Hello! We have a test bench set up, and are trying to figure everything out. We want a pneumatic piston to start off sucked in, and then press a button to make it push out, then press another button to make it push back in. Some questions:
Do we need a double or single solenoid for this?
We keep reading that the compressor is supposed to shut off when it gets to a certain PSI. Ours doesn’t seem to ever get above 20 psi so it never shuts off.
We can make the piston fire or suck back in with the manual release valve depending upon where the tubes are placed on the cylinder.
Will we be able to have the air compressor on board the robot?
You can use either. If using a single solenoid, one of the solenoid air outputs will be active when the solenoid is off (meaning that when your robot is disabled, that output is active). In your example, you could hook up your cylinder in such a way that it is retracted when disabled. Then, when the button to push it out is pressed, activate the solenoid. When the button to retract is pushed, deactivate the solenoid.
You should have a manual release valve somewhere on the high pressure side. Make sure that’s closed. Then check if you have a leak in your lines. Easiest way to do this is to rub soapy water over all the lines and pressurize the system. Bubbles = leak
Terminology Police: A PISTON is the internal part of a pneumatic CYLINDER. A SOLENOID is the electric coil on a solenoid VALVE. Years ago someone on CD started calling cylinders “pistons” and solenoid valves “solenoids”, and people have been using the wrong names ever since.
A single solenoid valve can be used on a single or double acting cylinder, as can a double solenoid valve. The advantage of a double solenoid valve it doesn’t change it’s pneumatic state when electrical power is cut (for example, during the End Game). A single solenoid valve will shift to it’s default state. In most cases this is not a problem.
Actually, the arrow on the regulator should point AWAY from the high pressure input. The port with the arrow and the ones on either side of it are all outputs.
The port with the arrow, and the one on either side of it, are all low pressure outputs. The solenoid valve could be on any of these three. The critical thing is that the one which the arrow is pointing away from is the high pressure input. I had read your post as giving advice, not reporting on the situation at hand.
