pic: Pneumatic Kicker Rev_0 preparing to fire

[professor1212]

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[the man]

Thats not nice taunting us michiganders with shorts and warm weather.

[yoshibrock]

Did you get the kicker to move fast enough/with enough force? We tried something similar, but we just couldn't get the ball moving over the bump, even after playing with different positions to maximize mechanical advantage.

[professor1212]

Originally Posted by yoshibrock

Did you get the kicker to move fast enough/with enough force? We tried something similar, but we just couldn't get the ball moving over the bump, even after playing with different positions to maximize mechanical advantage.

Actually with this configuration we managed to get the ball to fly over the first bump and roll over the second on a few occasions. But it was iffy since it was such a shoddy wood construction. We built a metal version which for some reason doesn't work as well even though the construction was sturdier and symmetrical. We're contemplating using a kicker of the same sort but actuated by a motor instead.

[Tom I]

Originally Posted by professor1212

We're contemplating using a kicker of the same sort but actuated by a motor instead.

One suggestion: Instead of using a motor to drive this, imagine having the piston be what pushes the top of this lever out, thus drawing the kicker back in. then, when you want to fire, have the piston pull the kicker, but supplement it with surgical tubing, so you get more force and hopefully a quicker kick, resulting in more power. You'd have to play around with the physics to get the right amount of tension that you want.

Also, are you sticking with the hammer on the end? I myself have always been a fan of a boot on the end......

[lynca]

What is the size of bore and stroke length of your cylinder ?