element14 Community
element14 Community
    Register Log In
  • Site
  • Search
  • Log In Register
  • About Us
  • Community Hub
    Community Hub
    • What's New on element14
    • Feedback and Support
    • Benefits of Membership
    • Personal Blogs
    • Members Area
    • Achievement Levels
  • Learn
    Learn
    • Ask an Expert
    • eBooks
    • element14 presents
    • Learning Center
    • Tech Spotlight
    • STEM Academy
    • Webinars, Training and Events
    • Learning Groups
  • Technologies
    Technologies
    • 3D Printing
    • FPGA
    • Industrial Automation
    • Internet of Things
    • Power & Energy
    • Sensors
    • Technology Groups
  • Challenges & Projects
    Challenges & Projects
    • Design Challenges
    • element14 presents Projects
    • Project14
    • Arduino Projects
    • Raspberry Pi Projects
    • Project Groups
  • Products
    Products
    • Arduino
    • Avnet Boards Community
    • Dev Tools
    • Manufacturers
    • Multicomp Pro
    • Product Groups
    • Raspberry Pi
    • RoadTests & Reviews
  • Store
    Store
    • Visit Your Store
    • Choose another store...
      • Europe
      •  Austria (German)
      •  Belgium (Dutch, French)
      •  Bulgaria (Bulgarian)
      •  Czech Republic (Czech)
      •  Denmark (Danish)
      •  Estonia (Estonian)
      •  Finland (Finnish)
      •  France (French)
      •  Germany (German)
      •  Hungary (Hungarian)
      •  Ireland
      •  Israel
      •  Italy (Italian)
      •  Latvia (Latvian)
      •  
      •  Lithuania (Lithuanian)
      •  Netherlands (Dutch)
      •  Norway (Norwegian)
      •  Poland (Polish)
      •  Portugal (Portuguese)
      •  Romania (Romanian)
      •  Russia (Russian)
      •  Slovakia (Slovak)
      •  Slovenia (Slovenian)
      •  Spain (Spanish)
      •  Sweden (Swedish)
      •  Switzerland(German, French)
      •  Turkey (Turkish)
      •  United Kingdom
      • Asia Pacific
      •  Australia
      •  China
      •  Hong Kong
      •  India
      •  Korea (Korean)
      •  Malaysia
      •  New Zealand
      •  Philippines
      •  Singapore
      •  Taiwan
      •  Thailand (Thai)
      • Americas
      •  Brazil (Portuguese)
      •  Canada
      •  Mexico (Spanish)
      •  United States
      Can't find the country/region you're looking for? Visit our export site or find a local distributor.
  • Translate
  • Profile
  • Settings
Community Hub
Community Hub
Member's Forum Bistable/latching solenoid valve control circuit. Please help!
  • Blog
  • Forum
  • Documents
  • Quiz
  • Events
  • Leaderboard
  • Polls
  • Files
  • Members
  • Mentions
  • Sub-Groups
  • Tags
  • More
  • Cancel
  • New
Join Community Hub to participate - click to join for free!
Actions
  • Share
  • More
  • Cancel
Forum Thread Details
  • State Suggested Answer
  • Replies 21 replies
  • Answers 17 answers
  • Subscribers 536 subscribers
  • Views 6520 views
  • Users 0 members are here
  • change polarity
  • solenoid valve
Related

Bistable/latching solenoid valve control circuit. Please help!

sim.parkin
sim.parkin over 7 years ago

Hi there.

 

This is my first time posting and it's about my first electronics project since school image. So no need to say that i apologise if what I am asking is very simple but still I hope some one can help me.

 

So here's the situ... I want to be able to remotely switch a hose pipe on, but the thing is, the system is fixed into my vehicle so the whole thing has to be portable and run off batteries. I have a remote switch that at the press of a button (on the remote) can momentarily (or it can be set to self lock also) connect the battery to the solenoid valve and switch it on but the valve needs the polarity to be reversed and pulsed to switch it off again. For love nor money can I figure out a way of doing this? My head is in a whirl from all the h-bridge... dpdt relays... flipflops... etc.... every time I research something it seems I need something else to make it work. (if that makes sense) I am lost.

 

In short what I want to do is: Press the button on the remote control once and it turn the water flow on, and press it again and the water turn off. Basically its a momentary push button input that alternates between a +6v output and a -6v output. If that is possible.

 

I want to use this latching type relay because you can get low power ones of this type, but they also save battery power by only requiring a pulse of electricity to change state, rather than energising a coil for longer periods of time. Oh and I also want to avoid using microcontrollers if possible because I can't code.

