12 Volt to drive a solenoid from lower voltage

Hey guys,

I am looking at driving some solenoids that require 12 volts. I was wondering if it would be possible to boost the voltage from a lower source, say a bunch 3 or 9 volt source and still get the solenoid to operate perfectly?

I guess I would need to figure out what the drop in available current is from the source when I increase the voltage to 12 volts. The source will be batteris.

Sorry if this is a bit confused, I'm recuperating from a mild surgery and on Vicadin right now

Boost regulator

It's called a boost regulator. There have been so many on the net today that I have 5 or 6 on my monitor at the moment. Here's a couple.

This thread from earlier today outlines a few DC to DC converters. However you need to know the current load of your solenoids? Look at the efficiency ratings of the DC to DC converters to get an idea of what the load would be on your batteries.

Ron