Solenoids/electronics tech mailbag ZDSPB.com > Tech index > Tech mailbag > Solenoids/electronics


Subject: Parker solenoid spool seals
From: Martin G.
Hi,
Do you know what size are the o-rings inside the shocker sft solenoid spool? If you sell them, how much are they.
Thanks,
Martin

Re: Parker solenoid spool seals
Unfortunately they're actually special seals made for the solenoid manufacturer so they can't really be bought separately. They're actually disk-shaped seals so it's unlikely that a standard o-ring would work...now having said that I have heard of people using some type of tiny o-ring they found at an online gasket retailer but I don't know what results they had with it. I remember one guy reported it worked perfectly when he tested it out, but didn't say anything else about it (whether it continued to work, etc).

Typically when people run into situations where they need a new spool, they end up buying a used solenoid off the internet somewhere and harvesting parts from it to repair their current solenoid. It's kindof a crapshoot since you don't know exactly what you're getting with a used valve, but usually ends up much cheaper in the end (especially if you find a damaged solenoid, broken in some other way than the spool).
-from Andrew "Ydna" DuBuc - [ZDSPB.com]


Subject: MAC 43 coil wattage
From: Nicholas G.
Can any of the standard viking boards (tadao, was, pandora) be used to drive the 'was' solenoid? If not without mods, what exactly would I need to add to make one of them work, not counting routing air?
Nick G.

Re: MAC 43 coil wattage
Generally speaking any board made to drive other MAC solenoids should be able to work the 33 and 43 series solenoids too. With those AKALMP boards in specific I know there was a limitation on the first run of tadao boards which didn't quite have the capacity to drive them, but I know he altered the board design to allow it functionality. I'm not sure if there are any visual markings on the boards that would tell this difference though.
-from Andrew "Ydna" DuBuc - [ZDSPB.com]


Subject: WAS Imp Equ
From: Bob W.
Hi,
I have a WAS Equalizer Impulse board that I believe has developed a short circuit. I'm not very familiar with circuit boards, but a friend says the board is getting voltage to some components, but has no idea why it isn't turning on.

Would you be interested in taking a look at at to see if you can repair it? I have a replacement on the way from pbnation's BST forum, so I wouldn't really care if you damaged my original board further to see if you can fix it. I am more than willing of course, to pay for your time. Let me know if you're interested.
Thanks,
Bobby

Re: WAS Imp Equ
Well, I can take a look at it but I honestly doubt I'll be able to do anything for it. I don't know much about how these particular boards work, but the real issue is that usually things like this end up just being written as an internal issue that can't be fixed. Most common thing is a microprocessor issue...those can be removed and replaced physically, but at that point the boards are "blank" and need to be reflashed...and I don't have the programming file available.

My guess is actually that above...the microchip is probably the culprit. Like 95% of the time that's the end result. If that's the case then a reflash might take care of it, otherwise it'd have to be swapped out.
-from Andrew "Ydna" DuBuc - [ZDSPB.com]


Subject: Coil reliable?
From: J.K.
Hey, I'm looking at buying a Humphrey noid since my parker can't be fixed. I'm looking to buy this one that has upper board damanage and buying a new board off punisherpb.com My question is do Humphrey noids have the same problem as parker with bad coil connection where they are screwed together. To your knowledge does this coil damanage occur with humphrey noids? Thanks John

Re: Noid swap
Nope the Humphrey solenoids are designed very differently, and pretty much impossible to damage like the Parker ones. The only problem is the coil sections aren't compatible so you're kindof forced to get a whole new solenoid when you switch parts. But....if you don't want to worry about the coil damage issue, then that is definitely the best solution.
-from Andrew "Ydna" DuBuc - [ZDSPB.com]


Subject: Noid parts swap
From: Evan L.
Hi, can a parker solenoid coil hoising fit on a humprey and vice versa??? thanks

Re: Noid parts swap
Nope unfortunately they're different and not compatible. Your best bet would be to snatch up a used solenoid and harvest parts from it...that seems to be what most people do.
-from Andrew "Ydna" DuBuc - [ZDSPB.com]


Subject: Solenoid flow
From: Jimmy G.
Hi, I've consulted you for a couple of custom projects in the past, and I've just had an idea for a "custom" bolt project. I kinda got this idea from the Geo, but the implementation of the bolt kit just begs for this idea to be used. Anyways, I need to know what kind of ROF could be acheived if the solenoid were used to refill the dump chamber. I would be getting a custom manifold made such that the exhaust cycle of that side of the spool is blocked off, would that also be possible (since its an indirect acting solenoid?) I just need a little help to get off the ground.
Thanks, Jimmy

Re: Solenoid flow
Well, the Geo uses a special solenoid that's designed to seal the input, but a regular solenoid won't be able to provide enough flow to be useful. We're talking around 10-bps at maximum. With the Geo solenoid it's made so the pilot will allow through a separate chamber isolated from the spool section.
-from Andrew "Ydna" DuBuc - [ZDSPB.com]

Re: Re: Solenoid flow
Alright, thanks. Not that it matters too much with a 10bps cap now hah. Would an ego solenoid (06 ASCO) work any better? I know they mount to the same manifold, so...
My idea was to create a fasor-based bolt system. Plug the holes on the front of the bolt sleeve, and vent it elsewhere. The air that would normally go to the front of the bolt sleeve would go to the fire can, and (assuming the stock noid would have worked) thus when fired would be cut off, but not vented thanks to the new manifold. But i guess i'll have to think of a way around that.


