Solenoid Requirements for the Lure
Machine
Starting in the Fall of 2006, I started hearing from my customers about
premature solenoid failures in my lure machines. In some instances, they
were not lasting through the first day of use. After six months of the
reports increasing in frequency from my customers, I decided that I needed to
get smart about what solenoids should be used in a lure machine that would give
good service and an acceptable life.
The solenoids pictured below are the typical ones used on lure
machines for the past 35 years. They are automotive types used in cars and
trucks to activate the starter motor to start the engine of a vehicle....we are
using starter motors in our lure machines, so why not use the same solenoid used in
a vehicle. As my wife loves saying to me, "not so fast, buffalo breath!!!"
Generally, these solenoids are classified as 100 Amp, intermittent duty
solenoids. The solenoid that I have been selling for the past 10 years, is
a Prestolite #SAZ4201N. You can view the specs for this solenoid at
solenoid specs. This is a very good automotive soleniod but with the
stated "max on time" of 2 minutes (and an unstated "off time" of probably 10 or
15 minutes), it just does not hold up with the type of use that we give it
on a lure machine. During my search for a
better mouse trap, I found that all of the solenoids intended for automotive
starting circuits had a similar duty cycle and rating. This is probably why we
have been plagued with solenoid problems at various times in the past.
People have felt free in the past to say "this solenoid or that solenoid has
lousy quality," when in truth, we have been asking the automotive type solenoid
to do a job that it was never designed or intended to perform.
What I found during my search was that there are all kinds of solenoids used
for switching on/off various DC motors used in commercial and industrial
applications. These solenoids are classified as continuous duty and are
rated at 100 or 200 Amps. They are designed to be switched on for long
periods of time to activate DC motors that run hydraulic pumps for snowplows,
lift tailgates and winches on tilt bed tow trucks...on, and on. These
same motors are also what I am offering for sale as the TB1225 and TB1248, but
are being manufactured for Injoy with
long shafts. Because of price considerations, the solenoid I am now
selling is a private brand (probably manufactured in China) and is not a Prestolite solenoid. It does have the same rating as the Prestolite
specified here. It is a 200 Amp solenoid rated as continuous duty.
Only time will tell if this solenoid is what we need to end the short life cycle
and lockups experienced in the past.
Now....this needs to be said. This solenoid, and all solenoids, can
weld shut or lockup if you try to run your lure machine with less than 11 volts.
The new solenoid has a max surge rating, "inrush current" of 900 Amps, which is
well in excess of the normal 500 to 600 Amp current needed to start the motor
under load. But with less than 12 volts, the amperage increases
substantially. Also, the useful life for the solenoid is 50,000
actuations...that's 50,000 times you hit the button to turn the lure machine on
to run. Everybody wants to measure how long something lasts in linear time
(how many months or usually years) that something keeps working. Well,
let's understand that with a two day field trial and 75 to 100 dogs
competing , the lure operator will probably actuate the solenoid between 15,000
and 25,000 times...or in other words, close to half of the expected useful life
of the solenoid. The life of a solenoid is not measured in linear
time...it is measured in the number of times it is asked to start the motor!!!!
Products