Solenoids are essentially electromagnets: they consist of a large coil of copper wire with a reinforcement (a metal bar) in the middle. When the coil is energized, the bare is pulled to the center of the coil. This allows the solenoid to pull from one end or push from the other.

This particular solenoid is larger than our small 5V solenoid, with a 27mm long body, a 10mm stroke, and a'captive' armature with a return spring. This means that when activated up to 6VDC, the solenoid moves and then the voltage is switched off, it returns to its original position, which is very convenient. Many low-cost solenoids are push or pull type and may not have a captive armature (they will fall!) or have no return spring.

You will need to power this solenoid with about 6VDC (you don't need to be exact, 5 to 6V will work well) and it is now a magnet. Turn off the power and it returns to a normal piece of metal. Since it is a coil, you will need to use a motor driver or a solenoid driver with backstop protection. They consume a lot of current, 800mA at 5V and 1 Amp at 6V, so you will need a good driver. Our Crickit cards will work well if you use a motor port.


Technical details

6VDC operation (please note that a lower voltage leads to lower/slower operation)
Current: 6V 1A or 5V 0.8A
Push or pull type with a range of 10 mm
Dimensions of the reinforcement tube:
        Length: 55.4mm
        Diameter: 7mm
DC coil resistance: 6 ohms
Cable length: about 20cm
Product Weight: 68.0g / 2.4oz