Subject: BB gun solenoid
From: Sokol C.
Hi, I'm currently in the process of building a BB gun to hang on a remote controlled airplane. I decided that a CO2 system powered by 12g disposable cartridges would be the best choice in trying to keep the weight at a minimum. I've got the whole system configured except that I need a trigger to control the release of the CO2. So basically I'm looking for an electrically actuated solenoid the lets air out of the expansion chamber into the gun part when I press the trigger. I got my hands on an Ion board with solenoid but its a little more complicated than I thought it would be and I cant get it work as I'd like. Any ideas on what am I missing here, or if thats the wrong solenoid for the job what do you recommend.

Re: BB gun solenoid
Well, I'm not sure of your exact configuration but my guess is the Ion solenoid is the opposite valve function, by that I mean it's normally-open instead of normally-closed which is possibly what you need instead. If that's the case then you can get your hands on a more standard 4-way solenoid which can operate as either NO or NC depending on which of the output ports you plug off. In terms of the exact valve which would work best, there are a lot of small solenoids out there, really any of them would work so long as your circuit can provide enough juice. If you haven't already, take a look around airsoldier.com's solenoid section since he carries a huge array of valves for various paintball markers, which can be retrofitted as necessary.
-from Andrew "Ydna" DuBuc - [ZDSPB.com]

Re: Re: BB gun solenoid
Thanks for the heads up on airsoldier however, they have no contact info on that website. If you have some time to help me what I want to do is, take the Ion solenoid of the board and replace it with one that works for what I'm trying to do. The voltage for the current setup should be 9-12 VDC and less than 2 amps. Any sugestions come to mind?

Re: Re: Re: BB gun solenoid
The stock solenoid is removable, but its possible that you might run into problems using another solenoid with the ion board. The trouble is the Ion board uses a full "on" signal for the first 8-ms of the full energizing time, then the rest of the time gets pulsed on and off rapidly (around 8 times each millisecond). This is optimized for the Ion solenoid but it might not work out so well with another one.
Now, the tricky thing is, it might work okay, but it night not...no real way to know ahead of time until you were to try it out with whatever new valve you wanted to use. I've only tried a few of them myself but they didn't work so good, I can't speak for many others though.
-from Andrew "Ydna" DuBuc - [ZDSPB.com]


Subject: A puzzling circuit board question
From: Julie O.
Andy, sorry to bother you with a problem that I'm having. I know that you are a "whiz" when it comes to electronics, and I know very little about the subject. It's not SP related, but I have a stock Proto PM6 board that will shut itself off after only 2 or 3 trigger pulls. Everything about the marker is stock, and un-altered. I've traced the problem down to the noid connector on the board (or something that controls the noid). I can un-plug the noid, and the board will remain on while clicking the micro switch. If I plug the noid into the board, the board will turn itself off after 2 or 3 clicks on the micro switch. (I have another stock board, and I've tested it against this board, so I know its the noid/connector/component)
My question is this. Is there a component on the board that controls voltage to the noid, and if so, can they "burn out"? Would this be causing my dilemma with this particular board. Also, would this component be repairable? Thanks for any ideas that you may have.

Re: A puzzling circuit board question
The boards aren't too complicated in that when the solenoid is energized, it just gets a straight flow of current from the battery, which is then halted when firing is complete. Most boards just take straight battery voltage right to the solenoid, without dropping it down or otherwise altering it. Because of this, the most common cause for the problem you're describing is that the solenoid is causing a small "brown-out" in the circuit, which forces it to reset when the solenoid steals power from everything else being run at the same time. This is usually caused by a low battery, did you try replacing it with a new 9v? (if so, try again...just to be sure!)

These problems are rare with most of the small solenoids we use in markers, but at the same time it's not totally unheard-of. It's possible the battery isn't causing the problem but if that's the case then it's probably an internal issue with some component on the board, possibly the diode that controls the ceasing of the solenoid power surge. THis is hard to diagnose unless you started swapping out everything on the circuit for a new one. Obviously that's not really an option since it would take a LOT of free time and an equal amount of soldering work, so if that's the case then just finding a replacement board is often the only way to fix it.
-from Andrew "Ydna" DuBuc - [ZDSPB.com]