5 replies to this topic

[KillerQ]

Hey, All,

So, I built a homemade pinball controller for my PC using a standard, 5V USB encoder for the controls. I wanted to add some haptic feedback, so I decided to add a few 12v solenoids and run them off of said 5v relays.

Here are the relays: DaFuRui 5v Relay Module，8Pack 1 Channel Relay Module 5v Relay Board with Optocoupler Support High/Low Level Trigger for Arduino Relay https://a.co/d/4fNcPTz

So, since the relay was 5v, I simply powered it from the usb encoder board which has dedicated outputs for 5V.

If I were to have this same set up, but use a 12V relay, I am sure the supplied 5v from the USB board won’t trigger it, so, my question is, is there a way to still feed the board 12V like it wants (I’ll just use a separate power source), but allow the 5v button press trigger that the encoder provides to trigger the solenoid?

The reason I ask this is that the way the relay wants to be set up is to combine the trigger wire with the DC+ in for the relay. Since the arcade buttons are designed to work in 5v, I was afraid this would shoot 5V back upstream to the board if I have a 12V power source for the 12V relay.

I hope I explained that well.

Here’s a video of my setup: https://odysee.com/solenoid:7

Here it is back in the box: https://odysee.com/pushpush:7

Also, I seem to get occasional misfires where the relay board will click and receive the signal, but the solenoid won’t fire. When this happens, I have verified that there is no voltage being sent to the solenoid according to a multimeter. It also seems that depending on the location of the solenoid, the misfires become works. Possibly an EMF issue?

Also, when the solenoid DOES fire, I notice that the multimeter shows about 11.7V as opposed to the 12+V that I meter on the actual power supply. Is that because of the load or resistance reducing that power a bit?

Thanks a ton!


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[jondoe373]

A retired tech here. Everything appears to be set up correctly as near as I can tell ( and your video seems to support that ). Confirm that all connections are solid. Alot of misfire can be due to poor connection(s). Also, swap the relays to see if you can isolate the issue to one or the other as the cause or better yet, replace one at a time with a known good one. My reasoning is that one may be failing. Secondly, 11,7v is most likely just considering the voltage drop across the resistive coils and nothing to be concerned about. A third thought is that it could be the solenoid. Electrically they are easy to check ( check the resistance) and usually do not fail but mechanically they can jam, socheck the action on them manually and feel for any hitch or if possible strip it down and lightly clean it.

 

  Hope this helps. Good luck

 

Jon Doe

[garnel]

Something to consider from my lessons learned.

 

1. The blue relay on the board you are using has metal contacts that will fail over time - especially the ones related to flippers.

2. If you use the same drivers for all ten solenoids, you'll have a lot of wiring and debugging labor. The circuits are simple - but multiply your single solenoid wiring by the number of toys (10 solenoids, knocker, shaker, gear motor, under cab leds = 16 circuits).  A rats nest of wires - and all that crap will cost about the same as a single board solution I'm using in my cab - without a lot of wiring labor.

 

Replaced all that in my first cab with the 24 channel Zeb's DIY board. At approximately $100, it has mosfet outputs instead of mechanical relays. the only wiring you need to do is one wire from Zeb's board to the solenoid or toy, and one wire between the 12v power to the other side of the solenoid. Two wires each.

 

Here's a link:

 

https://zebsboards.c..._html/DIY_Parts

 

Many of us use 12v SW3 starter solenoids. You can get them for around $10 each on Amazon or Ebay. They do fail once in a while, but at $10 each I just keep a couple of spares.

 

Just FYI, I'm a retired EE, but the last half of my career was in management, so many brain cells were lost during that time.

 

All the best,

garnel

 

 

[KillerQ]

Thanks so much for that! I appreciate it. Will I be able to trigger that board with a simple arcade button that connects to a 5V usb encoder, though?

Something to consider from my lessons learned.
 
1. The blue relay on the board you are using has metal contacts that will fail over time - especially the ones related to flippers.
2. If you use the same drivers for all ten solenoids, you'll have a lot of wiring and debugging labor. The circuits are simple - but multiply your single solenoid wiring by the number of toys (10 solenoids, knocker, shaker, gear motor, under cab leds = 16 circuits).  A rats nest of wires - and all that crap will cost about the same as a single board solution I'm using in my cab - without a lot of wiring labor.
 
Replaced all that in my first cab with the 24 channel Zeb's DIY board. At approximately $100, it has mosfet outputs instead of mechanical relays. the only wiring you need to do is one wire from Zeb's board to the solenoid or toy, and one wire between the 12v power to the other side of the solenoid. Two wires each.
 
