Help with activating a Solenoid from a sensor

Hi I'm trying to take an input from a water sensor and make it open and close a solenoid one time if a certain condition is met. In further detail if the water sensor gets an input high enough I want it to open a solenoid for x amount of seconds and turn off without turning back on again but if the water sensor never gets the high input it needs the solenoid stays closed until the sensor gets the high input. Can anyone help me with the code? The code I wrote does what I want but I cant break out of the void loop() function once the sensor gets the input I need, so it continually opens and closes the solenoid after x amount of seconds. This is my first Topic so I hope I'm posting it in the correct place.

Move your code into the voide setup(). It only runs once. Enter a while(condition not met) loop, and put your code there.

Hi, @logandevore041
Welcome to the forum.

Please read the post at the start of any forum , entitled "How to use this Forum".

This will help with advice on how to present your code and problems.

We need to see your code.
We need to see a link to data/specs of your water sensor.
We need to see a link to data/specs of your solenoid.
We need to see a circuit diagram of your project.

Sorry for all the requirements, but it will help us provide you with the best solution.

Thanks.. Tom... :smiley: :+1: :coffee: :australia:

#define SIGNAL_PIN 10
#define SOLENOID_PIN  9

int value = 0; // variable to store the sensor value

void setup() {
  Serial.begin(9600);
  pinMode(SOLENOID_PIN, OUTPUT); //set pin 9 as an output pin
}

void loop(){
  value = analogRead(SIGNAL_PIN); // read the analog value from sensor

  Serial.println(value);

  delay(1000);
  digitalWrite(SOLENOID_PIN, LOW);  //close solenoid on startup
  
  while(value > 1000){
    digitalWrite(SOLENOID_PIN, HIGH); //open the Solenoid
    delay(10000);                     //wait 10 seconds
    digitalWrite(SOLENOID_PIN, LOW);  //close the Solenoid
    break;
    }
}


heres the code i currently have

im using the seeduino XAIO board with a standard 12v solenoid, the water sensor is a standard 3 pin water sensor.

Hi,
Change the while to an if .. else statement.

if (value > 1000)
  {
    digitalWrite(SOLENOID_PIN, HIGH); //open the Solenoid
    delay(10000);                     //wait 10 seconds
    digitalWrite(SOLENOID_PIN, LOW);  //close the Solenoid
  }
  else
  {
    digitalWrite(SOLENOID_PIN, LOW);  //close the Solenoid
  }

Your solenoid will continue to cycle until your sensor value is < 1000.

A circuit diagram would be great.
How are you controlling the solenoid?

standard 3 pin water sensor.

Need more information, is it an analog output or digital?

Tom.... :smiley: :+1: :coffee: :australia:

The water sensor is an analog sensor. I just made this account so Its telling me that I cant upload a file (my schematic). Im controlling the solenoid from the analog pins on the seeduino board. the analog pins also share a digital I/O on the same pin, would that make any difference?

I tried the if statement when I was first writing the code and it wouldn't break out of the loop, it would stay in it and open and close the solenoid if the water sensor got above the specific value

Hi,

That is exactly what it is programmed to do.

Can you please explain what you want it to do?

My Guess; You want the solenoid to open when the level is low and close when the level is high.

Am I right?
If so why the 10second ON/OFF?

You should be able to post links to these devices.

How have you got the seeduino XAIO board connected to the solenoid, not directly I hope????

Still need a circuit diagram, we await till when the archaic forum rules allow you.

Thanks Tom... :smiley: :+1: :australia:

I think the key to this requirement is the part I hightlighted there.

So does that mean you want to wait until the input goes high, then open the solenoid for x seconds, then close it and if the input is still high, not open the solenoid again? In other words wait for the reading to go low and then get a new high before opening the solenoid? (But I can't picture that happening... seems to me the solenoid is a drain so the only way to get a low is to run the solenoid enough x second spurts to drain enough out, and then stay off until it's high again. In which case, why bother with the x seconds; just run the solenoid enough to drain it until no longer high. But I might be mis-understanding the requirement,)

In any case if I was right that you only want to run one x second spurt, you need to check not for the input to be high, but to have become high from a low. In that case, see the state change detect example in the IDE.

