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 Robotics / 87
    pneumatics & mindstorms? —Matthew Miller
   I have very little by way of pneumatic stuff; I've mostly avoided sets containing pneumatics. But it seems like there's some interesting potential when combined with Mindstorms. Has anybody made any interesting Mindstorms-controlled air-powered (...) (26 years ago, 8-Oct-98, to lugnet.robotics, lugnet.build)
   
        Re: pneumatics & mindstorms? —Nick Taylor
     I've just ordered a compressor pump, several pistons, valves, tees, and tubing to explore some of possibilities using pneumatics. The first thing that came to mind is the ability to move arms, etc., without the need for limit switches. - - - Nick - (...) (26 years ago, 11-Oct-98, to lugnet.robotics, lugnet.build)
    
         Re: pneumatics & mindstorms? —Matthew Miller
     (...) Are they strong enough for practical use? (26 years ago, 12-Oct-98, to lugnet.robotics, lugnet.build)
    
         Re: pneumatics & mindstorms? —Chris Moseley
     (...) A single pneumatic cylinder will break a 16-beam in half fairly readily. My (big) truck crane boom weighed about 4lbs, mith a center of mass about 18" from the bottom, and 3 cylinders could lift that when perched about 5" from the pivot. So, (...) (26 years ago, 12-Oct-98, to lugnet.robotics, lugnet.build)
    
         Re: pneumatics & mindstorms? —Matthew Miller
      (...) Hmmm. Given all that, maybe I'll just continue to pass on them. (26 years ago, 13-Oct-98, to lugnet.robotics, lugnet.build)
     
          Re: pneumatics & mindstorms? —Eric Brok
        Matthew Miller wrote in message ... (...) 1: (...) a (...) Pneumatics are ok if you like them for the sake of it, for the sound of the puffs, the impressive sight of all the tubes, the compressor collecting pressure etc. If you just want to move (...) (26 years ago, 13-Oct-98, to lugnet.robotics, lugnet.build)
      
           Re: pneumatics & mindstorms? —Soh Chio Siong
       (...) Hello, Don't give up on pneumatics just yet. See what you can do with them: (URL) s soh (25 years ago, 27-Jul-99, to lugnet.robotics, lugnet.build)
      
           Re: pneumatics & mindstorms? —Robert G. Fay
        I just bought my first cylinder and pump. Now I have to buy another one. That motor is so cool. Got to build it. Thanks for the page of instructions. Bob Fay rfay@we.mediaone.net The Shop (URL) s soh <cssoh@singnet.com.sg> wrote in message (...) (25 years ago, 27-Jul-99, to lugnet.robotics, lugnet.build)
      
           Re: pneumatics & mindstorms? —Dennis Clark
       In lugnet.robotics, Soh Chio Siong writes: [snip] (...) [snip] Indeed don't! There is no better way to get great power and speed at the same time then the pneumatics. With a worm gear you can get great power, but not much speed, with the gears you (...) (25 years ago, 27-Jul-99, to lugnet.robotics, lugnet.build)
      
           Re: pneumatics & mindstorms? —Michael Aaron Finch
        FINALLY! some one has described a use for pneumatics! I keep debating on whetjer to buy some, because i don't know what to do w/them. My father is an engineer, but i remodel houses. I just like legos still as an adult. Thanks, & keep up the good (...) (25 years ago, 28-Jul-99, to lugnet.robotics)
       
            Re: pneumatics & mindstorms? —Chris Phillips
        (...) Another nice thing about pneumatics is that you can put the heavy compressor anywhere you want, and just run a couple of hoses off to the actual piston. This is useful at the business end of a robot arm, for example, where you want a powerful (...) (25 years ago, 28-Jul-99, to lugnet.robotics)
      
           Re: pneumatics & mindstorms? —Hao-yang Wang
        (...) Well, ultimately the pneumatic power comes from the motor that drives the compresser. At a given time frame you can only squeeze so much work out of the motor, and pneumatics is no magic. It gives you great power but still not much speed, if (...) (25 years ago, 28-Jul-99, to lugnet.robotics, lugnet.build)
       
