Hello All!! I sure am glad I found this site, I have been going crazy trying to get an invention of mine to work.

I am trying to take a 2.3 volt DC intermitent output and jack it up to 5V DC so I can trigger a relay so a 9V ground is completed and my other device is turned on.

Someone please help!!

 

Hi,

Is this an intermittent voltage you're trying to boost up to a continuous five volts? Have you instead considered a latching relay that needs no power after it switches?

 

Thank You Beenthere for getting back to me so quickly! I hadn't considered a latching relay. How do you get it to unlatch? The voltage is more of a pulse, builds up and lets down quickly.

Thanks again for your help!

 

Hi,

Latching relays change state (and hold it) every time the coil is pulsed. I'm away from my catalogs, but I'll try to find a part number later.

 

Hi,

Look at a Panasonic ASX21003 relay. It might work with your voltage. It's available from Digi-Key, part #255-1580-5 @ $6.20. There's also a Panasonic TQ2-L-3V, part #255-1492-5 @ $ 3.16.

 

Hi,

Look at a Panasonic ASX21003 relay. It might work with your voltage. It's available from Digi-Key, part #255-1580-5 @ $6.20. There's also a Panasonic TQ2-L-3V, part #255-1492-5 @ $ 3.16.

Wow Beenthere, I am really greatful for your help on this. I aam trying to build a prototype for the upcomming American Inventor Show. I got what I thought would be the hard part of the invention done but then ran up against this problem. Almost makes me wish I would of furthered my education instead of doing 20 years in the military.

This invention will save lives and when I make it to the final round and get this thing manufactured, I'll give you as many of these as you want and a beer or so to go along with them.

Thanks again. I'll give them a try.

 

Hi,

Good luck.

 

BeenThere - I tried taking a transistor and a resistor today and wiring them up to a 5V relay but had no luck, but then again, I had no ideal what I was doing. Does the base lead of the transistor go to the ground from my output or the ground to the coil of the relay or the common wire on the relay? I plan on passing the neg. wire through the relay to complete the circuit.

Do I sound really, really confused or what?

Thanks again.

 

Do you have a steady 5V to operate this relay from? Also, what it the coil voltage for those latching relays? What transistor are you using? Are you using it to drive the relay from 5V when the 2.3V is present? Finally, are both these voltages DC & positive with respect to ground? We need to know these things so we can make this work for you.

 

Do you have a steady 5V to operate this relay from? Also, what it the coil voltage for those latching relays? What transistor are you using? Are you using it to drive the relay from 5V when the 2.3V is present? Finally, are both these voltages DC & positive with respect to ground? We need to know these things so we can make this work for you.

Wire - Since the relay said 5V on it, I assumed the coil was 5V is it? How do I tell? I just picked a resistor, I don't know the difference between them
I was trying to get the 2.3V up to 5V to trigger the relay (which is not a latching one, That will come next week when my wife gives me my allowence again,lol)

I'm not sure about the Dc & positive with respect to ground Basket Case,ain't I?

Hope this helps.

 

Could I use a capacitor to achieve this?

 

Since the relay is marked 5V, it almost certainly has a 5VDC coil. Without more info on your circuit, however, there's not much more we can do to help you. We also need to know when you need this 5V output signal to turn on & off [for instance, only when the 2.3V signal is present].

 

Wireaddict - It only needs to be on long enough to activate a solenoid that will set everything into motion. I am not sure how long the solenoid takes to fire, but I suppose that if I use a latching relay as you and beenthere have so kindly suggested, it will pass the current through long enough to work but I am not sure because of the way the output works.

Here is a better (I Hope) explanation of how it works:

Device activates and sends a pulse of 2.3VDC electric that comes on/off for 4 times, pauses for 5 seconds then starts cycle again.

Electric from pulsed output triggers relay which allows the negative side of the solenoid circuit to be completed, activating the solenoid which "pops" out.

I am at a loss because I can't get the solenoid to trigger because there isn't enough volts in the circuit to activate the solenoid it's self so I have to run a relay which has the negative side of a 9V circuit running through it. I was thinking that maybe running a capicator in the circuit before the relay might work but how does one get the capicator to discharge before it blow the capicator?

Again I am really greatful for you and beenthere helping me on this, Thank You so much!!

 

Wireaddict - I just noticed you location says E. Central Michigan, I live in Alma which is just about in the center of Michigan. COOL!

 

Hi, I live about 10 mi. north of Flint but I'm trying to sell and move to TN, but I digress...

So you probably want the solenoid to energize for about a second, de-energize, then energize again on the first pulse after the 5-sec. pause? Will the solenoid work on 9V? If so, getting the solenoid & relay to pick up shouldn't be a problem; in fact, if your 9V power source is DC, you may not need the relay but I need to know if it's DC. You could use a darlington transistor to power the solenoid directly from a 2.3V input but you still need a way to inhibit it from energizing until the next cycle to save power and reduce wear. What is the source of the 2.3V pulses and are they DC? I'm thinking maybe we can do something to ignore all but the first pulse of each cycle if they're long enough. Is there any way you can attach a copy of the schematic so we can figure this out? Another thing, I'll need to know is the solenoid resisitance.

A capacitor, or lack thereof, isn't the problem; we'll need to see the whole circuit to decide where to go next.

 

WireAddict - I realize that I might be going against the forum rules here (but I checked a minute ago and didn't see anything covering it) in asking if there is a more private way we can discuss this since it pertains to an invention.

The 9V will be DC and it is enough to trigger the solenoid. I am not really worried about the number of cycles the solenoid goes through since it is rated at over a million. If we can go private, I will tell you all you need to know about it.

Thanks a million for you help!

Paul.