Dual Acting Cylinder used as a single

[Chris is me]

Originally Posted by crollison

Is it legal to use a dual acting cylinder as a single? We would like to let gravity handle the return of the piston instead of air. I wouldn't think this would be any different than a spring loaded cylinder. I can't find anything in the rule book that says so.

Thanks.

This is definitely legal. Teams have done this many times in years past, and nothing in the rules changed this year to imply this wouldn't be legal. In many cases it's a smart way to save air. You're good.

[GeeTwo]

Not a legal issue, but a reliability issue. Ensure that you have enough return force that you don't end up with the piston getting "stuck" in one position. Also consider situations in which something falls into the wrong place - with a dual-acting cylinder, you have a bit more capability to work the piece free.

If you have enough ports and valves available, you may want to consider using separate solenoid valves for the two cylinders, so you can use this only when needed. If you want to do this using the FRC-standard solenoid valves, plug the unused "A" or "B" ports so you aren't dumping air from your tanks when you're dumping air from the cylinders.