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[on:]

I'm looking to control a linear actuator using arduino. I have no prior experience with arduino but I do know my way around basic coding.

My situation is this:
I need to exert up to 10lbf over a distance of 2 inches.
The distance is the important part, but it would be nice to know/record the force requiered to go the specified distance.
This is for testing purposes so continuous opperation of 10,000 cycles is needed.

My questions are:
What acutator would meet my needs?
What sort of other components will I need?
Which of the many arduino boards are recomended for what I'm doing?

[Reply #1 on:]

You can go to any actuator company and find one that does 2 inches / 10 lbs. McMaster.com has some, but I think you can do cheaper elsewhere.
Then, that actuator will need some voltage. You need a power supply for that voltage (typically separate from the Arduino) and a relay to control that voltage. If you need to make the actuator go both ways, you need two SPDT relays, or an H-bridge controller (such as one of several possible motor shields for the Arduino)
Finally, you need to hook the control up to the Arduino. Some relay coils require enough current that you need a transistor just to drive the relay -- a BS170 would do fine. If you instead use a relay shield or motor control shield, that will work on its own.

This should actually be a very simple project!

[Reply #2 on:]

This is for testing purposes so continuous opperation of 10,000 cycles is needed.

That duty cycle will put a lot of wear on the actuator. Have you done a google search for industrial linear actuators to see what is available?