Subject:
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Re: Electric Compressor for Pneumatic Engines
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Newsgroups:
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lugnet.technic
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Date:
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Fri, 14 Jul 2006 14:10:19 GMT
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Viewed:
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13117 times
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In lugnet.technic, Avi Parvin wrote:
> I’ve build few type of pneumatic compressors with different motors and pumps,
> and also few types of pneumatic engines. Unfortunately, none of the Lego
> compressors were able to drive the engines more than one or two rounds. Manual
> pumping proves that the engines are built correctly, but this is too exhausting…
>
> Can someone please suggest a decent electric compressor, or at least compressor
> spec (PSI), which is suitable for Lego? My requirements are simple: Strong
> enough to drive pneumatic engine, gentle enough not to destroy the plastic
> elements.
>
> Thanks in advance,
>
> Avi Parvin
I have a car tyre air compressor with a variable pressure limiter, which is
essential for LEGO pneumatics. It will nominally produce 250psi. I set the
limiter to 20-25psi normally, perhaps 30psi for short periods. Note that you
need a pressure limiter, not a gauge. The compressor with a pressure limiter
costs 4/3 as much as one without. Mine was £19.99, probably $25-30. The
compressor is quite noisy and runs off 12-14V car battery voltage. I use an
ex-computer cabinet power supply that provides 12V at 6 amps - the compressor
uses up to 4 Amps when driving LEGO models.
The compressor works well on my pick and place robot, which usually requires 6
hand pumps to operate. I think the compressor provides about 8-10 hand pumps
worth of air at up to 30psi. I used the football inflator attachment in the end
of a LEGO pneumatic tube, with a rubber band rolled over the two to stop the
tube detaching.
If your model won't move at 25psi then you need more cylinders in parallel.
This follows the principle of reducing the load on expensive LEGO parts in order
to maximise their life. I always use 2 opposing cylinders for turning a
turntable. If the load is more than 2 switches, use more cylinders. In my pick
nad place robot, the greatest load is 2 cylinders pushing 5 switches, which
sticks a bit at 20psi, works OK at 25psi and is fast at 30psi.
Mark
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Message has 2 Replies:
 | | Re: Electric Compressor for Pneumatic Engines
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| The other option is to use an air tank that you fill from the neighbourhood service station compressor, or your own, and regulate the pressure with a pressure regulating valve (PRV). It is also advisable to filter the air to remove any oil or other (...) (18 years ago, 15-Jul-06, to lugnet.technic)
| | | Re: Electric Compressor for Pneumatic Engines
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| (...) Thank you very much for the detailed answer. I’m starting with foot pump (5$), and will search for electric compressor later on. Pressure limiter, as I understand, is a must. I also prefer 220V. With those two constraints the offering is very (...) (18 years ago, 18-Jul-06, to lugnet.technic)
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Message is in Reply To:
| | Electric Compressor for Pneumatic Engines
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| I’ve build few type of pneumatic compressors with different motors and pumps, and also few types of pneumatic engines. Unfortunately, none of the Lego compressors were able to drive the engines more than one or two rounds. Manual pumping proves that (...) (18 years ago, 9-Jul-06, to lugnet.technic)
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