Project Files of 12V Solenoid Water Valve Library for Proteus V1.0 (Arduino)

12V SOLENOID WATER VALVE LIBRARY FOR PROTEUS - V1.0 (a 12 V DC normally closed
1/2" pilot-operated solenoid water valve: the coil, the pilot, the diaphragm,
the water)
Designed by The Engineering Projects
www.TheEngineeringProjects.com

IMPORTANT LINKS
Article (read it first - pictures, step by step, every feature explained):
  https://www.theengineeringprojects.com/2026/11/12v-solenoid-water-valve-library-for-proteus-v1-0.html
Report a bug or suggest a feature (our forum):
  https://www.theengineeringprojects.com/forum/category/motor-driver-proteus-library
The demo runs on our Arduino UNO V4.0 (included) - working LEDs, RESET and a
built-in serial monitor - its own article:
  https://www.theengineeringprojects.com/2026/10/arduino-uno-library-for-proteus-v40.html
The demo drives the valve with our L9110S Motor Driver - a SEPARATE library,
not in this package: download and install it first - its own article:
  https://www.theengineeringprojects.com/2026/10/l9110s-motor-driver-library-for-proteus-v1-0.html
Support us (the libraries are free):
  https://www.theengineeringprojects.com/donate

FILE STRUCTURE
12V-Solenoid-Water-Valve-TEP-v1.0/
|-- Proteus Library Files/
|   |-- ArduinoV4TEP.LIB                              201.9 KB   TEP Arduino boards V4.0 (UNO) -> LIBRARY
|   |-- TEPVALVE.LIB                                   18.4 KB   the library -> LIBRARY folder
|-- Proteus Model Files/
|   |-- TEPARDUINO.DLL                                883.5 KB   the Arduino board model -> MODELS folder
|   |-- TEPVALVE.DLL                                  281.0 KB   the model -> MODELS folder
|-- Proteus Simulation/
|   |-- 12V-Solenoid-Water-Valve-L9110S-ArduinoUnoV4.pdsprj   25.2 KB   the demo project
|   |-- TEPARDUINO.DLL                                883.5 KB   copy of the board model
|   |-- TEPVALVE.DLL                                  281.0 KB   copy of the model
|   |-- Valve_Demo.hex                                 19.4 KB   the demo firmware
|-- Arduino Code/
|   |-- Valve_Demo/Valve_Demo.ino                       4.0 KB   the demo sketch (source of the .hex)
|-- README.txt                                        ~16.4 KB   this file
Total: 2.55 MB (unzipped). The C++ source code of the models is not included.

WHAT IS IT?
A simulation model of the 12 V solenoid water valve - the plastic 1/2" valve
of garden watering systems, water dispensers, coffee machines and aquarium
top-ups. It is normally closed: with no power the water stays out. Our own
model:
  * The coil is in the circuit between + and -: 26.7 ohm (0.45 A, 5.4 W at
    12 V), its inductance growing from 170 mH to 350 mH as the plunger lifts.
    Either polarity opens it.
  * It is pilot-operated: the coil only lifts a small plunger off a 2.2 mm
    pilot hole; the water pressure itself then lifts the rubber diaphragm off
    the main seat. So it needs pressure - under 0.2 bar it will not open - and
    the water on the pilot hole works against the coil: over about 9 bar the
    coil cannot lift the plunger (rated 8 bar).
  * The flow: Kv 0.6 - about 14 L/min at 2 bar. It opens fully about half a
    second after the coil and closes about a second after it is switched off
    (the diaphragm's chamber refills through its bleed hole). The litres add
    up.
  * Kick and hold: once open, about 0.11 A holds the plunger in - about 25 %
    PWM at 12 V. A 40 % hold takes 0.17 A and 0.8 W instead of 5.4 W, and the
    coil stays cool; held on full voltage a valve coil runs hot.
  * The watch: OPEN (the flow, how long it took), CLOSED (how long after the
    coil, the litres), the drive (steady or PWM: its frequency and duty), the
    pressure, and the warnings NOT OPENING / NO WATER, WILL NOT OPEN, DROPPED
    OUT, HOT and OVER-VOLTAGE.
The symbol shows the valve from the front: the grey plastic body with its
threaded IN and OUT ports and the flow arrow, the black coil with its nut and
two brass spade terminals (+ red, - black), a pipe on each side and the outlet
pipe's spout. At Run the cut-away shows the pilot lifting, the diaphragm
opening and the water flowing, and water falls from the spout. The plate, the
ON LED (green while current flows), the cut-away window, the falling water, the
rating line and the strip under the plate (FLOW, BAR, STATE, OPEN PANEL) are
TEP additions; the real valve has none of them.