Here's a link:
 
https://zebsboards.c..._html/DIY_Parts
 
Many of us use 12v SW3 starter solenoids. You can get them for around $10 each on Amazon or Ebay. They do fail once in a while, but at $10 each I just keep a couple of spares.
 
Just FYI, I'm a retired EE, but the last half of my career was in management, so many brain cells were lost during that time.
 
All the best,
garnel
 
 

Sent from my iPhone using Tapatalk
Great info and good list of things to look out for. Thanks!

A retired tech here. Everything appears to be set up correctly as near as I can tell ( and your video seems to support that ). Confirm that all connections are solid. Alot of misfire can be due to poor connection(s). Also, swap the relays to see if you can isolate the issue to one or the other as the cause or better yet, replace one at a time with a known good one. My reasoning is that one may be failing. Secondly, 11,7v is most likely just considering the voltage drop across the resistive coils and nothing to be concerned about. A third thought is that it could be the solenoid. Electrically they are easy to check ( check the resistance) and usually do not fail but mechanically they can jam, socheck the action on them manually and feel for any hitch or if possible strip it down and lightly clean it.
 
  Hope this helps. Good luck
 
Jon Doe

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[garnel]

Thanks so much for that! I appreciate it. Will I be able to trigger that board with a simple arcade button that connects to a 5V usb encoder, though?


 

Something to consider from my lessons learned.
 
1. The blue relay on the board you are using has metal contacts that will fail over time - especially the ones related to flippers.
2. If you use the same drivers for all ten solenoids, you'll have a lot of wiring and debugging labor. The circuits are simple - but multiply your single solenoid wiring by the number of toys (10 solenoids, knocker, shaker, gear motor, under cab leds = 16 circuits).  A rats nest of wires - and all that crap will cost about the same as a single board solution I'm using in my cab - without a lot of wiring labor.
 
Replaced all that in my first cab with the 24 channel Zeb's DIY board. At approximately $100, it has mosfet outputs instead of mechanical relays. the only wiring you need to do is one wire from Zeb's board to the solenoid or toy, and one wire between the 12v power to the other side of the solenoid. Two wires each.
 
Here's a link:
 
https://zebsboards.c..._html/DIY_Parts
 
Many of us use 12v SW3 starter solenoids. You can get them for around $10 each on Amazon or Ebay. They do fail once in a while, but at $10 each I just keep a couple of spares.
 
Just FYI, I'm a retired EE, but the last half of my career was in management, so many brain cells were lost during that time.
 
All the best,
garnel
 
 

Sent from my iPhone using Tapatalk
Great info and good list of things to look out for. Thanks!

A retired tech here. Everything appears to be set up correctly as near as I can tell ( and your video seems to support that ). Confirm that all connections are solid. Alot of misfire can be due to poor connection(s). Also, swap the relays to see if you can isolate the issue to one or the other as the cause or better yet, replace one at a time with a known good one. My reasoning is that one may be failing. Secondly, 11,7v is most likely just considering the voltage drop across the resistive coils and nothing to be concerned about. A third thought is that it could be the solenoid. Electrically they are easy to check ( check the resistance) and usually do not fail but mechanically they can jam, socheck the action on them manually and feel for any hitch or if possible strip it down and lightly clean it.
 
  Hope this helps. Good luck
 
Jon Doe

Sent from my iPhone using Tapatalk

 

The board is a ledwiz clone with mosfet output drivers. It decodes and triggers the solenoid connected to the selected input from DOF software via the USB input only. It is not connected directly to any mechanical switch in your cab.

Most of us do not connect any switch, flipper or otherwise, directly to a solenoid driver in our builds. We use an encoder like the ipac2 or a low cost zero delay decoder for switch inputs to the software. Then the VP table software, ie DOF, activates the solenoid associated with the switch pressed.

[KillerQ]

Makes sense - thank you!


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 [/quote]
The board is a ledwiz clone with mosfet output drivers. It decodes and triggers the solenoid connected to the selected input from DOF software via the USB input only. It is not connected directly to any mechanical switch in your cab.
Most of us do not connect any switch, flipper or otherwise, directly to a solenoid driver in our builds. We use an encoder like the ipac2 or a low cost zero delay decoder for switch inputs to the software. Then the VP table software, ie DOF, activates the solenoid associated with the switch pressed.[/quote]


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