2011 compressor

[Mk.32]

We ran the new 90c compressor with a 1gal tank + KOP tank though out the season and never had a single problem. The compressor always ran at least for half of every match we played.

Is there any better alternatives to the 90C or the Thomas that fits within the rules?

[Garrett.d.w]

Personally, I have found that the new compressor does its job just fine, as long as you don't overheat it. We had to be careful while practicing to make sure that it stayed cool, but other than that, performance was comparable to our old compressor.
My recommendation for anyone who is running the new compressor is to pre-charge your pneumatics while practicing using a shop compressor (this is really easy to plumb into the release valve). This should avoid burning it up when you have to drain it every five minutes to modify a prototype.

[Peter Matteson]

Originally Posted by IndySam

Having extra storage on board will not necessarily help here. The compressor will work just as hard to fill up the extra storage.

If you have enough storage that it won't need to run too much during the match you can monitor the compressor while filling in the pit so it doesn't overheat and burn up the piston cup.

[Gdeaver]

If a tea team does not use the KOP compressor then make sure you account for it on the BOM. That Previous year compressor is expensive.

[Gary Dillard]

Originally Posted by Gdeaver

If a tea team does not use the KOP compressor then make sure you account for it on the BOM. That Previous year compressor is expensive.

Unfortunately last year, veteran teams who used their previous year's KOP compressors had to include their cost in the BOM; if you wanted to use a "free" compressor on the robot you had to buy the 2011 compressor.

http://forums.usfirst.org/showthread.php?t=17185

Originally Posted by Mk.32

Is there any better alternatives to the 90C or the Thomas that fits within the rules?

I guess we'll find out when we see the rules January 7th

[Mk.32]

I spoke to soon.... our 90C compressor just died...
Like I said before it was under high load (1gal tank) for most of the matches.
Is the Thompson really that much better? Considering we need a replacement now...

[artdutra04]

Originally Posted by Mk.32

I spoke to soon.... our 90C compressor just died...
Like I said before it was under high load (1gal tank) for most of the matches.
Is the Thompson really that much better? Considering we need a replacement now...

The Thomas 12v compressors (while heavier and larger) are significantly more reliable than the 90C compressors in a FRC environment.

[Brandon Holley]

We didn't have a single issue with the smaller Viair compressor this past season. We had a single 1/2 gallon storage tank with 5 pneumatic cylinders (all but one of them relatively small bore).

We strapped a fan to that compressor right off the bat and it seemed to do a decent job of cooling. It did get warm, but it never got to the point of failing through all of our preseason testing, 2 regionals and 4 off-season events, plus plenty of summer demonstrations.

-Brando

[de_]

We measured both compressors filling 4 air tanks a) from empty and b) from 100 psi to 120 (more realistic in a match: compressor comes on at ~100 psi.

In both cases the Thomas was noticably faster. The 100->120 test was 28 secs versus 39 seconds. You might ask how that is possible when the Viair is rated at 0.34 cf/m at 100 psi versus the Thomas at 0.24 cf/m at 100 psi (at 13.2v). You would hope the difference would be there (scaled down) at 12v operating voltage. Clearly the Viair either falls apart at 12v or they have a different way of rating their compressors.
Of course the Viair is way lighter, way smaller profile for limited space robots but does run hotter (but just as you don't touch motors immediately after a match, don't touch the compressor). I have not heard of any reliability complaints.

[pmangels17]

Originally Posted by Bruceb

Is there no official FIRST place to purchase one of these??
Bruce

http://www.andymark.com/product-p/am-2005.htm
They have the new compressor.

[theawesome1730]

Originally Posted by thefro526

The 2011 compressor seems to run extremely hot from my limited experience with it, and by hot, I mean hot enough to burn your hand if you're not careful.

For quite a while last season I had an imprint of the heatsink of that compressor burned into the palm of my hand...

For those of you wondering, they do cook ridiculously quickly. We went through 2 in 2012