ONE DEVICE (search "valve" in Pick Devices):
  WATERVALVETEP    "12V Solenoid Water Valve V1.0"   (category
                   Electromechanical > Motors), model TEPVALVE.DLL
  The pop-up panel "TEP 12V Solenoid Water Valve" opens at Run (and with OPEN
  PANEL on the strip) - the look of the TEP Serial Monitor. Tabs Valve,
  Graphs, Event log and Check; gear and ? icons for Settings and Help; the
  palette icon switches the theme:
    Valve      the pressure chips (No water, 0.1 bar, 2 bar, 10 bar); the
               state in big letters (CLOSED, OPENING, OPEN, CLOSING, NOT
               OPENING, WILL NOT OPEN); the cut-away (the coil, the pilot, the
               diaphragm, the water); the live values (the flow, the state, the
               coil current, the drive, the pressure, the water so far, the
               pilot, the coil's temperature); the last 2 s: the coil current
               and the flow.
    Graphs     the flow, the coil current and the coil's temperature over the
               last 10, 30 or 60 s. Live / Freeze.
    Event log  OPEN ("OPEN - 14.1 L/min at 2.0 bar, fully open 0.48 s after
               the coil"), CLOSED, the drive, the pressure, the warnings;
               filters All / Valve / Warnings, Pause, Clear
    Check      Good for: a valve that will not open, will not stay open, opens
               slowly or gets hot - the drive, the pilot, the pressure, the
               flow, the hold, the coil, with tips
    Settings   theme, text size, open at Run, window size
    Help       report a bug, suggest a feature, article, updates, donate,
               forum; Copy diagnostics for a bug report

TEST STATUS
V1.0: verified in Proteus 8.5 on 30 Oct 2026 (the demo project as shipped: an
A3 sheet, an Arduino UNO V4.0 with its built-in monitor, our L9110S driver -
its pop-up version, from its own library - on +12V, the valve at 2 bar and RV1
at 40 %; all pop-ups open). What the run showed:
  * The project loads and starts cleanly, "Hold PWM from RV1: 40 %". "open"
    (kick and hold): "OPEN - 14.1 L/min at 2.0 bar, fully open 0.48 s after
    the coil (the pilot lifted in 8 ms)", "PWM 976 Hz, 39 % duty = 4.53 V
    average, 0.169 A (0.76 W) - open"; the ON LEDs lit (UNO, L9110S, valve),
    the water running in the cut-away and from the spout; the L9110S's pop-up
    "FORWARD 40 %", A-IA "PWM 40 % at 977 Hz", 0.168 A, a 0.418 A peak.
  * "close": "CLOSED - the flow stopped 1.00 s after the coil went off; 0.57
    L this time, 0.57 L in all". "water 3": 0.76 L this time, 1.33 L in all.
  * The 0.1 bar chip and "open": "NOT OPENING - the pilot is lifted, but 0.1
    bar cannot lift the diaphragm: it needs 0.2 bar or more".
  * The 10 bar chip and "open": "WILL NOT OPEN - the coil pulls 4.2 N at
    most, the spring and 10.0 bar push 4.9 N (rated 8 bar)"; Check: "held on
    39 % PWM: 0.76 W instead of about 5.4 W".
  * The 2 bar chip, "hold 20" and "open": "DROPPED OUT - the hold (19 % PWM,
    0.085 A) is too weak: the pilot fell; it needs about 25 %".
  * "knob" and "full": "steady drive: 11.15 V, 0.416 A (4.65 W) - the pilot
    lifted"; "close": "CLOSED - the flow stopped 1.01 s after the coil went
    off; 0.95 L this time, 2.34 L in all"; the coil at 26 C at the end.
  Plus automatic checks on a PC, 0 failed: 10 on the valve (kick and a 40 %
  hold at 2 bar: 14.14 L/min, fully open 0.478 s after the coil, held at 0.80
  W; closed 1.002 s after the coil; no flow at 0 and 0.1 bar; WILL NOT OPEN at
  10 bar, open at 8 bar; a 20 % hold drops out - it needs 25 %; 10 minutes at
  12 V: 73 C, on a 40 % hold: 34 C; a 24 V valve on 24 V: the same flow) and 2
  on the pop-up (every page painted, 39.4 ms at the most).

