WEEK 2: 8TH AUGUST 2012

Title              : Make some changes on the project component.

Objective     : To change the dc gear motor to solenoid motor.

Procedure   : The dc gear motor have to be change to                                          solenoid motor because it will be use to open                                  and close the gate of the food supplied by the                                main tank to be refill in the food container inside                              the coop.

                     Figure 1: Illustration the solenoid motor to push/pull the gate

Results      : 1) The difference between a solenoid and a motor is                          that a solenoid is spring loaded and cannot rotate.

 Figure 2: Solenoid is spring loaded and cannot rotate

2)   Solenoid basic operation
Inside a solenoid is motor wire coiled in a special way. When an electric current been sent through the wire (energized), a magnetic field is created. The inner shaft of a solenoid is a piston like cylinder made of iron or steel, called the plunger or slug (equivalent to an armature). The magnetic field then applies a force to this plunger, either attracting or repeling it. When the magnetic field is turned off, a spring then returns the plunger to its original state.

Figure 3: Solenoid basic operation

Conclusion: The dc gear motor had to been change to solenoid                        motor.