 

Really hope someone out there can help. I also hope I remembered everything, if I missed something just let me know.

 

Thanks for reading.

 

 

Simon.

 

p.s. I found one other post like this with a guy with my exact problem but he gave up and used a non-latching type. image

  • Sign in to reply
  • Cancel

Top Replies

  • jw0752
    jw0752 over 7 years ago in reply to sim.parkin +4 suggested
    Hi Simon, The additional information was helpful and from this information in the data sheet: I have a little more confidence that my circuit can be made to work. Keep in mind you may have to experiment…
  • sim.parkin
    sim.parkin over 7 years ago +3 suggested
    Hi there Guys. Wowsers!! That was both quick and excellent!! Thanks so much for your help with this! Sorry for not being able to reply until now... life . I knew it was possible but couldn't get there…
  • jw0752
    jw0752 over 7 years ago +2 suggested
    Hi Simon, I may have a possible solution for you. This is a bistable or Flip flop that I was playing with the other day. This one is triggered by sound but it could just as easily be triggered with a momentary…
  • jw0752
    0 jw0752 over 7 years ago

    Hi Simon,

    I may have a possible solution for you. This is a bistable or Flip flop that I was playing with the other day. This one is triggered by sound but it could just as easily be triggered with a momentary push button. Each time the bistable switches I am using it to control a couple of MOSFET which also switch to match the bistable. I take the output of the MOSFETs and feed them to a couple of small LEDs that are parallel but reversed polarity from one another. The LEDs simulate your solenoid. When one lights up you are seeing a + / - polarity and when the other lights up you are seeing a - / + polarity.

     

    image

     

    I have inserted a brief demo of the circuit so you can see how it works. If you would like a schematic and some suggestions for building your own let me know and I will put some more work into it. I will also need to know the voltage of your solenoid as well as the current necessary to switch it from open to closed and closed to open if they are different.

     

    You don't have permission to edit metadata of this video.
    Edit media
    x
    image
    Upload Preview
    image

     

    John

    • Cancel
    • Vote Up +2 Vote Down
    • Sign in to reply
    • Verify Answer
    • Reject Answer
    • Cancel
  • jw0752
    0 jw0752 over 7 years ago

    Hi Simon,

    I see that you already told me that the solenoid is 6 volts. This will work with the circuit above but knowing the current will still be needed so that the proper pull up resistors can be put on the drains of the MOSFETs

    • Cancel
    • Vote Up 0 Vote Down
    • Sign in to reply
    • Verify Answer
    • Reject Answer
    • Cancel
  • jw0752
    0 jw0752 over 7 years ago in reply to jw0752

    Note to jc2048 ,

     

    You may note that I learned from your suggestion on the other thread and I used both sides of the bi-stable.

     

    John

    • Cancel
    • Vote Up +1 Vote Down
    • Sign in to reply
    • Verify Answer
    • Cancel
  • dougw
    0 dougw over 7 years ago

    It sounds like you need 3 states in succession:

    1. OFF
    2. Solenoid Closed
    3. Solenoid Open

    where the 3 state transitions are clocked by your button push.

    This can be done with relays, but relay logic gets tricky when dealing with state timing - you need to create predictable delays to avoid race conditions.

    It may require about 4 DPDT latching relays and a non-latching relay plus some capacitors and resistors.

    It is possible to get toggling relays and time-delay relays, but they are expensive and some require power.

    It might be possible to reduce the number of relays a bit if the relays have dual coils.

    Either way it starts to get expensive.

    You could imagine a 3-position rotary switch stepped by a ratcheting solenoid action, but it probably needs to be custom designed.

    You can do it with flip-flops and logic gates as John suggests or use logic chips like Johnson counters, or even an EPROM, but it is quite a bit of work to build such a circuit, power it properly, drive latching relays and make it survive the environment.

    Would it be possible to simply use 2 of your remote switches, one to open the solenoid and one to close it? If they were activated by a 3-position switch (momentary / center-off) they couldn't be turned on simultaneously. You might need some diodes, depending on output configuration.

    • Cancel
    • Vote Up +1 Vote Down
    • Sign in to reply
    • Verify Answer
    • Reject Answer
    • Cancel
  • jw0752
    0 jw0752 over 7 years ago in reply to dougw

    Hi Doug,

    Simon will have to confirm but solenoid closed is probably Off too. Many of these fluid solenoids have to be energized to be open and they are normally closed.

    John

    • Cancel
    • Vote Up 0 Vote Down
    • Sign in to reply
    • Verify Answer
    • Reject Answer
    • Cancel
  • dougw
    0 dougw over 7 years ago in reply to jw0752

    You are correct - many are normally open or normally closed, but it sounds like this one needs a pulse with reverse polarity to close it.