INSTALLATION (about 2 minutes)
1. Close Proteus. Extract the WHOLE ZIP to a normal folder (e.g. Desktop).
2. Copy everything in "Proteus Library Files" (TEPVALVE.LIB and our Arduino
   library V4.0, ArduinoV4TEP.LIB) to the LIBRARY folder of Proteus, for
   example:
     C:\Program Files (x86)\Labcenter Electronics\Proteus 8 Professional\LIBRARY
   (on some PCs: C:\ProgramData\Labcenter Electronics\Proteus 8 Professional\
   LIBRARY - use the folder that already holds Proteus's own .LIB files).
3. Copy TEPVALVE.DLL and TEPARDUINO.DLL from "Proteus Model Files" to the
   MODELS folder (...\Proteus 8 Professional\MODELS). The demo's L9110S driver
   is NOT in this package: install our L9110S Motor Driver library the same way
   (its own ZIP - see IMPORTANT LINKS): TEPL9110S.LIB and TEPL9110S.DLL.
4. Delete TEPVALVE.IDX from the LIBRARY folder if it is there.
5. Start Proteus. In Pick Devices (P) search "valve".

RUN THE DEMO
"Proteus Simulation\12V-Solenoid-Water-Valve-L9110S-ArduinoUnoV4.pdsprj" -
keep the .hex file and the DLLs beside the project (with the L9110S library
installed).
  ARD1: Arduino UNO V4.0 running Valve_Demo.hex, its serial monitor built in
        (window "TEP Arduino UNO - ARD1").
  DRV1: our L9110S driver (pop-up version, a separate library) on +12V: A-IA
        on D5 (PWM), A-IB on D6 (LOW); its A-OA / A-OB straight to the valve.
  SV1:  the valve (PRESSURE=2): + on A-OA, - on A-OB.
  RV1:  10k pot on A0 (the hold PWM, 0 - 100 %; 40 % in the demo).
  1. Press Run. The monitor and the two pop-ups open (move them aside). The
     valve is closed.
  2. Type in the monitor and press Send: open, close, water 5, hold 20, knob,
     full, status.
  3. On the valve's pop-up: No water, 0.1 bar, 2 bar, 10 bar.
  4. Double-click SV1: VOLTAGE (12 / 24), PRESSURE (bar, 0 - 12).

WIRING (the same idea in a project)
  The valve's coil on one channel of a motor driver (L9110S, L298N, a MOSFET
  module) or a relay; the driver's supply on 12 V (the valve's rating).
  With a relay or a single MOSFET, fit a 1N4007 across the coil (cathode on
  +): it catches the coil's kick when it switches off. The L9110S needs none -
  its own diodes do it.
In the sketch (no library needed): kick and hold -
  analogWrite(IA, 255); delay(150);        // full voltage: it opens
  analogWrite(IA, 102);                    // then a 40 % PWM holds it
  analogWrite(IA, 0);                      // close
REAL HARDWARE:
 * A 1/2" 12 V valve draws about 0.4 - 0.5 A - a driver or a relay, never an
   Arduino pin.
 * Check the type: a pilot-operated valve (most cheap 1/2" ones) needs at
   least about 0.2 bar - it will not work from a tank or a bucket; use a
   direct-acting ("zero pressure") valve there.
 * Mind the flow arrow on the body: fitted backwards it leaks.
 * Use kick and hold for long openings: the coil runs much cooler.

THE DEMO SKETCH ON THE SERIAL MONITOR (Valve_Demo V1.0, 9600 baud)
  open      kick and hold                  full      100 % and stay there
  close     both inputs LOW                water 5   open for 5 s, then close
  hold 40   the hold PWM in %              knob      RV1 sets the hold again
  status    the drive now                  help      the list
EXPECTED MONITOR OUTPUT
  12V Solenoid Water Valve demo - The Engineering Projects
  L9110S on 12 V: A-IA on D5 (PWM), A-IB on D6 (LOW). RV1 on A0: the hold PWM.
  Commands: open | full | close | water 5 | hold 40 | knob | status | help
  Hold PWM from RV1: 40 %

PROPERTIES (double-click the part > Edit Properties)
  VOLTAGE    the coil's voltage: 12 or 24; default 12
  PRESSURE   the water pressure at the inlet, bar (0 - 12); default 2
Every run starts again from the properties.

