Solenoids
PrintOverview
This document is part of a comprehensive tutorial on industrial Digital I/O and Counter/Timer hardware. Learn about National Instruments product offerings for digital and timing I/O, the Industrial Feature Set including watchdog timers and isolation, complementary devices like relays, solenoids and encoders, concepts like sinking and sourcing, and see how these devices can be used in your industrial application.
For more information return to the Complete Industrial Digital I/O and Counter/Timer Tutorial
Table of Contents
Introduction to Solenoids
Solenoids are electromagnetic switches. A magnetic field is formed when solenoids are subjected to electricity. A metal piston is shifted by this magnetic field which in turn is connected to machinery.
Recommended NI Products that Connect to Solenoids
NI 6509
NI 6514
NI 6515
NI 6528
Technical Overview
A solenoid’s core consists of a movable actuator and a fixed back stop. Its efficiency is dependent upon the mechanical geometry, electrical configuration, and magnetic permeability of the core.
There are two main types of solenoids:
· Rotary
· Linear
Applications of linear solenoids include but are not limited to:
| appliances | vending machines | door locks |
| coin changers | circuit breakers | pumps |
| medical apparatus | automotive transmissions | postal machines |
Applications of rotary solenoids include but are not limited to:
| machine tools | lasers | photo processing |
| media storage | medical apparatus |  |
Find a Solenoid
Search for Solenoids in GlobalSpec
Reader Comments | Submit a comment »
Legal
This tutorial (this "tutorial") was developed by National Instruments ("NI"). Although technical support of this tutorial may be made available by National Instruments, the content in this tutorial may not be completely tested and verified, and NI does not guarantee its quality in any way or that NI will continue to support this content with each new revision of related products and drivers. THIS TUTORIAL IS PROVIDED "AS IS" WITHOUT WARRANTY OF ANY KIND AND SUBJECT TO CERTAIN RESTRICTIONS AS MORE SPECIFICALLY SET FORTH IN NI.COM'S TERMS OF USE (http://ni.com/legal/termsofuse/unitedstates/us/).