Outer Limits 4x4 Board

is there anyone here who works with or has experiance with pneumatics?

looking into replacing my vacume diff lock actuator wih an air ram/actuator.
i have a spare faulty actuator that i have stripped down to just the piston and mounting bracket basically i just need some help to select a ram.

for those that are interested here are my progress pics and many others of the inside of a nissan factory locker.
http://s166.photobucket.com/albums/u111/spadger83/
i havent gotten around to naming them all etc as yet, and i am planning to make up a bit of a write up when i get the chance. but for now if you want to know anything about the pics feel free to ask me

the actuator i need has to have 10-12mm of travel and either be double action or spring return.
not realy sure............... i understand how it all works and how to install them just not 100% whats best for my application.

not sure on rams, although I would think that a return spring would be the best option, thats what I invisages when I was going to do mine (parted truck) I would think ring a pnumatics place and see what options they have available, or consider if you have the equipment or access to machining up a small ram yourself, from the blokes I have spoken to it is not difficult to do for this kind of application

ps cant see pics, would be interested in seeing them, if you cant get them up email them and I will throw them up

i have a solenoid that may suit your application, shoot me a pm and ill get some pics
cam

A spring return or spring extend cylinder would be best, that way you don't have to rely on your air system to disengage the locker.

I can check but from memory a 68mm bore cylinder creates around 50 kg of force, a 10mm bore cylinder creates around 4 or 5kg of force.

I wouldn't think you need a lot of force to actuate the locker so maybe a 20mm bore will do the trick.

If you like I can make a call and find out the actual forces of each cylinder.

Cheers

Struth wrote:A spring return or spring extend cylinder would be best, that way you don't have to rely on your air system to disengage the locker.

I can check but from memory a 68mm bore cylinder creates around 50 kg of force, a 10mm bore cylinder creates around 4 or 5kg of force.

I wouldn't think you need a lot of force to actuate the locker so maybe a 20mm bore will do the trick.

If you like I can make a call and find out the actual forces of each cylinder.

Cheers

IIRC the factory set up is just a diaphragm so I dont imagine it will need alot of force, althoug I think you would want a pretty good spring on the return systam, so I would agree with th 20mm based on those figures. Maybe measure how much force you need to engage by hand then add the spring then double the figure

Ive done some tests and to engage it you need exactly sfa pressure.
that said i stuffed the locking dog on the one in my car because it wasnt held in with enough pressure and ripped the teeth off. So i want a good bit of pressure but nothing stupid.

Id live to have a go at making it myself but i dont have access to a lathe nor mill. tho i did use them a verry little at school and wish i had them in my shed.

badger wrote:Ive done some tests and to engage it you need exactly sfa pressure.
that said i stuffed the locking dog on the one in my car because it wasnt held in with enough pressure and ripped the teeth off. So i want a good bit of pressure but nothing stupid.

Id live to have a go at making it myself but i dont have access to a lathe nor mill. tho i did use them a verry little at school and wish i had them in my shed.

dont we all

http://www.festo.com/INetDomino/coorp_s ... 35ffad.htm

I am sure with some searching you will easily find a cheaper options than festo, but the website may help

well ive done a fair bit of searching tonight and either smc or festo are all i can find.
hopefully someone around here kniws a bit about this sort of stuff and can send me in the right dirction.

another brand is norgren, festo are good but expensive

http://cgi.ebay.com/ws/eBayISAPI.dll?Vi ... :IT&ih=014

those in the know could you tell me.........................would this work?

why dont you try the ones that they use in ford petebuilt and kenworth trucks to open the vents they will open the tailgate on a laser wagon at 30 ps1 at 100 they near snap it off

badger wrote:is there anyone here who works with or has experiance with pneumatics?

looking into replacing my vacume diff lock actuator wih an air ram/actuator.
i have a spare faulty actuator that i have stripped down to just the piston and mounting bracket basically i just need some help to select a ram.

for those that are interested here are my progress pics and many others of the inside of a nissan factory locker.
http://s166.photobucket.com/albums/u111/spadger83/
i havent gotten around to naming them all etc as yet, and i am planning to make up a bit of a write up when i get the chance. but for now if you want to know anything about the pics feel free to ask me

how good is ya hand brake?

haha pretty good. tis only zer0 anyways

it has to have a 10mm throw.
id imagine the ones on trucks have alot bigger throw than that

nah they come in a lot of diferent lenghths go to your local truck place and ask

http://www.automationdirect.com.au/
look in the compact cylinder section!!!

or
N331 DIC25M25PPV and make it fit!!

the thing im having trouble with is i think i need a single acting spring return and i cant seem to find them or find out if the ones i am looking at are available with a spring return

i could probably put the spring return externally tho could i not?

just noticed some of them have a magnetic piston. is this so it is magnetic return?
or would it be for a limit switch?
or am i off track totally

mag pistons are generally used for running external reed switchs to trigger relays / limits. it is usually easier to run the return spring external as this reduces cylinder size.

thank mr mad engineer

so if i was to get a double action solinoid (for quick disengageing) and run the spring aswell incase the air runs out or something fails?

I haven't looked at the pics of your locker, butr can't you just swap hoses and use pressure?

I converted my (vacuum operated) maxi-drive locker to run on 15psi compresseed air (equivalent pressure to vacuum) - it was simply a matter of swapping the hoses.

i could, but the nissan actuators are common to fail and half the price of an arb to replace.
i have a spare actuator here that failed well a whole diff actually.
so its kinda a side project to convert it to air and make a more reliable and stronger diff of the factory unit.
at the moment it looks like i can do this and for well under 300 bucs and from then on it only requires 2 o rings to repair the actuator.
plus locker comes in and out as fast as an arb


today i went and spoke to SMC.
they have recomended part number CDQ2 B12/10DC with an external return spring. it is $67 for actuator
this is basically a newer version of the one in the ebay link above.
guess i picked right

Thought id do a little recap of prices.
$67 for actuator
$180 for arb compressor with arb solinoids
tho i am looking into something bigger with a tank etc as it wont cost that much more for alot of gains.
$50 for fixings and fab work. wich i doubt will come to anywhere near that


so if you already had a compressor it would be prob just over 100 bucs plus labour to set it up


so ill see how i go and if it works

If its festo go an "ESNU-20-15"

Or if you need it to be shorter go a "ADVU-32-15" with spring return.