How to control a solenoid using LabView w/ a NI PCI-MIO-16XE-10 DAQ?

[drew33]

Hi, I'm hoping to control a solenoid valve (rated for 5,12or 24V... is
there one that is more suitable than the others?) using LabView 7.0
for a company I just started working for. They have already purchased
an NI PCI-MIO-16XE-10 DAQ as well as an SCB-68 shielded I/O connector
block. I have experience with LabView from a while back, but have
almost no experience with DAQ and instrument control. Any advice or
help would be greatly appreciated. Thanks!

[[e-mail]]

With the equipment that you have, a good choice would be Opto-22
series for the G4 series of the Opto-22. Select the screw terminal
base and an ODC module appropriate to your power/voltage requirements.
this will use the TTL digital output to control a power solid state
relay. If you look to the other signal conditioning products from NI,
they will allow you to do the same thing as well.

[drew33]

Sorry, I have limited experience with solenoids and SSRs. Could you
please provide a little more detail? My understanding so far is that I
would use a digital output on my DAQ to control the switching of a SSR
which in turn would be rigged up to a voltage source to control the
solenoid. In terms of choosing the right SSR, I only need to control a
small solenoid rated for 12V/1.5W/96ohms... would this SSR be
sufficient?:

http://www.jameco.com/cgi-bin/ncommerce3/ProductDisplay?prmenbr=91&prrfnbr=95546&cgrfnbr=501&ctgys=

Thanks a lot for your help!

[[e-mail]]

Yes this will work fine. Please add a flyback diode to your solenoid
current. That is a diode to flow current from the negative terminal
to the positive when you cut current to the solenoid. The back EMF
spike can be quite high when the coil field collapses.

[Ames]

Drew33,

National Instruments offers many different signal conditioning options
(SSR Series, SCXI, SCC...) that work very well with the
PCI-MIO-16xe-10 to control a solenoid valve. I recommend you contact
our internal sales department at 1-800-433-3488. They specialize in
specifying systems and will be able to help you choose the best
hardware for your application.

Ames
Applications Engineering
National Instruments