    • Cancel
    • Vote Up +2 Vote Down
    • Sign in to reply
    • Verify Answer
    • Reject Answer
    • Cancel
  • jw0752
    0 jw0752 over 7 years ago in reply to dougw

    There was some confusion in his post whether he was talking about a latching solenoid (I have never heard of one) or a small latching relay that is being used to activate the fluid solenoid. We will have to wait to see if he gives us some more information.

    John

    • Cancel
    • Vote Up 0 Vote Down
    • Sign in to reply
    • Verify Answer
    • Reject Answer
    • Cancel
  • dougw
    0 dougw over 7 years ago in reply to jw0752

    Good point. I have seen multi-port control valves with two coils that are stable in multiple positions back when I was doing more hydraulics. Vickers or Eaton ring some bells.

    • Cancel
    • Vote Up +2 Vote Down
    • Sign in to reply
    • Verify Answer
    • Reject Answer
    • Cancel
  • mcb1
    0 mcb1 over 7 years ago in reply to dougw

    Some of the water valves are latching, and use the water pressure to hold the valve open.

     

    The small electronic controlled water timers are a good example, while others use a cam arrangement to operate the necessary water flow.

    I suspect this is one of those given the need to reverse it.

     

    I would think a H bridge (either discrete or IC) might be the easist way to control the valve portion.

    It just needs a flip flop to drive the bridge for short time.

     

    Hopefully the OP can confirm the valve.

     

    Mark

    • Cancel
    • Vote Up 0 Vote Down
    • Sign in to reply
    • Verify Answer
    • Reject Answer
    • Cancel
  • sim.parkin
    0 sim.parkin over 7 years ago

    Hi there Guys.

     

    Wowsers!! That was both quick and excellent!! image Thanks so much for your help with this! Sorry for not being able to reply until now... life image. I knew it was possible but couldn't get there like you guys can, just don't have the experience i guess. image image (always learning though)

     

    I have found a data sheet for the valve (or a similar one as I haven't bought it yet, still shopping around) http://www.solenoid-valve.world/image/data/PDF/115bb.pdf

     

    Thanks so much for the video John and your advise!! It looks to me like that will work great from what i understand so please send me along a schematic if its not too much trouble. I would really enjoy diving into that. I really can't thank you enough even with what you have shown me so far though. You're a good egg as they say here in the UK. I would go as far as to say a double yolker! image

     

    I really like the way you thought about it Douglas as the 3 states required. I hadn't thought of it that way before. I did manage to glimpse a scenario where I could use a two button remote in my research but i would like operation to be one button if at all possible (but not at the cost of battery life or anything else that may make the thing not fit for purpose). Thanks very much for your thoughts and ideas.

     

    Mark I'm looking forward to hearing more about what you think now that you have the data sheet for the valve and other details. image

     

    Some other facts I failed to tell you before hand and might be helpful (or problematic for me and i don't even know image): I am planning to use 2x 3.7v 3000mAh 18650's connected in series to provide enough voltage (Will I need to use a voltage divider do you think?), the remote switch is like this one... https://www.ebay.co.uk/itm/4V-5V-6V-7-4V-9V-12V-Relay-DC-ON-OFF-Wireless-Remote-Control-Switch-Transmitter/172957190814?… I am planning to use this board to charge the batteries... https://www.ebay.co.uk/itm/1S-2S-2A-3-7V-7-4V-Lithium-Li-ion-18650-Battery-Charging-Board-Charger-Module/263267349824?ss… I think that is all of it.

     

    I can't thank you enough for your most helpful direction guys.

     

    Until soon.

     

     

    Simon.

    • Cancel
    • Vote Up +3 Vote Down
    • Sign in to reply
    • Verify Answer
    • Reject Answer
    • Cancel
>
element14 Community

element14 is the first online community specifically for engineers. Connect with your peers and get expert answers to your questions.

  • Members
  • Learn
  • Technologies
  • Challenges & Projects
  • Products
  • Store
  • About Us
  • Feedback & Support
  • FAQs
  • Terms of Use
  • Privacy Policy
  • Legal and Copyright Notices
  • Sitemap
  • Cookies

An Avnet Company © 2025 Premier Farnell Limited. All Rights Reserved.

Premier Farnell Ltd, registered in England and Wales (no 00876412), registered office: Farnell House, Forge Lane, Leeds LS12 2NE.

ICP 备案号 10220084.

Follow element14

  • X
  • Facebook
  • linkedin
  • YouTube