Trying to wire in 220v Valves

Projects General Guidance
1

Hi,

I am trying to control four 220v Solenoid Valves for a project, and I have been advised to use an Arduino Uno board to do this. Through my initial enquiries it seems like I may need an additional board to connect to the valves as they have a high voltage, but I'm afraid I have no idea where to even start looking!

I apologise for my ignorance, but any help would be hugely appreciated.. :slight_smile:

Thanks

Tom

2

You need a relay, but most relays need more voltage & current than the Arduino can supply -

Arduino -> Transistor or MOSFET -> Relay -> Solenoid Valve.

Relays come with various coil voltage ratings*, but 12V is common. So you might need 12V for the transistor & relay coil.

  • Of course, they come with various contact ratings too... Your solenoid will need less than one amp (probably), so just about any relay with contacts rated at 220V (or higher) should work.

P.S.
The relay serves two purposes. It allows you to control a large voltage & current with a small current &voltage, and just as importantly it isolates the low voltage from the high voltage, to protect you and your Arduino.