If your pneumatic system
needs to be portable and
cannot be tied to a bulky
compressor, there is a CO
2
regulator kit available from
Lowe's Home Improvement
Stores. These kits can
regulate high pressure CO
2
cylinders — such as those
used with paintball guns —
down to a range of from 0
PSI up to 120 PSI (see Photo
7). The Kobalt portable
compressed CO regulator
2
kit sells for approximately
$85. The kit allows you to
connect your normal compressed air fittings to the
compressed CO cylinder throughout the regulator. It is
2
made to clip onto a person's belt for portable use of nail
guns. Lowe's provides a cylinder exchange system for
these CO cylinders, similar to the LP gas cylinder
2
exchanges for home BBQs. You must purchase your first
full cylinder for $24 for a nine ounce cylinder and $36 for
a 20 ounce cylinder. When they are empty, you can
exchange them for a full cylinder for about $5. Be sure to
read all of the instructions, precautions, and safety notes
when using this regulator.
Part
Jameco #159599
Jameco #175565
Jameco #275531
PARTS LIST
Description
Miniature limit switches
24 VDC DPDT electromechanical relays
Relay socket
the counter when the HOLD_BIT is clear. The HOLD_BIT
can be cleared either by the system having completed
all of its oscillations or by pressing the stop button at
any time.
Granted, this PLC demonstration program may not
appear to be terribly practical, but its purpose is to use
several of the programming features of the PLC and
interface with a pneumatic system.
It has been my experience that pneumatic components
can add some real muscle to projects along with electronic
controls as the brains. It would be pretty difficult — and
probably very expensive — to find an equivalent linear
electronic actuator capable of producing up to 66 pounds
of force (at 150 PSI) while travelling a full six inches
as quickly as the pneumatic components shown in this
article will.
I hope that you found this information helpful and it
will help to get you started with pneumatic components
and systems. SV
5 reflectance sensors on underside
battery charger
connector
piezo buzzer
Item #975
$99.95
4 AAA
batteries
(not included)
The Pololu 3pi robot is a high-performance, compact
mobile platform featuring:
Two metal gearmotors
Five reflectance sensors
8×2 character LCD
Three user pushbuttons
Buzzer and LEDs
All peripherals are connected to an ATmega168
microcontroller running at 20 MHz, with free C-programming
push-on/push-off
tools, libraries, and support for the Arduino environment.
power button
reset
button
30:1 micro
metal
gearmotors
High-traction silicone tires
Speeds exceeding 3 ft/sec
using innovative constant-voltage motor supply
optional
power LED
ISP
programming
connector
removable 8x2
character LCD
user pushbuttons
robot diameter is 3π cm (~ 3. 7 inches)
Find out more at www.pololu.com/3pi or by calling 1-877-7-POLOLU.
44 SERVO 02.2009