Hello everyone,
I bought this solenoid valve (12V Solenoid Valve - 3/4" - ROB-10456 - SparkFun Electronics) to be able to control water flow in my back yard. I know many people have said me lately there are alternatives to solenoid but I did not know it when I bought it. Anywayz, the issue is the water is not flowing out when I connect the valve to a garden hose. Here is how I have built my circuit and done some troubleshooting as well:
Using TIP120 transistor: I have the base pin connected to 2.2K resistor going to arduino digital pin.
The positive pin of solenoid valve is connected to 12v power (2 batteries connected in series).
The negative pin of solenoid valve is connected to TIP120 collector pin
A diode is connected from collector pin to the positive pin of solenoid valve.
Finally I grounded the emitter pin. But when I connected my garden hose to the valve,the water would not flow through.
Alternatively for troubleshooting purposes, I disconnected the arduino from base pin and connected a switch to base pin and connected an LED and the valve to the switch , going through collector pin of transistor. I was expecting when I press the switch, both the light comes on and water will flow through as well. However, only light comes on and still no water is flowing thorugh.
Is there any other sort of troubleshooting I can go through to figure out the issue? How can I check to see that the valve is functioning properly?
I appreciate any possible help. Thank you.