Re: Pre-charging pneumatic air tank
 

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Re: Pre-charging pneumatic air tank
 

It's like when you see a wreck on the highway. You know you shouldn't, but you just HAVE to slow down and look ... ;)

Re: Pre-charging pneumatic air tank
 

All it will take is for someone with Q&A rights to ask the correct question.

I would have asked a long time ago.

Re: Pre-charging pneumatic air tank
 

....or I can shut it down.

Re: Pre-charging pneumatic air tank
 

Might be a good idea, Steve. As G.B. Shaw famously commented, wrestling with a pig just gets both of you dirty, and the pig likes it.

Re: Pre-charing pneumatic air tank
 

I know, I know. But I haven't seen anyone address this yet, so.....
A large part of the point is to restrict teams to only the power and air provided by the battery and legal compressor. If you have a system with 20 Clippard tanks, you have precious little chance of keeping it fully charged with the on-board compressor and battery. You could perfectly safely charge it with any number of other methods, including a separate 120V compressor, a separate 12V compressor constantly running in your pits, etc. But you'd be gaining an advantage. The simplest way for the GDC to ensure no one gains this advantage is to constrain teams to only using the specified charging system.

Re: Pre-charing pneumatic air tank
 

That's certainly the effect, but to what extent is eliminating that advantage really the intention, and does that continue to be a useful restriction to impose?

As an arbitrary constraint, I suppose it's acceptable. As a solution to the problem of teams using unsafe filling methods or excess pressure, it's terrible.

Re: Pre-charging pneumatic air tank
 

I thought that was wrestling with a referee, not a pig. :yikes:

Re: Pre-charging pneumatic air tank
 

At Tech Valley this weekend, I talked to a team that had a seven-gallon(!!!) aluminum tank on their robot. It takes a legal compressor almost 30 minutes to fill it, which they figured "wouldn't be a big deal" because they never drop below 100 psi through a match.... (Last year, lack of air bit them, so IMO they overcompensated).

They were "scrambling" (mentally, because what they were really doing was waiting and hoping for field delays) in the pit, because they got reinspected after a modification, and had to dump their air. I asked them what would happen if, during the tournament, they popped a fitting or somesuch--and their eyes got wide in the manner of suddenly-realized unintended consequences.

They did make the tournament, acquitted themselves well, and had no problems with their air system, by the way.

Point being that, were they able to fill this tank with an off-board compressor of their choice, it could be a huge advantage in stored energy over other teams, and just like other types of stored energy it's entirely fitting that it's restricted in some manner or another.

Re: Pre-charging pneumatic air tank
 

Does this mean you have an eight-gallon tank being drop-shipped to the Finger Lakes Regional next week? I bet you could pimp out your octanum drive an have it jump off the floor when you switch wheels!!! Might help get some distance on your truss shots.

Over-done is indeed under-rated.

Re: Pre-charging pneumatic air tank
 

That is a good way to fry the common Viair compressor as it has a 9% duty cycle with a max recommended on time of 3 minutes. There is a 100% duty cycle version though. I haven't seen a duty cycle rating on the old Thomas compressors.

Re: Pre-charging pneumatic air tank
 

This is an interesting question. If you read the allowable parts you will see that A says "Items available in the 2014 Kit of Parts"
This would include items available from First Choice.

In First Choice there is a regulator that goes to 100 psi but can be turned down to 60 psi.

KOP regulators:

http://firstchoicebyandymark.com/en/fc14-010 (up to 60psi only)
and
http://firstchoicebyandymark.com/en/fc14-125 (up to 100 psi)

This second one can be adjusted down from its 100 to the working pressure of 60. I believe that it is the ONLY adjustable regulator that is allowed under the rules.


If there are other such regulators in the 2014KOP they can also be used in the pneumatics system... I have not found them but perhaps they are there.

Any OTHER regulators that are NOT in the KOP fall under
G which says "Pressure regulators with a maximum outlet pressure of no more than 60 psi"

The rules are explicit and do not call out "functional equivalent pressure regulators" they say they must have a maximum outlet pressure of 60 psi

I think that this is pretty clear There are no QA findings to the contrary.

If you want to have a regulator that has an adjustable rating above 100 psi at any time... you would be required to use the one mentioned above from the KOP. The rule says you may not have a maximum output rating above 60PSI for any non KOP regulators.

Re: Pre-charging pneumatic air tank
 

As a reminder to all, that is one primary regulator. You may not have multiple primary regulators. You may have additional regulators downstream from the main.