Insane Hydraulics News Archive

News Archive

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28 July, 2019

I've been slowly but steadily re-factoring old pages to the newer template, and often I find that my old posts are incomplete or even incorrect, so, instead of re-writing the HTML I end up re-writing the complete post. Only God knows why I keep doing that... Anyways, here's another one, remastered, on Three Simple Checks you should consider doing before bench testing a pump or a motor with unknown history.

21 July, 2019

When in Doubt - Bleed it Out!

14 July, 2019

If you don't know it yet - simple stuff that is so obvious for us, people who deal with hydraulics on a daily basis, can be the complete opposite for "normal folks". Here's an example: Not So Obvious Obvious. (Older article, re-done with mistakes corrected).

7 July, 2019

A couple of tips for the Tip Jar - a mistake that can happen when you mount Gear Pump Bushings, and an incident called Caramba, My Beautiful Eyes!

1 July, 2019

Interesting Load Sensing Case and Some Thougths on Rushed Troubleshooting

23 June, 2019

I am opening a new section, called the Tip Jar. It will contain, naturally, all kinds of short but useful tips, plus a lot more! I believe that sharing useful information in the key to make our industry of choice "a better place" for all. This is a brand new section, so it's not 100% "populated" as of today, but I will make sure that it doesn't stay that way for long.

16 June, 2019

If you use pressure transmitters or pressure transducers in your work, you may find this information useful - Comparing Industrial Pressure Transmitters.

10 June, 2019

The simplest way to test a hydraulic motor is to restrict its return flow in order to raise the pressure inside the rotary group, and then check the drain flow for excessive leakage. In today's post I go to Bulgaria to learn that such tests, after all, have their limitations.

02 June, 2019

I have used Parker ServiceJunior digital pressure gauges in all of my hydraulic ventures for many years. And since I usually choose high range and relatively low precision models (600 bar with 0.5% FS accuracy), I set out to discover if such a gauge can be used to measure very low pressures - How Good Is Your ServiceJunior?

26 May, 2019

Smart Industrial Monitor - Hardware Report from 26/05/2019

19 May, 2019

I have a great opportunity to once again evaluate the Rexroth A10VO series 5X pumps. Three pumps in a single post! Seriously, Rexroth, I really think that you could do better here! - Rexroth A10VO Series 53 - Failure Analysis

12 May, 2019

Mine maintenance is such a cool thing, especially if you like working through weekends and pulling all-nighters changing filters and cleaning tanks! This week is all about redoing old classics, like Oil Hydraulics and Oil Baths and pondering once again on which one is better - bar, MPa, psi, at or atm?

5 May, 2019

My "favorite" mine is doing a scheduled maintenance of the paste plant - and I am working through this weekend overhauling an automatic lubrication system of the ARCEN mixers. Lucky me! Still managed some time to update the menu - there's a new section now, called Wireless, where I'll be putting my progress on the Smart Industrial Monitor and other wireless projects that I intend to build.

28 April, 2019

Diamond Core Drilling theme today - I am fixing a Diamec 250 Control Panel Based on Danfoss PVG-32 Directional Valve

22 April, 2019

Not only this closed loop pump managed to create a wedding ring (yes, wedding ring!), but it also taught several interesting lessons! Don't believe me? See for yourself: Rexroth A4VG125 Pump Teaches Multiple Lessons.

14 April, 2019

A battlefield story about how Cleaning a Hose With A Foam Projectile Went Horribly Wrong.

7 April, 2019

My "Five Plus Five Rule", which I apply when I have to perform a "quick and dirty" test of a pump through evaluating the flow rate of its drain.

3 April, 2019

Just got a message from YouTube, congratulating me on a video that hit million views. Low resolution, very bad lighting, a soundtrack that turned out to be copyrighted... I guess people like looking at hydraulic motor animations, for some reason. To celebrate, I've uploaded a small clip in which I run some tests on my wireless pressure gauge - DIY Bluetooth Pressure Gauge. Your feedback is urgently needed and greatly appreciated!

31 March, 2019

Rexroth A10VO Series 52 Pumps - A Hidden Orifice You Should Know About

28 March, 2019

I finally replaced Flash script (very obsolete) with Javascript (very modern) in the Interactive Nomogram for Hydraulic Hose Sizing

05 March, 2019

I would like to tell a story of how a casual remark turned into a full-blown industrial hardware project, and how I saw myself as a software and hardware developer on his way to becoming a manufacturer. The God does move in mysterious ways...which I don't mind at all, but I still wish he made days with more hours in them...

I will start with this post, in which I am describing how some of the challenges that I've been facing while troubleshooting hydraulic equipment brought me into all this industrial IoT venture, and also describe in detail some of the measuring techniques, used by experienced field technicians. (this last part may have a slightly "less official" nature, but I think that it perfectly conveys my point). So here it is - the beginning of My IoT Story

23 December, 2018

Just a couple of days left before Christmas and about a week before the year's end - the time of year I like to look back and decide how much of the last 12 months was a waste of time, and how much of what I did really meant something.

Well... I can honestly say that I threw away the first 6 months of 2018 doing what I always did - running the shop, working the shop, cleaning the shop, and not much of anything else. And then - something happened. Something bad. And good at the same time. Something that literally turned my universe upside down and touched me so deeply, that I never looked at the world around me with the same eyes. A true turning point in my life, both professional and personal, that changed everything.

Thanks to that push, to that "courage injection", if you will, I created a 'master-plan', and have been taking non-stop action to follow it through, one step at a time, ever since July of 2018.I can't describe all that I did in such a short notice, but I can give you a gist ofwhat will happen next year:

I will pass over and leave the shop I am running right now

I will open my own company, devoted to industrial IoT technology

This company will finance a bigger 'top-secret' project (all-hydraulic this time, in which I will be able to fully apply the unique expertise in dynamic hydraulic systems that I gathered over time by developing and testing custom controls in our shop) on which I can only disclose these two words - "mech" and "suits". Yes, mech suits! But don't tell anyone yet, it'll all be described in detail in due time. The very few people who did subscribe to this newsletter will be the first ones to get all the news.

I would like to wish you a wonderful Christmas and a killer New Year!

And I would like to share with you an eye-opener that I learned this year - the most valuable skill a person can master is a skill to process issues! Even the biggest crisis and loss can be turned into an opportunity if you know how to process issues. I am dogmy best to master this skill, and from what I've seen so far - it works!

P.S. Stay tuned for IoT and Mech news!