            Re: pneumatics & mindstorms? —Ray Kelm
        (...) (extra removed) (...) Don't forget, at the actuation end, a pneumatic-based motor should be liquid compatible, something the electric motors have a hard time with. Also, you can run the air lines quite far, so long as you are willing to accept (...) (25 years ago, 28-Jul-99, to lugnet.robotics)
       
            Re: pneumatics & mindstorms? —Nicolas Gauthier
        Hi, I was just wondering where i could find the small pumps that are used to make the compressors. I would like to find it as a seperate piece so that i do not have to buy a whole box. I got a lot of pneumatics with the set 8462 Tow Truck (available (...) (25 years ago, 29-Jul-99, to lugnet.robotics)
       
            Re: pneumatics & mindstorms? —John Morgan
        (...) Hi Nicolas, You will find the parts in the Offical Lego web(www.lego.com) site thru the catalog link. select the service button and then the technic button. This will show you a list of available parts thru the Shop at home service. the part (...) (25 years ago, 29-Jul-99, to lugnet.robotics)
       
            Re: pneumatics & mindstorms? —Nicolas Gauthier
        Hi, thanks a lot for the info but i have one question. How do you order these parts. It says that you can not curently order them through the internet. Thanks in Advance. Nicolas Gauthier (25 years ago, 29-Jul-99, to lugnet.robotics)
       
            Re: pneumatics & mindstorms? —John Morgan
        (...) You use the part numbers from the web page and then call the Lego Shop at home group in your country. The USA phone numbers are posted in the link (URL) or from the Shop-at-home specials link from the main lugent webpage Have fun ! John (25 years ago, 29-Jul-99, to lugnet.robotics)
      
           Re: pneumatics & mindstorms? —Emanuele Cipolloni
       Hi, there are two ways to buys spare parts from the Service catalog: 1) Post the order to Lego France with a check (from a French bank); parts will be delivered within a week ONLY to an address in France (or Principality of Monaco, where I live) 2) (...) (25 years ago, 29-Jul-99, to lugnet.robotics)
     
          Re: pneumatics & mindstorms? —Eric Brok
       Oh, and worst of all, the air switches are so tight that you need a strong Technic motor to switch them. We really need a compact electromagnetic air switch or at least a friction-free manual switch. Eric Brok (26 years ago, 13-Oct-98, to lugnet.robotics, lugnet.build)
    
         Re: pneumatics & mindstorms? —Andy Bower
     Chris (...) 1: (...) a (...) What sort of gearing do you need to operate the switches from a motor? Do you have any pictures of this assembly? I've often thought about trying it but never got around to doing it since I assumed that the power would (...) (26 years ago, 13-Oct-98, to lugnet.robotics)
    
         Re: pneumatics & mindstorms? —Eric Brok
       (...) Fortunately, the new technic motor doesn't need gearing down to throw an air switch. just directly connect a liftarm between motor and switch, but use a whit slip gear inbetween for safety. Eric (26 years ago, 13-Oct-98, to lugnet.robotics)
     
          Re: pneumatics & mindstorms? —Nick Taylor
      Pulleys and a rubber band should serve the same purpose as a slip gear. (...) (26 years ago, 14-Oct-98, to lugnet.robotics)
    
         Re: pneumatics & mindstorms? —Chris Moseley
      Andy Bower wrote in message ... (...) With a lot of fiddling I managed to get a worm gear directly attached to a micromotor to operate the switch via a toothed plate. It made the whole assembly fairly compact (3x12x5 or so), but slow and noisy. (...) (26 years ago, 14-Oct-98, to lugnet.robotics)
    
         Re: pneumatics & mindstorms? —Andy Bower
     Moz (...) assembly (...) horizontally, (...) Micromotor (...) through (...) that (...) Thanks, I might give that a whirl. Andy Bower (26 years ago, 14-Oct-98, to lugnet.robotics)
   
