Controlling Electromagnet Strength with Arduino

Thread Starter

corronchito

Joined Apr 11, 2015
1
Hello,

I am currently working on a project which consists on having iron filings in constant movement.
I would like some advice on how to control the field's strength with an Arduino.

I started building a few electromagnets and was at first thinking of turning some of them on and off randomly to modify the magnetic field, but I encountered a few problems. I am working with a power supply of 2.5A and I can chose between 5 or 12v. I chose to start working with 5V because the resistance of my electromagnets was too weak. To get a stronger resistance and therefore avoiding overheating, I connected them in series, but then the current ends up being very weak after the first two magnets.
Working with a single electromagnet would be better for the project, but I would need indications on how to control its strength and would very much appreciate some help. (Also, I'm starting with Arduino, so the more detailed the better).

Thank you very much!
 

Papabravo

Joined Feb 24, 2006
21,159
You don't have a diagram of your hookup and how your "control" is working. That would help immensely. The field strength in an electromagnet is a function of the current in the windings. Maybe you could use an H-bridge to control both the amount of current in the windings and the direction of current. I don't think the effects of changing the field strength and direction will be very interesting but that is just my opinion. I'm thinking that moving the electromagnet in various ways could be much more interesting.
 
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