Using an Electronic Solenoid with a LiPo Battery

Hi, I'm pretty new to using Arduino and I need some input for my first project.

For my first project I am trying to control the flow of CO2 with an electronic Solenoid (for a CO2 "Nerf" gun) that will most likely be either 12V or 24V. This will also be controlled by a micro switch (trigger). My question is power, I'm thinking of using a rechargeable LiPo because of the size and rechargeable aspect. I'm currently looking at a 11.1V battery and going through the Vin pin but I'm not sure if it will overheat the board or not (planning on using a nano for the actual project but an Uno for testing). I'm not sure the best way to wire this and if I need anything to help regulate the battery or board.

I'm also looking at running LEDs from the same board and battery if that changes anything.

Welcome to the forum.

First please explain: Why is an Arduino needed in your project?

There is a danger of overheating, but it depends on the design of your circuit. If designed the right way, no danger of overheating.

The critical question is how much current will the circuit need at 5V? The more that current, the more the danger of overheating. If that current is only small, it will be fine.

Things that would increase the current required at 5V would include running a large number of LEDs at 5V or powering a relay to control the 11V power to the solenoid.

But if the LEDs are powered directly from 11V (with appropriate current limiting of course) and controlled by transistors, and a MOSFET is used to control power to the solenoid, the current required at 5V would only be small.

You most likely cannot power a soleniod with an Arduino 5V supply. You can control the soleniod with a logic level MOSFET controlled by the Arduino.

If your supply is 12V and you need more than about 100mA from the Arduino 5V supply it is much better if you get the 5V ftom an external 12V to 5V DC DC converter (buck converter) and connect the 5V to the Arduino 5V pin.

@PaulRB The arduino is going to be used to control how long the solenoid is open and possibly have two different settings (controlled by a button) for power. I guess I'm mainly wondering how I can be sure I won't overheat the board, is there a common/easy way to ensure this?

I should also mention I am open to other small and compact ways to powering the system.

Read post # 3 again!

Yes, see post #2. If there is something I wrote you are not sure about, just ask.

Next step would be to draw up a schematic to show how you intend to wire the components up. Hand drawn is fine. Post it here and the forum will check it's ok and suggest ways to fix any problems.

This is a schematic from circuito.io just from the component I inserted.
My first question is would this work?
And could someone help me understand it a little bit better? (I have a very elementary understanding of circuits)

Not very trustworthy. Where is the other end of the diode connected?

No, it's a breadboard wiring diagram, but it's not a schematic. Google for "schematic" to see the difference. A schematic is a special representation of a circuit that is simplified and clearly labelled and easy to follow and understand. In a schematic, only the connections between components are shown. The physical size/shape of components and layout of the circuit is not shown on a schematic because those things are not important to understand the circuit, they only make it more difficult to read.

A great example of this is the breadboard itself. A breadboard would never be shown on a schematic, because it is not itself a component, it's just a physical means of connecting components. A schematic doesn't show the details of how the components are connected, only what component's pins are connected to what other component's pins.

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