenoid will bang around until the frequency exceeds how quickly it can retract, but I'm having trouble picturing where that would be desirable.

Assuming you don't need the near-instant actuation, a stepper motor would do a great job. Or even a regular motor with the right gearing. See how smart locks work on doors.

Thanks Sean. Yes that's a good idea, I hope to do this at some point.

@@MattInglot If you provide the schematics i'll subscribe to your channel :D lol thanka for the video tho great stuff!

Wow this video took off more than I expected. Schematic is now in description. If I missed any detail from the video in it someone let me know ;) It's been a while!

Never done this before, but battery not being able to handle the current sounds plausible. Check the specs. With lipos they have a rating for how quickly they can discharge. You also say that the Arduino resets *after* the solenoid has already fired. Did you remember to put the flyback diode on the solenoid? If that doesn't help, honestly I would Google or post on a place like the electronics stackexchange making sure you include your circuit diagram, and the specs of everything you are using. There's not really enough info here to troubleshoot further.

The diode polarity should be opposite that of the solenoid, else you basically create a short (sorry I THINK that's what you are asking). As for the fuse, take a look at the schematic posted in the description. When the fuse pops, does it create an open circuit?

If you Google "screw terminal block" you should be able to find them. Or if your power supply already has a different connector (sounds like a barrel jack most likely), then you could get the female barrel jack connector for your breadboard and use that. That will actually be a more reliable connection if you're trying to build something more permanent.

You need an IO pin for each thing you wish to control. Additionally not each pin is created equal, for example only some pins on the Nano have PWM which you might want for controlling the solenoid. So to answer any such question you start by finding a "pinout" diagram for your target controller, such as this one for the nano: www.circuitstoday.com/wp-content/uploads/2018/02/Arduino-Nano-Pin-Description-952x1024.jpg Then you confirm whether there are enough pins that have the capabilities that you need (hint: in your case it's very much yes)

Hey Jake you can use any switch you want in whatever shape you want. There are also mechanical button switches out there that toggle, so you press it and it stays on until you press it again. Or if you plan to use this with the Arduino like the last example, then you have full freedom to decide how long the solenoid stays on. The only catch is that if you are going this route, you want a solenoid rated for continuous duty. Intermittent and pulse solenoids are not meant to have current go through them for very long at a time. You haven't specified your intended application, but you may also wish to look into latching solenoids and into servos in case one of these parts suits your project better.

@@MattInglot Thank you, I appreciate your response

A power source being able to supply MORE current than your load needs is not a problem. The solenoid has a certain resistance, which in turn determines how much current it will draw thanks to Ohm's law. So the load determines the current drawn, not the supply. Of course you're probably asking this because you've seen resistors being a requirement for using LEDs, because otherwise the LED WILL blow itself up very quickly. That's because diodes (including LEDs) have very little internal resistance and will happily burn themselves out immediately without a resistor to limit the current. So if you hook up your LED without a resistor, you have a load with very little resistance and hence it will draw a lot of current (again Ohm's law comes into the picture), and the LED will blow up. Your problem might be that 2A is a lot of current for a AA battery. You can actually look up datasheets for batteries and see what that looks like, but 2A seems like a lot. At the very least I would expect it to discharge quickly. THAT said, if you are only pulsing the solenoid for short periods, it may be totally fine and you may still get adequate performance.

Of course you can. Whether it's practical or not is a different question. It's going to need to be a pretty big and powerful solenoid, especially if you're hooking the weight directly to the plunger because you've got no mechanical advantage. I have no idea what your application is, but there's a good chance you would be better served by something else like a servo motor which will be a fraction of the cost and size to lift 5kg (at the disadvantage of taking a lot longer to lift the load).

If everything is hooked up correctly and you can measure 5V on the Arduino pin when it's on, , but you can't measure any voltage to the solenoid, I would double check the datasheet of your mosfet and make sure it's logic level (ie can be turned on by 5V or less). Your problem sounds a lot like that might be what's wrong.

Good questions. The fuse is there to protect the other components in the circuit in the case of something shorting out (and possibly your power supply if it doesn't have its own protection). I wouldn't leave it unsupervised without a fuse, but if you're watching over it then it's really up to you. If you don't have a mosfet handy (you can get cheap versions of these things off ebay or aliexpress if you're just tinkering), then my next choice would be a relay since they typically are built to handle lots of current and a component you are also likely to have lying around (and just lookup how to use them). Regarding the suitability of your NPN transistor, it depends on the transistor and how much current the solenoid you are using draws, those would be the critical pieces of information. This can all be found and verified by checking the datasheets for your components. For example if I guess you have the 2n222a that's a staple in so many electronics books, I can google 2n222a datasheet I will find www.jameco.com/Jameco/Products/ProdDS/787536.pdf And there I will see that they are intending this transistor for applications that require up to 500ma, and we are given no indications of how much they can handle for brief periods of time. That's unlikely to be a great choice, but knowing these parameters, and that NPN transistors are cheaper than gummy bears, you could experiment with a lower power solenoid and see what happens. If you go this through route then you will need to make sure you learn how to use BJTs because they operate differently. A good article on this stuff: www.ermicro.com/blog/?p=423

Hey Baran I overlooked this comment. One answer is to do what I did in the video and use two different power supplies (with their grounds connected), specifically to avoid various issues with inductive loads. That's a common technique for DIY pinball machines for example. Otherwise the short answer is "capacitors", long answer is post your schematic and relevant details, preferably on an EE forum. Unfortunately filtering power is not something I've spent enough time on to feel confident that I'm giving you good advice.

Just a 12V power adapter. Those black bricks that you can buy off Amazon for example. I did not build my own if that's what your asking.

