Thread: solenoid activation help!

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Hey guys im having some trouble with a prop ive been working on six months now. i have literally have had every problem you can with this prop i asure you.
im so close i just got the controller finally working after having to exchange it and the solenoid wont activate. heres the wierd part. on the nervecenter the outputs are now as no1 and com1 when i plug the cords in the solenoid doesnt activate it doesnt have that click when it first plugs in. the sensor triggers fine and it plays the routine. now when i set it to com1 and nc1 the solenoid activated and t shot out until triggered. what could this mean!! im driving myself crazy and need some one to justsay oh well just do this hahaha!!
Thanks,
Chris

Are you sure you don't have the same problem you had last time? Wiring to NC1 and COM 1 will not offer much help. My guess is that this controller like the last one is cross wired. Try hooking to NO2 and COM2 and run the channel 1 routine.

You need to understand that NC1 is a static closed circuit. The only time NC opens is when the routine runs. Each time you push the program button you are opening NC and closing NO.

hi do you have a 110v or 24v valve ? if a 110v kinda hard to explain but here it goes, you have to have a wire that plugs to a 110 outlet coming from the valve in the middle of the wire plug, cut only one side in half ,one side goes to com1 and the other goes to nc1 on the controller ,so the valve can have power ,if it is connected straight from solenoid to controller there is no power going to the valve.does that make any sense?

This is from the manual.

After you have selected LPE or SPE, press the Menu button. You now see NOI or NCI (Normally Open when Idle) or(Normally Closed when Idle). This refers to your trigger. Many triggers operate in NOI mode, such as pressure mats. Some triggers function opposite, so you can press the Up or Down button to switch NCI. We suggest if you trigger in this mode, you power down the Nerve Center, connect your trigger and power up the Nerve Center when you are ready to go "live" with it. Otherwise, selecting this option may result in having the Nerve Center read erroneous signals and behaving sporadically.

Did you set the NOI or NCI correctly? I am not sure if this will help, but trying.

i will try com2 and no2 running channel 1 tomoorow i did that but ran channel 2 so it could be cross wqired which i have a feeling it is but if i can get around it the easier.

the solenoid is 100v and i have that set up as follows.

on the outputs on the controller its on no1 but on the screenn in the controller i have it as nc1 because when i but it on no1 on the inside controller not the outputs it keeps tunning and running. im on the last step here i just need to figurwe out this cross wiring hazard

tom believe it or not this is still the clown prop. i have completed many other porjects easily but this one is giving me a run for my money. i did fix the bind so thaks for the spray tip and the return is working great. now i need to figure this out!

Chris,

I just reread your comments. If you plug the solenoid into NO1 and COM1, it should not make a sound. Why would it? That is an open circuit. That circuit does not close until the routine is run and the periods that you press the button to record your routine occur. Think of it as a light switch. The solenoid is your light. You are flicking the switch on and off when you press and release the program key.

Chris,

Maybe you had better check that trigger aspect. Sounds like that is where the issue may be. Can you remove the trigger and just run the sequence manually?

If you set the trigger to NCI ( That is Normally Closed Idle, then that trigger is active and is going to run the routine it is set to control with nothing connected to it. So the first thing to do is turn the trigger off. I do not know this controller, but I suspect you want the trigger set to NOI ( Normally Open Idle ) Keep in mind that this is just the trigger and is not the routine.

You could be confusing NC1 with NCI One refers to the Relay. NC1 is Relay #1 Normally Closed. NCI is the particular trigger option you have selected is Normally Closed when Idle NCI

Chris,

" If you set the trigger to NCI ( That is Normally Closed Idle, then that trigger is active and is going to run the routine it is set to control with nothing connected to it. "

I may be in error here.

I just watched the video. It says that NCI is the right choice for PIR's. So as far as I can tell, you have it right. So it could be the PIR that is causing the confusion. Maybe you can just choose NOI for the trigger and connect a wire to the COM on the trigger and another to the NOI connection. Just like a mat switch, you can just short the two wires together and that should trigger the prop. The PIR requires a source of voltage. The unit looks like it supplies 12 volts DC for such devices.

hmm i dont know how it could be the trigger if it picks up motion and then runs through the routine. the solenoid isnt picking up with it. but we know the solenoid works . i must have something wrong. okay theres alot of confusion here whats the first thing you want me to try