I've done very small and basic projects with Arduino, so I'm kind of new to all of this, so any guidance would be greatly appreciated!
I would like to use an Arduino (I have the Arduino MEGA) to control the pressure exerted in an actuator (I still haven't determined whether it will be pneumatic or hydraulic). I was looking at some forums and articles but I haven't found what I'm looking for. I wasn't expecting to find the solution for the exact same project I have in mind, but I'm looking for guidance to get things started.
I want my Arduino to send a value to a valve or pressure controller, and based on that value, allow the piston to move only a certain distance. I would like my piston to be able to extend and retract. I saw in some posts that a relay board is used to open and close a valve, and I understand how that works. However, I want the piston to gradually move to certain position (PWM maybe?).
Would it be possible to use a reversible DC motor shield to do this? (Assuming that a motor shield will meet my Voltage and Amps requirements).
Thank you in advance for your help! Any comments, guidance, concerns, URLs, etc., would be greatly appreciated.
You need a motor of some kind. There are valves that can do that, but I don't know what they are called. Perhaps : proportional valve ?
Once a solenoid starts moving, it wants to keep moving until the valve is completely open (or closed). It is possible to use PWM to make it move with strong force or weak force. But there is no way to stop in middle or to control the flow.
If I have understood your problem, is that it's the piston that you wish to control. So how is this piston controlled now? Is it a on-off type action or can you actually move it just a bit, then a bit more and so on?
Unless you can do that by some means then I'm not sure how anything can help you. Perhaps a better description, with a link to the piston you are using/intend to use would enable reader to gauge what can be done.
If you are making your own 'piston. out of a rod of steel for example, then certainly it can be controlled by a stepper motor (possibly even a servo if it's light enough) but more details please!
