Compact Motorized Pneumatic Compressor/Valve Unit
Idea for a simple mechanism that combines a pneumatic compressor and a valve shifting mechanism, allowing a single motor to control both. Instructions available.
The new pneumatic valve redesign introduced by LEGO last year in the 42080 Forest Harvester set allows to create more compact mechanisms than possible with the older types of valve. One such compact mechanism is a compressor/valve unit, which takes advantage of the fact that the pneumatic compressor works the same regardless of the direction of its shaft rotation in order to allow a single motor to control both the compressor and the valve. The result is that a single pneumatic circuit can be controlled with a single motor and with a single remote’s command, just like a motorized linear actuator. The mechanism works with any LEGO motor and can include multiple pneumatic pumps. With several pneumatic circuits, though, it may be a better idea to have one separate compressor and many valve control mechanisms.
The building instructions for the unitare available here: http://sariel.pl/downloads/
One thing to keep in mind with this mechanism is the wear of the 24t clutch gear. I don’t really know how long these gears last, but it’s reasonable to assume that their durability is limited. Therefore if you are looking for a mechanism that serves the same function but without wearing down a clutch gear, you may want to consider my autovalve mechanism.
