Is it legal to cool the compressor (ours is a legal one of course) with a fan? If so, are there specific fans were are allowed to use? Any info is appreciated.
Yes, it is legal. We have been doing this for years and it works great. I believe we use these
Here is a picture:
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What do you connect the fan power to? One of the PDP ports or in parallel with the Compressor power?
We run it to the 12V, 500ma port on the VRM.
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Why would you put a fan on the compressor?
That boi gets hot
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It also has a thermal overload switch that turns it off, which is good when your testing, but may cause a problem in a match.
We have run a fan adjacent to the compressor not touching the compressor. I like the medium size fan ( about twice the size of the one shown) and run it off a spike and the PDP. Blowing air across the heat sink on top the compressor make a difference. Since we started this we have had no compressor failures.
We 3d printed a shroud to mount a small computer fan to it and have been using it for years. it clam shells around the compressor piston so you don’t have to “alter” the component at all. I can send you the STL and the fan info if you want.
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Here you go https://www.thingiverse.com/thing:3443497 you just have to cut out the thin part depending on which side you want to mount it on. I would also probably print it in ABS since it will contact the compressor and PLA would probably melt.
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Please and thank you!
we just flip air dusters over and give it a blast in between matches
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Word of caution, make sure you comply with R34 with your choice of fan.
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hmm. I will have to check and see where we got it my thought is we got it from an old kickoff kit but we have been a team since 2005 so it could be hard to track down what one. Also I wonder if we use the digi-key voucher from the kit if this gets us in compliance?
I would imagine the fans used with the old Victor 884 and 888 motor controllers should be legal? We have a bunch on a shelf.
There is no rule that requires that a fan must be controlled by a legal controller. Fans can be connected directly to a PDP output and a small breaker can be used. The fan will operate at all times that the main breaker is closed. The installation must be in compliance with all other robot rules. The VRM is also legal as a source of voltage for the fan. I would highly recommend checking the fan periodically for heat damage as the top of the compressor will get exceptionally hot with extended use. The heat may result in smoke and possible damage to the compressor.
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@al_skierkiewicz, I’m pretty sure that the question was about using the fans which were delivered with/for the old Victors to cool the compressor, not whether they were required to be controlled by a power regulating device.
@philso, check out
We do this too when it’s a year that requires a lot of air
Being a tiny bit pedantic here, but there’s at least a thermodynamic difference between cooling the compressor after the match to prevent mechanical damage, and during the match to keep the air cooler/more dense.
Do I believe it makes a difference in FRC? Not at all, our compressors are crappy, and we couldn’t get any significant airflow to actually help. Though I would love to see a legal COTS aftercooler, that would be sorta neat.
Yes that is true, but no one that I know of cools the compressor to keep the air more dense, it’s just to keep from the compressor from burning up, I believe that was the point of OP wanting to have a fan for the compressor.