I am very interested in buying some of Sparkfun’s $4.95 5V Solenoids (aka “linear actuators”) for a project I’m creating. I have a controller called “Phidget Advanced Servo 8-Motor” which can support up to 8 devices with a total of 3.4 amps output (using a power supply of 6-15 VDC). But I’m a noob. I don’t understand a lot about electronics. Will a 5V solenoid work on a device that supports 6-15VDC for its power input, or do I need to use a different controller? (I expect that should be fine.) Also, I don’t understand physically how to connect them because the Phidget controller has 3 connecting pins for each of its 8 ports whereas the solenoid available on this site has only a 2 pin connector. Am I supposed to just ignore that third pin? Is it grounding or something optional like that?
A short answer is no, the 5V Solenoid won’t really work with that Servo controller. That controller is specifically designed to work with servo motors by sending PWM signals to control the movement of the motor. [ This servo tutorial will go over the basics of how servos work and how they are controlled to give you a better idea of how to use your servo controller.
The solenoid is pretty much an on/off device. Whenever 5V is applied, it will engage the plunger. [The product demonstration video goes into this in a bit more detail. To control these in a 5V system, we recommend using a MOSFET since they can pull up to 700mA when powered. Our [MOSFET Power Control Kit is a good kit to control these and other high-power peripherals with an Arduino or other microcontrollers.](SparkFun MOSFET Power Control Kit - COM-12959 - SparkFun Electronics)](https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=W9j6ZRsOUrI)](https://learn.sparkfun.com/tutorials/hobby-servo-tutorial)
Hi sleepy, and welcome!
I took a look at the [Phidget Advanced Servo 8-Motor and I can see where some of your questions come from (and they’re very common, good questions to ask!)
So:
What the Phidget specs are saying is that you can power the Phidget with anywhere from 6 to 15 volts - but it leaves out a few more details such as:sleepy:
Will a 5V solenoid work on a device that supports 6-15VDC for its power input
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Whatever voltage power supply you choose will also need to be able to supply all the current that the Phidget and attached motors require.
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The Phidget has an onboard voltage regulator that will take your power supply voltage and reduce it to (in this case) 5V because [rc servo motors are standardized to work at that voltage. Here’s our [Hobby Servo Tutorial
Now, as TS-Mark said, you should not try to use this controller to run this solenoid. RC servos use a digital signal to tell them where to point (that’s the third pin… GND, 5V, signal), but that signal can’t carry a lot of current. On the other hand a solenoid is an [electromagnet which requires a significant current. So if you attached the solenoid to the Phidget it would either damage the Phidget by drawing too much current from a signal pin or it would be always-on (if you connected it to the GND and 5V pins).
So, you have some options. If you want to use the solenoid then TS-Mark’s suggestion is good. You could use a MOSFET to turn the solenoid on and off with a pin that can’t provide a lot of current. Check out my favorite MOSFET explanation: https://www.embeddedrelated.com/showarticle/98.php
But wait. I still don’t think the Phidget will work well even if you used the mosfet trick because the RC servos use a PWM signal. They are not just on or off like a solenoid should be.
So you have another option if you want to use the Phidget and get a linear response… Use a linear RC servo. Here’s the one I know off the top of my head, but it might not be strong enough for your application. https://www.motionrc.com/products/blade … hrow-servo
To find another linear servo just look for something that is designed to work with RC. That should work with your Phidget.
HTH!](Electromagnet - Wikipedia)](https://learn.sparkfun.com/tutorials/hobby-servo-tutorial)](Servo (radio control) - Wikipedia)](PhidgetAdvancedServo 8-Motor - 1061_1B - Phidgets)
I will carefully read and distill your responses. Thanks. The precise size of the actuator is important to me because I want to line up some servos above a keyboard’s keys.