What's the easiest way to control a tiny electromagnet?

Other Hardware Motors, Mechanics, Power and CNC
1

12V 1.6W, 300gram holding force electromagnet, 20x10x10mm dimensions.

Right now I just want to do some simple experiments to check its properties at 60-200Hz On/Off switching rate. What off the shelf can I use for this test which will be the least hassle to get and use with an Arduino?

I find a lot of solutions for driving an electromagnet online, but they are a bit low level than what I need right now, and it may be reinventing the wheel. Usually that's also good as you learn something new, but here I'm so early into the project I'm not even sure the idea I have will even be worth pursuing further, hence why I'm looking for something simple and off-the-shelf for controlling the magnet and modulating its power.

2

You must alter your search and begin with a study of permeability of various materials. Switching polarity or magnets strength at the frequencies you mention have been studied for decades. Look at various ferrite compounds that are produced for magnets being controlled at your frequency ranges.

3

First, read this:

Then please give a LINK to the

Perhaps if you explained wat you are trying to achieve rather than your notion of HOW you will do it?

5

Sorry but what does this have to do with the question? I'm not asking about the magnetic properties of the magnet and I'm not asking how to build an electromagnet. I have a generic electromagnet and I'm asking what's the easiest way to drive it with an Arduino.

6

What test? Any motor driver will turn the thing on or off. Or a logic level MOSFET:

dc motor driver
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7

My preference is for a motor driver module over a FET simply because it's one less thing to solder :slight_smile:

I don't know of a cheap FET module that leaves it in a safe state with the Arduino powered off
One of the A4988 H-bridge drivers will do. You can control on/off by pulsing the PWM input: it's what it's designed for.

8

Thanks. I literally didn't know it was that simple. I know it's simple to real engineers here, but Arduino lets us dummies experiment with stuff as well, so yeah.

9

The point is you cannot turn magnets on and off at the frequencies you suggest.

11

I have some optical components that have voicecoils that do 120Hz. I'm driving those from an existing PCB though, not myself.

12

And I bet the magnet core is some type of ferrite material.

13

Voice coils are simply moveable coils of copper wire, used in audio speakers and some other types of drivers. They work against a fixed magnetic field to produce force.

15

Sorry I meant to say "voice coil motors" in short

16

Voice coils, voice coil actuators and voice coil motors operate on the same principle, and are very fast.

Iron core electromagnets cannot be switched (core magnetized or demagnetized) rapidly. If you try, the result will be a slowly varying average level of magnetism.

19

Maximizing Magnetics from B to H | TLX Technologies

... all about mass through a distance in a time period

21

I tried with the cheap aliexpress electromagnets and a signal generator today. Worked fine well beyond 120Hz. I don't know what cores those use, maybe Ferrite?

EDIT: I asked the supplier and they said it's just iron core. So I don't know the physics behind it but it works.

22

I disassembled one to check, the winding was on a black plastic-like core whcih was on a thinner black plastic-like glossy film over a steel shaft.

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EDIT: I asked the supplier and they said it's just iron core. So I don't know the physics behind it but it works.