TROUBLESHOOTING
* Nothing happens and nothing is logged: no voltage across + and -, or the
  driver has no +12V.
* NOT OPENING / NO WATER: the pressure is under 0.2 bar - a pilot valve needs
  pressure.
* WILL NOT OPEN: the pressure is over the rating, or the drive is too weak to
  lift the pilot (kick it with full voltage).
* DROPPED OUT: the hold PWM is too low - about 25 % is the least at 12 V.
* HOT: full voltage for a long time - use kick and hold.
* The part is not simulated: TEPVALVE.DLL is missing from MODELS and from the
  project folder. No driver: install our L9110S library (TEPL9110S.LIB /
  .DLL). No UNO / no monitor window: TEPARDUINO.DLL, or click the UNO's USB
  port.
* The pop-up does not appear: click OPEN PANEL on the strip, or turn "Open the
  panel at Run" on its Settings page back on.

BUG REPORTS AND FEATURE REQUESTS
Please post them in our forum with a screenshot, the Serial Monitor text, the
simulation log and the pop-up's Copy diagnostics text:
  https://www.theengineeringprojects.com/forum/category/motor-driver-proteus-library

SUPPORT US
This library is free. If it saves you time, please support our work:
  https://www.theengineeringprojects.com/donate

LICENCES AND THIRD-PARTY NOTES
* The valve model (TEPVALVE.DLL), the symbol and artwork and the Arduino
  Library V4.0 (ArduinoV4TEP.LIB / TEPARDUINO.DLL) are made by The Engineering
  Projects. The model is an independent implementation written from the
  typical data of 12 V 1/2" solenoid water valves. The models use only
  standard Windows libraries; no Visual C++ redistributable is needed.
  The C++ source code is not included. The demo's driver, our L9110S Motor
  Driver library (TEPL9110S.LIB / TEPL9110S.DLL), is a separate download.
* The demo's .hex is built from the demo sketch and the Arduino AVR core 1.8.6,
  which includes LGPL-licensed code; its source code is available at
  https://github.com/arduino/ArduinoCore-avr/tree/1.8.6
* Proteus is a product of Labcenter Electronics and is not included. Arduino is
  a trademark of Arduino SA. This library is not made or endorsed by any valve
  maker, Arduino or Labcenter.

REBUILDING THE FIRMWARE (OPTIONAL)
The HEX file is supplied; Arduino IDE is not needed to run the demo. To edit
the sketch, open Arduino Code\Valve_Demo\Valve_Demo.ino, select Arduino Uno and
use Sketch > Export Compiled Binary. The sketch needs 7,050 bytes of flash
(22 % of the UNO) and 295 bytes of RAM.

MODEL SCOPE AND LIMITS
Modelled: the coil (resistance with its temperature, an inductance that grows
as the plunger lifts, the pull of the magnet), the plunger (its spring, the
water on the pilot hole, friction, its stops), the diaphragm (opening with the
pressure, closing through the bleed hole), the flow (Kv), the litres, the
coil's heat, the watch's states and warnings.
How it runs: the coil is in the circuit as a backward-Euler companion on its
flux linkage over the analog step; the plunger, the diaphragm, the water and
the heat run in sub-steps of at most 20 us between the analog points, which
are held to 0.2 ms while the coil carries current or the valve moves (2 ms at
rest).
Not modelled: water hammer, the pipes' own pressure drop, a dirty or blocked
valve, a direct-acting (zero-pressure) valve, the manual bleed screw.

VERSION
TEP 12V Solenoid Water Valve library V1.0 (Oct 2026). Device WATERVALVETEP
(TEPVALVE.LIB / TEPVALVE.DLL). Demo sketch Valve_Demo V1.0. Demo driver:
L9110SADVTEP (TEP L9110S Motor Driver library V1.0, a separate library). Demo
board: ARDUINO UNO V4.0 (TEP Arduino Library V4.0) with its built-in serial
monitor.