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I'd first like to say that i'm a complete noob when it comes to electronical stuff.

Im trying to make an automatic water gardner with a Raspberry pi. I found this solenoid valve to control whether the water is running on or off electronically. This requires 12v so I cant just stick it to the GPIO pins. So the I found this motor controller. So I was wondering if I could hook up the solenoid valve to that along with an external power source for the valve. Is that possible? Thank you!

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  • Will that controller be able to handle the amperage. I had a quick look and couldn't find any figures, You might need to dual up a pair of L298N modules to get the 3 amps needed by the solenoid. A relay might well be a simpler option as the solenoid will usually remain on or off.
    – joan
    Aug 22, 2014 at 3:30
  • It says the motor controller can power up to 12v, so would that also mean it would be able to handle the amperage required for 12v?
    – alex
    Aug 22, 2014 at 17:50
  • Also, i'm just now noticing this: "The RTK RPi M.C.B is a self-assembly kit that allows you to control DC motors with ease". Does that mean it can't control the solenoid valve because it's not a DC motor? Or is the solenoid valve a DC motor? Forgive me for my ignorance!
    – alex
    Aug 22, 2014 at 17:58
  • The solenoid is not a DC motor. You could control it with a motor driver board as the board powers its outputs in response to an input signal. I'd buy a relay board, i.e. a relay plus the protection circuitry (like diodes and/or opto isolation) to safeguard the Pi. E.g. something like ebay.co.uk/itm/141356184841
    – joan
    Aug 22, 2014 at 19:17

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Personally, I would just use a Pi-face.

Use one of the two relays for your 12v solenoid valve.

Edit to add: I used the manufacturers general link. They list official retailers and the list is quite short. Search for it on amazon or ebay tho, there are many more ways to find them.

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