Switch for Solenoid Cannone Gravitrax compatible

thingiverse

I take no responsibility for any damage that may occur to electronic devices or people during the construction and operation of this electronic device. Operate with a maximum of 12V and never without supervision. The solenoid is designed for a maximum of 5V and therefore may only be operated for short pulses with 12V. Inspired by the cool design of the solenoid cannon by Franck alias "ffleurey", I want to build a switch that triggers the cannon. So, I combined a reflector switch with a Mosfet and integrated them into the track. An incoming ball releases the cannon and shoots an already available ball upwards. Powered with 12V it will be able to shoot 4cm high. A short video is available at <a href="https://www.dailymotion.com/video/x7tye08" target="blank">this link</a>. A long video can also be seen at <a href="https://www.dailymotion.com/video/x7u9750" target="blank">this link</a>. An instruction, the data sheets and the circuit plans (Fritzing) can be found at "Things Files". The instruction is available at <a href="https://www.thingiverse.com/download:8920044" target="blank">this link</a>. For the resistor that controls the diode of the reflector switch, please test values from 470 to 1k Ohm. Smaller resistor values trigger the reflector switch faster, but could also turn on the switch permanently. The circuit can be integrated and wired up in an own plate before the solenoid. Instead of the reflector switch, a normal switch could be used, see the last picture above. Parts (Bill of Materials) are listed below: 1 x Resistor - 33k Ohm 0.25W 1 x Resistor - 470-1K Ohm 1W Metal Film Ø 3mm 1 x Diode - 1N4001 1 x Reflector Switch - ITR8307 (Everlight) 1 x Mosfet P-Channel - IRF9630 1 x Solenoid - Mini Solenoid 5V (sparkfun, adafruit, exp-tech.de) 2 x Screw - Ø3x6mm