        Re: pneumatics & mindstorms? —Tim Rueger
     (...) Nice thread - I'll have to pick up a Technic Sub to get a compressor tank (or is there one available cheaper elsewhere?) Anyway... Has anyone here seen the high-quality photo of the soda-can grabber 'bot that Lego has at its Mindstorms site? (...) (26 years ago, 15-Oct-98, to lugnet.robotics, lugnet.build)
    
         Re: pneumatics & mindstorms? —Dave Ryder
      In article <rueger-141098184407...7.io.com>, rueger@io.com had their 2d worth... (...) You might want to consider the 8459 (front-end loader) it's only a little more expensive but has a compressor tank, three large pistons, and two pneumatic (...) (26 years ago, 15-Oct-98, to lugnet.robotics, lugnet.build)
    
         Re: pneumatics & mindstorms? —Hao-yang Wang
      (...) that you can see the big air pump, with its spring still attached, is used in the compressor. Has anybody built this robot from the pictures? I always wonder how well the compressor works. Cheers, Hao-yang Wang (25 years ago, 27-Jul-99, to lugnet.robotics, lugnet.build)
    
         Re: pneumatics & mindstorms? —Joel Shafer
      (...) I built a compressor with the large pump with the spring removed. It worked but it was too slow . It took 3-4 minutes before enough pressure was available to open a big piston just once. The compressor had to be geared very slow to provide (...) (25 years ago, 27-Jul-99, to lugnet.robotics)
     
          Re: pneumatics & mindstorms? —Mario Ferrari
      (...) I had exactly the same experience. I used that kind of compressor on my S5 robot many months ago, it's slow and unefficient. The small pumps work much better. Ralph Hempel has a very good double action compressor in his page: (URL) like his (...) (25 years ago, 28-Jul-99, to lugnet.robotics)
     
          Re: pneumatics & mindstorms? —Hao-yang Wang
      (...) After the big piston operates once, how long does it take to recharge the pressure? (...) I did not build a compressor using the large pumps before, only the small pumps, so I believe in your findings. Still I wonder why. The larger pump takes (...) (25 years ago, 28-Jul-99, to lugnet.robotics)
     
          Re: pneumatics & mindstorms? —Mario Ferrari
      (...) Yes, I guess friction is the answer. 1) The difference in the surface of the pistons between the two kind of pumps is important. I didn't compute the ratio, but imagine can easily be 1:10 or even more. To get that ratio you need to gear down (...) (25 years ago, 29-Jul-99, to lugnet.robotics)
     
          Re: pneumatics & mindstorms? —S. Crawshaw
      (...) How much did they cost? It's a real pain to get them by any other means... Stuart -- Did you check the web site first?: (URL) (25 years ago, 29-Jul-99, to lugnet.robotics)
     
          Re: pneumatics & mindstorms? —Mario Ferrari
       (...) sequence (...) only (...) 51.99 FF, that means 7.93 Euros. About 8.40 USD at current exchange rate. The problems is they don't ship abroad. To get them here in Italy I had to send a check in FF and ask them for shipping to a French address (my (...) (25 years ago, 29-Jul-99, to lugnet.robotics)
     
          Re: pneumatics & mindstorms? —Emanuele Cipolloni
      Hi all, I actually live in Monaco, south of France and I'm about to place an order to Lego France for some spare parts. I can post orders quite easily and send to US using UPS or DHL as some of my company offices are in SF, California. if anybody is (...) (25 years ago, 29-Jul-99, to lugnet.robotics)
    
