Hello I'm doing a school project that requires me to use an Open Frame Actuator Linear Mini Push Pull Solenoid Electromagnet to simulate the pushing of buttons and keys repeatedly. I have to be able to push one button for 10 pushes and then another for 5 pushes and vise versa in a loop for 30 minutes or longer. I'm not needing a big board to do so just big enough to control up to 4 solenoids each set at a certain intervals and quantities of pushes. Also if i can get help with coding the system that would be great to I'm still learning coding so I'm fairly new into this kind of hobby.
Sounds like a fun project, even though I understand barely half on what you want to accomplish. Nevertheless - if you need help, please post your existing code & schematics & detailed requirements of what you try to do & your peripheral's part numbers and preferably link to the data sheets.
Sorry I didn't mean to confuse but this is the solenoid I'm using for this project.
I'm buying 4 of these to mimic button presses on a keyboard or controller of any sort as a fun little project.
I just started to learn coding and am not that deep into my course. And have really nothing to go off of yet to be honest.
I know there are several different arduino boards out there to do the controlling of what I'm needing done but I'm not looking for the biggest and baddest board out there just one that can control my 4 solenoids in an automatic loop without the need of human interaction.
This project budget range has to be under $100 and so far with the materials and 3d printing of my parts I need to hold the solenoids in place I'm about to my dollar range. 75 of 100 already spent.
Any arduino will work. Since you're new, Id get a genuine arduino so you dont have to worry about installing any extra drivers.
You will also need a mosfet or relay to deliver power to the solenoid. A microcontroller cannot source the current needed to actuate that solenoid.
Something like this would work:
What are the materials you already have?
I might add here, that if you want to save a few bucks, you can buy from this eBay seller:
There are absolutely no drawbacks, works like a proper Arduino (I have an Uno and a Mega).
And it's like super cheap:
Proper: 20 $
eBay: 3.5 $ Literally.
Slight minus point, however, that the shipping takes up to one month (~2.5 weeks in my experience, but it's totally random). So if you're in hurry, then buy a proper one. (But it's free!)
Kill me, but this is a good offer. And I'm not biased or paid or any of that. I just don't have 16.5 $s to waste.
dustin02rsx:
Any arduino will work. Since you're new, Id get a genuine arduino so you dont have to worry about installing any extra drivers.You will also need a mosfet or relay to deliver power to the solenoid. A microcontroller cannot source the current needed to actuate that solenoid.
Something like this would work:
https://www.amazon.com/WINGONEER-KY-019-Channel-Module-arduino/dp/B06XHJ2PBJ/ref=sr_1_4?s=industrial&ie=UTF8&qid=1503604361&sr=1-4&keywords=arduino+relayWhat are the materials you already have?
I only have the solenoids them selves so far and I bought a spool of 3d filliement so I can make my mounts and holders. I was wrong on how much I have spent I have only spent 45 of my 100 dollar budget
Do you have the solenoids yet? The Amazon listing doesn't give the resistance of the coil. Get an oh reading across the two leads of the solenoid. Ohms law will then tell you the amperage. I would think you could find a BJT that could handle this task especially since the current will not be maintained very long. You could probably find a suitable transistor in some garbage electronics.
You know I just pulled a relay out of a couple of rj45 modules out of an an old router(they were for DSL) it is rated up to 120v. I bet that would work.
RedyAu:
I might add here, that if you want to save a few bucks, you can buy from this eBay seller:There are absolutely no drawbacks, works like a proper Arduino (I have an Uno and a Mega).
And it's like super cheap:
Proper: 20 $
eBay: 3.5 $ Literally.Slight minus point, however, that the shipping takes up to one month (~2.5 weeks in my experience, but it's totally random). So if you're in hurry, then buy a proper one. (But it's free!)
Kill me, but this is a good offer. And I'm not biased or paid or any of that. I just don't have 16.5 $s to waste.
Mostly we buy one or more from the company that gives us software and forum for free but last time I donated $25 when uploading the IDE so there are ways to help Arduino be around besides buying boards.
One thing that Arduino does support is making your own stand-alone AVR end-products, even more duinos. The regular Unos have the AVR chip in a socket. You develop your project using the Uno (development board) and then pry the chip out and stick it into your project -- does not require a PCB, but they can save assembly time -- and place a new AVR that you used the Uno to program a bootloader on some time before.
The official site does have a make a Breadboard Arduino but Nick Gammon has a better tutorial and software.
This next link shows what I think of as an extreme example of stand-alone AVR. I would at least solder to a socket then plug the chip in it but I solder slow and would burn the chip core trying to solder right on the pins, he is fast!
http://make.kosakalab.com/arduino/obaka/project-2/index_en.html
You might be able to run 4 solenoids with an 8 pin ATtiny chip and external circuitry and power.. you don't want to pull much current through the chip itself, 100mA would make it heat up.
What we can do to help with school projects is not so much. The Arduino IDE comes with loads of example projects with one section just to help learning the version of C/C++ we have and matching tutorials on the main Arduino site.
If you are headed into engineering then by all means learn the "many things at once" lesson ASAP. It WILL help you immediately with approaches to projects and can help reduce code needs. Get into finite state machines (fancy name, simple base concept that can be taken far) and you have the second major tool to good automation coding.
GoForSmoke:
This next link shows what I think of as an extreme example of stand-alone AVR. I would at least solder to a socket then plug the chip in it but I solder slow and would burn the chip core trying to solder right on the pins, he is fast!
O'Baka / One Chip Arduino
Now if he'd done that on an SMD chip... Total awesomeness 
Mountaindew117:
I only have the solenoids them selves so far and I bought a spool of 3d filliement so I can make my mounts and holders. I was wrong on how much I have spent I have only spent 45 of my 100 dollar budget
Well, before you can really worry about the code you need to design a system and figure out the corresponding parts list.
I imagine it will look something like this:
-Arduino UNO
-Your 4 solenoids
-4 switching mechanisms (mosfet, relay, BJT etc...) - Personally I'd use a mosfet (google mosfet as a switch)
-1 power supply or battery pack of some kind that can handle the current that all of these solenoids will draw
-4 fly back diodes (google it)
-possibly a voltage regulator depending on your power supply voltage (the arduino UNO can take 12V with its on board regulator)
-your push button for your user interface
after all that is done and wired up the code is pretty simple.
watch for a push button press.
when it is pressed, run your sequence.
re-initialize everything after sequence is finished.
repeat
Will the circuits be on breadboard, PCB or wire sculpture? Will need wire/jumpers in any case. Don't forget heat shrink tubing and solder and flux... does a soldering iron count in the budget?
I looked up the solenoids and see zip about current needed. Some toy solenoids might run off a pin but these are nothing so small or weak.
If you can't solder, learn while you have time.