Has anyone tried this?

Build a homemade water gun or water balloon launcher and tell us about it.
aEx155
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Has anyone tried this?

Post by aEx155 » Wed May 14, 2008 2:46 am

Image

gray is PVC, black is LRT

I bet someone has, but I just want to know whether or not it would work. I have plans for a CPS gun that I though of, and I thought that I might just throw it out there. My inventions are REALLY limited by budget, which is why I made my last homemade with soda bottles...Hopefully this design is usable for someone else.
Last edited by aEx155 on Sun May 18, 2008 3:08 pm, edited 1 time in total.

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Drenchenator
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Re: Has anyone tried this?

Post by Drenchenator » Wed May 14, 2008 3:02 am

Yes, Ben tried this years ago. It doesn't work. Latex rubber tubing expands the more in length than in width, so it gets more power that way. This methods doesn't let it expand in length, so it gets less power. Simple as that.
Last edited by Drenchenator on Wed May 14, 2008 3:12 am, edited 1 time in total.
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aEx155
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Re: Has anyone tried this?

Post by aEx155 » Wed May 14, 2008 4:04 am

Well, if there was a way for the LRT to expand lengthwise, would the water be able to enter one end and exit the other? That was what I was really after.

EDIT:

Image

To add to what I said previously......also, if there really is no hope, then tell me so I can stop.
Last edited by aEx155 on Sun May 18, 2008 3:11 pm, edited 1 time in total.

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Re: Has anyone tried this?

Post by Drenchenator » Wed May 14, 2008 4:32 am

There is really no point in doing it like this: It greatly complicates a rather simple system. It is possible to do this well as long as the tubing can expand in length, but there really is no benefit in the extra complication.
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aEx155
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Re: Has anyone tried this?

Post by aEx155 » Wed May 14, 2008 4:37 am

Okay then. I just wanted to throw some ideas out, like i said, but I gues this was one that was too complicated (like some of my others.) Thanks.

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Silence
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Re: Has anyone tried this?

Post by Silence » Wed May 14, 2008 4:42 pm

It's possible to make this work if one of the hose barbs can slide. For example, the hose barb on the far side of the nozzle could use an O-ring to slide over a long, thin tube. The tube has to be really thin though so that even the small barb bore can slide over it. Thin tubing is okay for the pressure chamber inlet, so that may not be a large problem. Fitting the O-ring on the inside of an outer piece would be hard, though.

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Re: Has anyone tried this?

Post by aEx155 » Wed May 14, 2008 9:49 pm

What is the inner diameter for the hose barbs that you guys usually use for CPS guns?

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Drenchenator
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Re: Has anyone tried this?

Post by Drenchenator » Wed May 14, 2008 9:58 pm

Ben and I typically use 3/8" hose barbs. But I still think this is a bad idea--all that extra work gets no added benefit. It just would make it harder to build, more costly, and more likely to break. To quote William of Occam, "Entities should not be multiplied beyond necessity," meaning "the simplest solution is usually the best."
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aEx155
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Re: Has anyone tried this?

Post by aEx155 » Wed May 14, 2008 10:10 pm

Well, I just wanted to try out a new idea for a differently shaped CPS gun.

But, seriously, what I REALLY want to know is whether or not water would come out the end of some LRT opposite from the one you filled it. No one has answered that yet.

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Re: Has anyone tried this?

Post by Drenchenator » Wed May 14, 2008 10:17 pm

In a water gun, the water going to go to where there is lower pressures. As long as all the seals are tight, the pipe's joined correctly and the check valves work, the water will go through an open valve and out the nozzle, where there's lower pressure.
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SSCBen
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Re: Has anyone tried this?

Post by SSCBen » Wed May 14, 2008 10:18 pm

The water will flow wherever the pressure is lowest. If you have a valve and open it, it will flow there. So yes, this will work.

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Re: Has anyone tried this?

Post by Drenchenator » Wed May 14, 2008 10:34 pm

Well, I just wanted to try out a new idea for a differently shaped CPS gun.
I'm just curious; what kind of shape are you looking for? It seems to be that the gun would be for the most part the same just; the big difference being where the pump attached to the chamber.
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Re: Has anyone tried this?

Post by aEx155 » Wed May 14, 2008 10:34 pm

Okay. Thanks. I got this idea from when I saw the flash flood, but now that I know how complicated it is, I guess I'll try something else.

Image

How about this? Same principle, but different type. Basically, what I'm trying to get at is a was to have a PC where water is pumped in one way and comes out the other. Is that possible?
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Re: Has anyone tried this?

Post by Drenchenator » Wed May 14, 2008 10:39 pm

Yes, that one should work if you get the right size parts and everything fit together well. I would switch in the input with the output though: That way the water doesn't have to go around a "bend" to get into that pipe; it will just flow right to the output without turning much. Plus, that way you can use a rather small diameter pipe to guide the piston and not have to worry about any performance loss.
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Re: Has anyone tried this?

Post by Silence » Thu May 15, 2008 12:47 am

That design might actually work out well. The one last issue to consider would be maintenance. Conventional constant pressure homemade soakers don't need a sealed pressure chamber case, so you can easily design a removable case. (You may have to replace the bladder often.) In this design, the rear part of the chamber would have to be solvent welded together, but as long as the front isn't, the structure should be both solid and easy enough to open.

Good, clever design. I can't think of any other problems.

Drenchenator, I'm not sure where the water would have to change directions from the outlet of the bladder. It looks like a linear path to me.

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