         Broken links (was Re: pneumatics & mindstorms?) —Robert Munafo
     I can't get these links to work now. Can anyone find the image and post a new link to it? Maybe someone who actually downloaded it as Tim suggested? (...) (25 years ago, 28-Jul-99, to lugnet.robotics, lugnet.build)
    
         www.legomindstorms.com/press/ —Robert Munafo
     All right, I got the Norwegian image link to work by switching browsers. But I'm still having trouble with the first link. When I download the link (URL) into a file, it contains the following: <HTML> <HEAD> <META HTTP-EQUIV="Refresh" (...) (25 years ago, 29-Jul-99, to lugnet.robotics)
   
        Re: pneumatics & mindstorms? —Nick H.
     I'd say get them for their "undisovered" uses. I found that you can make a catapult (working and all, throw tyres/tires downstairs for cats to play with) with the right positoning on a beam, and made a Jelly Belly (brand pecific for their size) (...) (26 years ago, 16-Oct-98, to lugnet.robotics, lugnet.build)
   
        Re: pneumatics & mindstorms? —Nick Taylor
   Rcvd my pneumatic components yesterday ... and am having doubts about their practicality. The smaller cylinder and pump (5116 & 5117) are not powerful enough to do much of amything of any use. The larger set (5107 & 5108) have enough power to lift (...) (26 years ago, 18-Oct-98, to lugnet.robotics, lugnet.build)
   
        Re: pneumatics & mindstorms? —Karim Nassar
      (...) The small cylinders are of great use for actuators & orther small "switching" tasks... not good for lifting. (...) I have been disappointed in the "compressor" pump... It does not generate a very consistant presure, and it seems to have been (...) (26 years ago, 18-Oct-98, to lugnet.robotics, lugnet.build)
    
         Re: pneumatics & mindstorms? —Nick Taylor
      The "offset axle" (there are two of them in the #5272 One Cylinder Motor ($3.25)) gives a ½ bump spacing ... just right for the larger pump. - - - Nick - - - (...) (26 years ago, 18-Oct-98, to lugnet.robotics, lugnet.build)
    
         Re: pneumatics & mindstorms? —Ralph Hempel
     (...) I'll soon post photos of the double pump I designed based on the single cylinder one on Mike?'s site. It has a smoother power stroke when the tank fills up. I still need to design a regulator though. The small cylinder is used as the bucket (...) (26 years ago, 18-Oct-98, to lugnet.robotics, lugnet.build)
   
        Re: pneumatics & mindstorms? —Larry Pieniazek
   (...) The small pump makes a fine compressor which lots of us use. I agree that the small cylinder is not that useful. The (...) Are you using a pressure limit switch to shut off the compressor? lu posted a design a while back which I captured on my (...) (26 years ago, 18-Oct-98, to lugnet.robotics, lugnet.build)
   
        Re: pneumatics & mindstorms? —Matt Marshall
     Larry, what happened to your sig.??? Larry Pieniazek wrote in message ... <snip> (...) Matt Marshall $%#$% Vacuum Cleaners Always get my pieces!!! Matt's Lego Page (URL) (26 years ago, 18-Oct-98, to lugnet.robotics, lugnet.build)
    
         Re: pneumatics & mindstorms? —Larry Pieniazek
     (...) I'm posting via the web interface rather than via the netscape newsreader, so until Todd implements a cookie based sig, I have to type it in by hand (or paste it in from a file) I can't be bothered to set up a keyboard macro and I don't want (...) (26 years ago, 18-Oct-98, to lugnet.robotics, lugnet.build)
   
        Re: pneumatics & mindstorms? —Nick Taylor
   Thanks for the pointers to your and Mike's sites! Big help..... Which motor (5114 or the newer 5225) has given you the best results? - - - Nick - - - (...) (26 years ago, 18-Oct-98, to lugnet.robotics, lugnet.build)
   
        Re: pneumatics & mindstorms? —Larry Pieniazek
   (...) Mike's design is for the older (5114) motor. Since I had a bunch of those that Moz sent me, I never bothered trying to adapt the design to the newer one. Others may comment differently, but I have good results (the multiple air tank cylinders (...) (26 years ago, 18-Oct-98, to lugnet.robotics, lugnet.build)
 

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