Insane Hydraulics
Bold and audacious blog about fluid power
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The second generation of the "pressure maker" will have to wait for another couple of weeks - I have it built and tested, but the bluing of steel parts and other final touches take more time than I expected. It actually turns out a pretty cool-looking table-top fidget, so I'll show it off as soon as I can.
Today I want to go into pump repairs and talk about a wear pattern that can "fool you" if you're not careful when you are inspecting pump parts, and also tell you a story of how I "got caught" by it and had to rebuild the same unit twice.
The Smart Industrial Monitor venture started about two years ago - and even though I couldn't be happier with the results, I found that very few people shared my enthusiasm, which is why I eventually put it "on hold". At least the development part. I've been using my gadgets non-stop. The pandemic did add a lot to that, of course.
But the webinar gave me a lot to think about, and as I was returning to the project that's been on ice for such a long time, I started to think that maybe reviving the development isn't such a bad idea after all.
As I was looking through the project's history - I discovered (to my surprise and horror) that several related pages were still in the older format, which made it impossible to view them correctly in some browsers. So, I had to do some "emergency re-factoring" today.
The article in which I was comparing pressure transmitters was actually a big deal, so I am very glad it's all fixed now. On a related note - I'm reforming the "pressure maker" from that post. I gathered enough industrial scrap to build a far more elegant and portable solution, so stay tuned - I'll be showcasing the second generation next week!
Ok, so the AFPS webinar has happened, and given the fact that it was my first time both participating and presenting - it didn't go too bad (I think) although my presenting skills definitely "require refinement". It was very scary! But I honestly enjoyed every moment! The presentation pdf can be downloaded here, and the recording of the event can be reviewed here. (Do bear in mind how scared I was...) And also today - a few words (and a tale) about the Reuse of Hydraulic Oil in a Shop.
I have an exciting announcement to make! I was invited by the Australian Fluid Power Society as a speaker to their quarterly webinar to talk about my wireless gadgets. I am super excited! It's happening next week, November 17, at noon (Perth time). So, if you want to:
Please register here. Participation is free and the registration is super fast. I'll see you on the other side!
Today I am comparing medium and heavy-duty pumps, toying with math, and Wondering if This Can Be Considered a Pump "Longevity Hack"?
Fixing an Excavator Pump That Stalls the Engine - Scrap Yard Style!
Service case study of a "longevity monster" - Parker PV140 Hydraulic Pump After 14,000 Hours of Operation in Harsh Conditions.
This case was simple to diagnose, but it describes a very common aeration cause - above oil level line termination - Abnormal Noise Caused by the Aeration of Hydraulic Oil.
Today's case is another example of how bench tests can fail to simulate real-life conditions - Overheating Caused by a Hydrostatic Steering Unit
DC Coils of Solenoid Operated Valves
If you examine the way designers "tweak" the geometry of the axial piston swash-plate mechanism to meet the "swashplate tilting challenge", the boring topic of Pressure-Dependent Swashplate Torque in Inline Axial Piston Pumps actually becomes quite interesting, IMHO.
This troubleshooting episode taught me how to properly read servo-pressures of a closed-loop pump - Reading Servo Pressures in Closed Loop Pumps and Pushing Airplanes
The story (including my theories) of An Impossible Shaft Seal Leak.
Checking Hydraulic Accumulator Pre-Charge Without a Charging Kit - an old, but still valid video included.
How to Make Your HPU Designs a Lot Better
Random Thoughts About Selling Hydraulic Stuff
Turn Your (Hydraulic) Enemy Into a Friend!
The Tale of the Golden Safety Rule
Negative Flow Control vs Load Sensing - Which One is Better?
The pre-loading of a cylinder block is actually not a mandatory condition for the high volumetric efficiency of an axial piston hydraulic unit. This troubleshooting case demonstrates this pretty well (along with some "creative" testing) - Cylinder Block Lift in a Fixed Displacement Hydraulic Motor
Knowing a thing or two about what is at "the other end of the pump shaft" can't hurt a hydraulic tech. A real life example of this in - "You forgot about the Power factor!"
After talking so much about post-compensation and whatnot, it's only logical that in today's post I am addressing the flow sharing in its "pre-compensated flavor" - Pre-Compensated Flow Control With Flow Sharing?!!
Doing my best explaining flow sharing in Post-Compensation for Dummies - Part Two
Did you know that there are various types of Multi-Function Valves for Danfoss Series 90 Closed Loop Pumps?