I've never tried to build such a circuit so I can't really speak to the specifics, but if you move that magnet inside the coil rapidly enough, you will generate some amount of current. Check out how the different mechanical flashlights work, it's all this same general principle: en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Mechanically_powered_flashlight Also be careful with Li-Po batteries.

Assuming you meant to write BJT. Yes you could, assuming you are using a BJT that is rated for your load and you build an appropriate circuit. You should google the differences between BJTs and MOSFETs though. You may come to the conclusion that you'd rather use the mosfet in this scenario

I wouldn't hesitate using this especially for a hobby purpose. If this is being used for commercial use then my answer is "check the manufacturer's datahsheet"

If you move a magnet through a coil of wire, you will induce current in that coil (the magnet must be moving). So yes, if you were to replace the plunger with a magnet and move it back and forth, you should be able to measure some current. Tonnes of sources online if you want to read about that further, such as www.electronics-tutorials.ws/electromagnetism/electromagnetic-induction.html In fact, when you cut power to the solenoid, the magnetic field collapses, and that does induce current, which is what the diode is there to protect against. It gives it somewhere to go other than your Arduino or power supply.

@@MattInglot Thank you so much sir !!

If you don't know much about electronics and are building a pinball machine then the good and bad news is that you will end up learning a lot about electronics ;) Here are a couple good resources that include wiring up power supplies, I think these will be a lot more helpful a lot faster than me typing up the same info in a KZfaq comment: mjrnet.org/pinscape/BuildGuideV2/BuildGuide.php?sid=powerSupplies pinballmakers.com/wiki/index.php?title=Construction#Power_Supplies Note that Pinball wiring and electronics can be dangerous (risk of shock from mains power, risk of fire from failing electronics). You may wish to get the proper training to work on some of this stuff, or partner up with someone who knows how to do it safely. Good luck.

It's explained in the errata section of the video description, but tl;dr that 150ohm resistor is recommended and something I worked out after shooting the video.

Absolutely! You can control a solenoid with an Arduino, and you can send signals to an Arduino via remote control, therefore you can control a solenoid via remote control. May options for this. I believe the various Arduino kits come with an IR remote. Personally I think the nrf24l01 modules are a better option, but they are a little more advanced to get working correctly. Good luck.

@@MattInglot Thanks Matt, that’s great. I’ll look into that.

I'm using the Pontiac Coil F0464A for the flippers, and a 3/4 steel ball from BC Precision Balls (CH1053). Note that I'm building a roughly 65% scale machine so these components are sized accordingly and won't work in a full-size machine. If you want to build a full-size machine, then you can buy parts specifically meant for pinball machines from the various suppliers that provide these, and build on top of a platform like P3-Roc. If you are building a smaller machine like me, be very careful selecting the ball. Pinballs need a lot of weight to be able to properly hit target and feel like pinball. Those 3/4" balls were the smallest I found that still had a proportional weight to them. Smaller balls just didn't have any heft to them.

Good question: it's not quite that simple. The strength of the coil (electromagnet) is determined partly by the current (amps) it draws, but also the number of turns of wire, how long the coil is, how close the plunger is to the coil, etc. You can google for calculators that show all this stuff. So 2 solenoids rated for the same voltage and current may have very different performance and be intended for very different uses, and the difference lies in those other variables. The situation is complicated further by the fact the force increases as you get more of the plunger inside the coil, so on datasheet you will find it's actually a graph of force vs extension of the plunger. As for relationship between voltage and current, if you look at a supplier like Digikey you will find the same solenoid model comes in 2 or 3 varieties like 2A @ 12V, 1A @ 24V, 0.5A @ 48V. All have the same force, and since P = VI, they both use the same amount of power. However since they are wound different as a result, since current is less. So *generally speaking*, as solenoid strength goes up, so does the power it draws (meaning voltage or current or both will be higher). BUT because solenoids are built with different specs in mind (including duty cycle, longevity, different plungers, etc) you can have two solenoids with identical voltage and current ratings with very different performance characteristics. If you Google around there's a tonne of info on this stuff, and yes it does get complicated and that's why I love datasheets :D

So notice I used two different mosfets in the example, because in the first example I was using a very typical one that needed the higher voltage to switch on, and then for the Arduino version I used a different mosfet that could switch at a lower voltage (a logic level mosfet). Very important because the Arduino GPIO pins output 5v. How do I find these components? The ultimate way is to use a site like Digikey or Mouser and use their incredible filtering tool to get the parameters you need. A shortcut is to google, which can be very useful because you'll come across components that others have used successfully, and which _likely_ are easy/cheap. So your real question is, is the IRF520 suitable? To figure that out you look at the datasheet (again Google is your friend). You find: www.vishay.com/docs/91017/91017.pdf The Gate-Source (Vgs) threshold seems to be around 4V (meaning it should start to conduct at 4V), and if you scroll further you will see a graph showing how much current the mosfet will be able to conduct depending on the Vgs. And you can see that graph starts at 4V. Soooo... you can use this mosfet, provided that you stay within the current parameters shown. Once again Google is your friend because you can easily find tonnes of discussion on how mosfets work, which ones are good to use with Arduino, etc. With the cautionary note you should always cross-reference 3 or 4 reputable sites to make sure that the information you are getting is correct. The Electronics Stack Exchange can be particularly helpful to search through because a lot of EEs frequent it.

@@MattInglot wow, what a beast. thanks :)

Thank you!

Hey Jason I do explain that in the video. The issue is if you want to use the MOSFET with an Arduino, you need to be able to switch the gate with the 5V output of the MOSFET. So I switched in a "logic level" mosfet that is capable of being driven with a lower voltage.

NO( normally open

​@@bananasplit4037 You should be able to find tutorials very easily on how to detect switch presses on Arduino, along with sample code. Then all you need is logic in your code that checks if the switch is pressed, then triggers the solenoid.