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Re: Off robot air compressor
This is one of the most heated items of the robot build over the last few years. Many people have brought up safety and related issues and a variety of other topics of what might be and what could be and what might fail. So, as an inspector and someone who has used both high and low pressure air supply for a variety of different tasks here are some things to consider...
I have seen injuries caused by failures of tubing due to over pressure, I have seen pressure regulators fail as open circuit, dumping high side pressure directly into the system. I have seen hoses flailing through the air under pressure, one actually knocking over a production line. I have found pressure relief valves that fail to open and pressure vessels that fail for any of a number of reasons. I have, as inspector, seen teams who thought it was OK to plug the compressor directly to a battery and watch the pressure guage and yank the power when they thought it was the right time. I have come across at least one team who had a car battery in their compressor rig with a switch and nothing else (breakers or fuses and certainly no pressure control). I have seen teams bring the 1/2 horsepower compressor out of their garage (capable of powering air tools) with a 2-1/2 gallon tank, to fill their robot and used the exhaust valve to regulate the pressure applied to the system. I have seen teams who didn't know how to plumb in the pressure guage and so left it off, same for the pressure exhaust valve. I have seen teams who did not know how to terminate tubing or to know that it was securely seated in the fittings. All of this and I am not even mentioning the use of pistons in dangerous ways. In fairness, I have seen equally destructive practices on mechanical systems and electrical systems. That is why we inspect.
Nasa is an organization that "backs up the back up" as so many others where safety is concerned. In this case, the pressure switch and RC/spike combination is backed up by the pressure relief valve on the compressor which in turn is backed up by the inspection team performing a check that all works as normal. So with these experiences in mind I do not see the rules for compressor use on or off the robot as excessive.
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Good Luck All. Learn something new, everyday!
Al
WB9UVJ
www.wildstang.org
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Storming the Tower since 1996.
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