I am working on a project that requires powering a 12v Solenoid with a battery (Electromagnetic Lock). I need to find a solution to power the solenoid that is small (aka not a large 12V battery). It only needs to be powered for a few seconds at a time to activate the magnets to unlock the lock. It operates at 350mA.
I bought some 12V 23A small batteries hoping they would work, but currently the lock does not activate automatically. I'm assuming the battery is not providing enough current, but I'm not sure. I thought the 23A would be fine because I only need to operate the solenoid for a few seconds max.
If anyone has some ideas on a possible battery alternative that I may not of though of or knows of a way to power a 12v solenoid with a lower volt power supply I will be very appreciative. (Would 2 9-volts or 8 AAs be the best options?)
Your solenoid requires 4W to operate, to hold it for a few seconds requires storing perhaps 20J or more,
beyond the reach of reasonably sized electolytic caps. An ultracap would be possible, but they have
voltages of 2.7V or so, which is not a good match unless you use a boost converter. You'd need an ultracap
rated for a high enough current, and you could charge it from 2 AA cells with a series diode to drop the voltage
perhaps.
For instance:
A 23A battery will have only the feeblest of current ratings, much worse than a PP3 9V battery, and they are
bad enough.