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Seeking solenoid valve suggestions

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Jack.Straw

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I'm designing my first project with the Picaxe microprocessor (18M2) & need advice on a solenoid valve. It needs to control compressed air and will feed a wind instrument, like a recorder or whistle. The Picaxe documentation mentions isonic solenoids? I found a line of solenoids by that name by Mead Fluid Dynamics, but they don't seem to be available to the hobbyist. Could anyone recommend a suitable valve for this kind of application? If possible I would like to be able to control the amount of air rather than just open or closed.

Also, i like using salvaged parts in my projects, although not typically for the electronics. If there are suitable solenoids commonly used somewhere, like in vehicles perhaps, please let me know. Thanks!!

Thank you for your time,
Scott
 
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Is there another type of valve that can control the amount of airflow and can be controlled by a microprocessor?
 
Is there another type of valve that can control the amount of airflow and can be controlled by a microprocessor?

A couple I can think of that might work -

1. I've never used one of these and don't know how controllable they are; McMaster-Carr About the middle of the page, called 'soft-start control valve'.

2. Use several solenoid valves and a flow control in line with each valve. For differing amounts of air you would turn on a specific valve. McMaster-Carr

3. Use a ball valve and attach a stepper motor to the lever to open only as much as you want. The steps needed for different pressures could be individual small programs from your processor.

Hope this helps
 
There's also a type of valve called a "mass flow controller" (**broken link removed** I've worked with analog controlled ones (not too successfully), where a voltage sets the amount of flow to regulate. They don't tend to be cheap, even on the secondhand market, though...
 
Thanks Crosh. I did eventually discover pneumatic proportional valves / servo valves, but as you said... they are way out of my price range. I've decided for now to forgo the electronic flow control and just use a manual flow control valve in series with a normal solenoid valve, and list for experimenting. By the time i'm ready to build the real thing I should know weather electronic flow control is worth the extra effort & expense.
 
I have been working on a project with a servo-pneumatic ram, that is an air actuator with positional feedback. For that project I used a proportional air valve from enfeild. I belive it might work for your application, but it's probably too expensive, it was over $300 for the one I'm using. Still in case you would like to look **broken link removed**. For my application I used the smallest one, the **broken link removed**, I'm pretty sure it can allow enough air to play any instrument you want.
 
It comes down to: pressure, volume, rate of change & precision. I'll second shortbuss' #3: but I'd go with a sprocket & chain (#25) to link the motor to the valve. That method also applies to a multiturn gate valve. As to motor choice, I'd check with the robotics folks.

McMaster-Carr & Surplus Center are good sources for mech stuff.
 
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