headlamp levelling solenoid

[john2k]

I have a old headlamp that I am experimenting with which has a solenoid to adjust the beam height, the solenoid is connected to a 3 pin connector and it basically allows the solenoid to rotate in two different directions. as there is 3 pins, i am guessing its not a simple reverse polarity thing to be able to make the solenoid rotate and adjust the beam position? any ideas how i can operate the solenoid to experiment with?

 

[duke37]

Measure the resistances between the three connections. It is possible that one connection is common to the other two and will be midway between them.

Find the voltage of the car it came off and connect this voltage from the common pin to one of the others and see what happens.

If the device is 6V, then 12V input is unlikely to hurt it if only applied for a few seconds. The current required could be quite high so a small battery or wall wart will not do.