u/Guideme4100

So I'm actively working on a project where initially I was going to have a linear solenoid drive a spring loaded gate back and forth but I'm running into the issue of cost constraints because I'm trying to keep the entire system under $15 for marketability purposes. The solenoid that I would need cannot create enough Newtons of force to drive the plunger for the gate due to both friction between the casing and plunger material as well as the return springs on the plunger. I was weighing my options for a more cost-effective means and a gear reduction DC motor came to mind due to their cost/newton output. To utilize this I would need to use a cam lobe driving system to push the plunger up and down far enough to engage and disengage the gate. I'm trying to figure out the best on/off controller mechanism and I'm wondering would a simple limit switch to the plunger suffice to signal power to the motor or would I need an encoder? There's no fine tuned movement just a simple open/closed cam lobe plunger assembly.

So I'm working on a prototype where i need to be able to assign specific identifiers to a series of LGT8F328P-LQFP32 microcontroller. I then need to be able to send a signal to said microcontroller via pi pico, the microcontroller has a USB so I can assign the identifier directly into their primary firmware. I'm trying to set up a system where i can call to the LGT8 from the Pi or a full board Pi and communicate to run a program to control two mosfet boards to run two solenoids and have the LFT8 monitor a hall sensor to end the cycle after a certain perimeter is met. I'm extremely new at this but I'm trying to prototype something and I'm not exactly sure where to start.