electro-magnetic switches and locks

[hip36]

I am trying to shop for 5V or 9V mechanical relays and set/ release electromagnets. Not to good on web searches, probably vocabulary weakness. I need shafts to move at the touch of a button, or when set high, spring return should work; A plunger in and out of a coil. Needed to latch the jib on a model crane, for automated setup, and to switch spindles from tilt to lift. I also need magnets to use as hooks, or like a salvage yard crane's magnet. Surely these are retail items, but I am having no luck with internet searches. Are there particular names I should be searching for to find these devices?

 

[davenn]

. I need shafts to move at the touch of a button, or when set high, spring return should work; A plunger in and out of a coil.

Those are called Solenoids . also search on electromagnetic latches and or solenoid latches

I also need magnets to use as hooks, or like a salvage yard crane's magnet

Those are called electro-magnets ... would be pretty easy to make one yourself

cheers
Dave

 

[hip36]

Thanks davenn. I turned in a cardboard model Tuesday, drew up a block diagram last night and I am presently working on the board layouts; all without buying a single part, or drafting a mechanical drawing.
A little shy of building my own electromagnet, I have coiled wire around screwdrivers to fetch screws on motor supports, but really have no clue on how to do any of the calculations. I am pretty lost in that respect all the way through this project. How do I size motors to pick up undetermined loads? Where do I position the rear pulley to minimize top heavy effect? All the classes teach how to solve given electrical and statics problems, but none teach how to optimize a design, or which criteria I need to optimize for.
Hopefully, my partners will be better at the internet shopping game they don,t seem to be much help in the logic, electrical or statics areas, then I will optimize my design to work best with the parts I buy.
I wasted hours tonight looking for a pair of gear motors with encoders to spin my spools.