What Im truly trying to do is when the water sensor detects a high enough level (lets call it 1000) I want the solenoid to open only for 10 seconds, even if the level is still at 1000. So when the water sensor detects a 1000 level input the solenoid opens for 10 seconds and then closes without opening again even if the level goes under 1000 and back over it. The only way I want it to reset is if I unplug the 9v and plug it back in.

Heres the link to the board im using: Getting Started with Seeed Studio XIAO SAMD21 - Seeed Wiki
Heres the link to the water sensor: Amazon.com


Heres the schematic Im using.

-thank you all for the fast replies

I forgot to put it into the schematic but the board is being powered off of the 9v through a stepdown board, I attached the step-down board right off of the battery and the power wire for the solenoid is just directly connected to the 9v. The 9v is not going to be permantly attached to the system, only for when I need to use it.

Hi there I am having trouble with my code, I have my schematic attached. What I am trying to do is use an analog-water-sensor to grab a specific value (1000) and if it is greater than that value I want it to open a solenoid for X amount of seconds and after that X amount of seconds I want it to close and not open again no mater the value of the water-sensor. I've tried so many different ways and I have not been able to get it to work. All I have been able to do is open it for the X amount of seconds and it closes but then it goes back into the loop, I'm not able to use a break; because it is in the void loop function. Is anyone able to help me with the code? The Seeeduino microcontroller uses the Arduino IDE to flash the code.

here are the links to the parts I am using:
Seeeduino Controller: Getting Started with Seeed Studio XIAO SAMD21 - Seeed Wiki
Water-Sensor: Amazon.com

The code that I am using goes as followes:

#define SIGNAL_PIN 10
#define SOLENOID_PIN  9

int value = 0; // variable to store the sensor value

void setup() {
  Serial.begin(9600);
  pinMode(SOLENOID_PIN, OUTPUT); //set pin 9 as an output pin
}

void loop(){
  value = analogRead(SIGNAL_PIN); // read the analog value from sensor

  Serial.println(value);

  delay(1000);
  digitalWrite(SOLENOID_PIN, LOW);  //close solenoid on startup
  
  if(value > 1000){
    digitalWrite(SOLENOID_PIN, HIGH); //open the Solenoid
    delay(10000);                     //wait 10 seconds
    digitalWrite(SOLENOID_PIN, LOW);  //close the Solenoid
    break;
    }
   else{
    digitalWrite(SOLENOID_PIN, LOW);
   }
}

Hello logandevore041
The sketch needs an interlock to control the event as expected.
Have a nice day and enjoy coding in C++.

the sketch as in my schematic or my code? I am still fairly new to C++ so I am not sure on how to do everything.

#define SIGNAL_PIN 10
#define SOLENOID_PIN  9
bool done = false;
int value = 0; // variable to store the sensor value

void setup() {
  Serial.begin(9600);
  pinMode(SOLENOID_PIN, OUTPUT); //set pin 9 as an output pin
}

void loop(){
  value = analogRead(SIGNAL_PIN); // read the analog value from sensor

  Serial.println(value);

  delay(1000);
  digitalWrite(SOLENOID_PIN, LOW);  //close solenoid on startup
  
  if(! done && value > 1000){
    digitalWrite(SOLENOID_PIN, HIGH); //open the Solenoid
    delay(10000);                     //wait 10 seconds
    digitalWrite(SOLENOID_PIN, LOW);  //close the Solenoid
    done = true;
    }
   else{
    digitalWrite(SOLENOID_PIN, LOW);
   }
}

I have merged your cross-posts @logandevore041.

Cross-posting is against the rules of the forum. The reason is that duplicate posts can waste the time of the people trying to help. Someone might spend a lot of time investigating and writing a detailed answer on one topic, without knowing that someone else already did the same in the other topic.

Repeated cross-posting can result in a suspension from the forum.

In the future, please take some time to pick the forum category that best suits the subject of your question and then only post once to that forum board. This is basic forum etiquette, as explained in the "How to get the best out of this forum" guide you will find at the top of every forum category. It contains a lot of other useful information. Please read it.

Thanks in advance for your cooperation.

Hi,
What are you using for a 9V supply?
Not one of these I hope.

Tom... :smiley: :+1: :coffee: :australia:

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