A pulse driver circuit designed for solenoids and coils generates a short pulse of predetermined width to activate the solenoid, regardless of the duration of the input drive signal.
This compact solenoid driver is useful for actuating solenoids in various devices and models, such as pinball machines or coil guns.
POC Video Tutorial
Fig. 1 shows a pinball coil lead, while Fig. 2 illustrates a drive pulse used in a pinball coil lead.
For details, refer to pinball game and coil gun.
| Parts List |
| Semiconductors: IC1 – LM7805 voltage regulator IC2 (ICA-IC2D) – CD4093 Quad NAND gate IC3 – PC817 optocoupler T1 – IRLZ44 MOSFET D1-D3 – 1N4007 rectifier diode D4 – 1N4148 signal diode LED1 – 5mm LED Resistors (all 1/4-watt, ±5% carbon): R1 – 330Ω R2, R5 – 10kΩ R3 – 150kΩ R4 – 100Ω R6 – 3.3kΩ Capacitors: C1 – 1000µF, 35V electrolytic C2, C5, C7 – 10µF, 35V electrolytic C3, C4, C6 – 100nF ceramic disc Miscellaneous: CON1 – 2-pin connector JACK1 – DC jack F1 – 600mA slow-blow cartridge fuse S1 – Push-to-on switch – 12V DC adaptor |
Circuit Diagram and Working
Fig. 3 presents the circuit diagram of the solenoid pulse driver. It is built around a 5V voltage regulator LM7805 (IC1), CD4093 (IC2), optocoupler PC817 (IC3), MOSFET IRLZ44 (T1), and a 12V DC solenoid. The design is simple and self-explanatory, utilising standard budget components.
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