Hi, I'm using this coil - flipper and was wondering what is the best voltage for its usage.
It is intended for a pinball special machine, for an instant operation(not to hold it constantly).
I tried giving it 12V and it worked but wanted to know what is the recommendation because couldn't find anything online.
Thanks.
I think that the vendor does not have more information of those (surplus?) parts. Supply may be 110V AC, indicated by "no diode" use.
Maybe see if you can find a pinball forum. I would assume 12 or 24 volts is "standard" but that's just an assumption.
I see it says 5.1 Ohms.
5.1 Ohms at 12V would be 12/5.1 = 2.3 Amps or 12 x 2.3 = 28 Watts. (Seems reasonable.)
24V would be 4.7 Amps or 113 Watts (The wattage seems high. If left on, it would get as hot as a 100W light bulb.)
120V would be over 2000W (Outrageously high!)
"No diode" MAY mean that there's no built-in flyback diode and you need to add one (if powered by DC).
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Where did the rest of the assembly come from? Did you build it? If the solenoid is rated for DC, then use about 4 time the rated voltage and a capacitor to store the current needed. Use a resistor in series with the power to slow down the capacitor charging.
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You may want to check pinball sites. I sold our pinball machine (and service manual) a few years ago so I don't have the details. I recall there is an initial current spike to get fast motion and than a lower current to keep it in place.
With 120V AC don't forget the inductance! It's low with the pin out, meaning high current (power) for fast attraction, then with the pin inside the coil the inductance increases and current (power) decreases.
All you ever want to know about flipper coils
Pinball Medic's Coils pdf
No Diode implies an AC voltage.
Maybe somewhere around 30 to 40 VAC ??
All the "more recent" pinball solenoids have diodes and operate from DC.