Gardena inverse release

Discussion about Compressors, hose, pipes, fittings, launchers, release mechanisms, and launch tubes.
Andrew Leigh
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Gardena inverse release

Post by Andrew Leigh »

Hi,

the problem with being a noob is probably that we all try re-invent the wheel with ideas we believe to be unique due to our inexperience.

Conventional wisdom says that when any safety device / switch should fail that it should leave the original in a "safe" condition. I propose the opposite with a Gardena connection.

As it takes some force to pull against the spring one faces the risk of upending a less than stable launcher (one could argue that the launcher should be stable period) but hear me out.

I propose removing the spring from the Gardena fitting and reassembling. The orange part of the fitting will be fitted with a steel ring of sufficient weight to allow the ring to drop. Two cables then hold the orange locking ring up so it now has potential energy. When release is required no tugging is necessary simply release the cable and the ring will drop.

Someone has probably tried this already and there is possibly a problem.

Any thoughts.

Cheers
Andrew
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RaZias
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Re: Gardena inverse release

Post by RaZias »

You can use a conventional design (you dont need an inverted one).
You could but 2 lines attached to the Gardena quick-release, and at the bottom of the line there will be a 2kg weight with a piece of wood between him and the base of the launcher.

1 - That piece of wood has a line.
2 - you pull the line.
3 - the piece of wood is removed from the launcher.
4 - The 2 kg weight drops and pulls the 2 lines.
5 - Since the 2 lines are pulled, the gardena is also pulled
6 - Rocket is fired.

But since your design doesn´t require a 2kg wight because you removed the spring, so it might be better.

One question, since your gardena is inverted, how the gardena nozzle will attach to it ?
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Andrew Leigh
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Re: Gardena inverse release

Post by Andrew Leigh »

Hi, by inverted I meant rather than forcing the locking ring down you hold it up. The fitting still points up in the conventional manner.

Thanks
SaskAlex
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Re: Gardena inverse release

Post by SaskAlex »

Andrew, it's a good idea. While a launcher should be stable, I agree that you shouldn't have to pull anything too hard to release it. I did a similar thing with a cable tie launcher I made. While I haven't worked with gardena fittings, I think you might run into a bit of a problem. It's quite possible that the release on the fitting is difficult to pull when pressurized, even without the spring. There could be some friction there you aren't considering. You could test it out by getting someone to try to pull the two parts of the fitting apart while you activate the release. If it's significantly harder to do so than it is when no one is pulling it apart, removing the spring might not help much.
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U.S. Water Rockets1
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Re: Gardena inverse release

Post by U.S. Water Rockets1 »

SaskAlex wrote:Andrew, it's a good idea. While a launcher should be stable, I agree that you shouldn't have to pull anything too hard to release it. I did a similar thing with a cable tie launcher I made. While I haven't worked with gardena fittings, I think you might run into a bit of a problem. It's quite possible that the release on the fitting is difficult to pull when pressurized, even without the spring. There could be some friction there you aren't considering. You could test it out by getting someone to try to pull the two parts of the fitting apart while you activate the release. If it's significantly harder to do so than it is when no one is pulling it apart, removing the spring might not help much.
The cable tie launcher can have the opposite effect as well. The pressure can spread the ties out and they try to squeeze the collar ring out in a way that can cause it to become really easy to pull and sometimes can even cause the rocket to launch itself.
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