I developed a small pneumatic mechanism, but I do not have a pneumatic kit to test it with. I invite anyone to try it and say how it well it works.
The purpose of the mechanism is to transfer linear force from an motor to an area where a linear slide or other motor driven mechanism would not fit. In other words, it is to move a linear mechanism to a more convenient location on the robot.
An added benefit of it being motor driven, is that it is possible to transfer all positions along the length of the piston, instead of the usual operation of a piston.
Both sides of the piston are pressurized and sealed. Because of this, one side can be vented at the end of a match to lock the piston in one position.
PS. I apologize for the poor scan, my printer is acting up.
Hun. Based on the description on the function it sounds attractive. But can you explain a little bit more? Like a more detailed sketck or a CAD model will help a lot.
About linear mechanism, I prefer elevator (pulley) lift than the gear mechanism, and I don’t see a case where motors don’t fit.
Oh hold on I think I understand you somehow. You are saying that you connect two pistons directly according to your diagram, and when one is manually moved or moved by a motor, the other one moves correspondingly, right?
If this is your intent, then I think it is a good idea. I don’t know whether water is permitted to be used in VEX pneumatics, but in your case hydrhaulics is better than air pressure, don’t you think so?
That is correct. I do not believe that water can be used competitively and corrosion would be a major concern. Normally hydraulics use oil, but that is not competition legal. Pressurizing both sides (100psi?) should eliminate the springiness from compressing air.
We did something very similar to this last year with Sack Attack. We connected 2 double acting cylinders together to actuate an anti-tip wheel. Instead of using a motor we connected one cylinder to the lift and the other to the arm that the wheel was on so the wheel swung out as the lift went up. The anti-tip wheel on our robot for worlds last year was a few iterations beyond that first design. It is a good way to transfer movement over distances that you cannot directly do with linkage.
