[ollien]

Originally Posted by MrForbes

you can also add another cylinder, or a longer cylinder (and move the mounting points). You're correct that a larger bore cylinder might move too slowly...but then again, it might not...we had a couple of 1.5" bore cylinders on the pneumatic catapult that we used to launch the huge balls in 2008 and 2014.

but we also did a trick with pre charging them, we didn't latch them....instead, we set up the geometry so the piston had to develop quite a bit of force, before it had enough umph to launch the ball. The trick is to have the cylinder mounted so one end is just above the line from it's pivot, to the catapult's pivot.

This seems quite similar to what we're trying to do...I'll get you a picture tomorrow to see if there's a way we can change our design to do what you're mentioning. I can provide a rough sketch, but it would be just that: a rough sketch.

Originally Posted by s_forbes

It's easier to provide input if you have a picture of your current setup. Are you using just one piston? How far away from the goal are you trying to shoot from?

You can make larger bore cylinders move very fast with the right solenoids and layout of your pneumatic components. We currently have two 6" stroke 1.25" diameter cylinders that launch the ball very hard from near the outer works.

I can get you a picture tomorrow once I'm in the lab. As it stands, we're using two pistons. We're trying to shoot from the outer works but I wouldn't be opposed to shooting from the alignment line. How would 'the right' solenoids play a part here? We're presently using these solenoids.