air suspension compressor - might be?

[ahabich]

Hi!
Sorry for my poor english, but i hope everybody will understand me
Im looking for a good air compressor. It should be fast and efficient.
I have found an air suspension compressor for about 50 $ (ofc used one!). Regular air suspension works with 6-8 BAR (88 - 118 PSI), a guy on another forum told me that he used it to compress air to 15 BAR (220 PSI). He was sure, that the compressor can do much moore. ~25 liter (6,6 gallon) cylinder got pumped up in 5 minutes, so the efficiency is sufficient.
What do you think about it? Im thinking about gun with 70 ml chamber and hammer valve.
How many PSI such air compressor can give?

[POLAND_SPUD]

you could always build a fridge compressor...
their flow is not as bad as it's commonly believed and they can reach really high pressures (30 bar and more)

you can find more information on them here:
http://www.spudfiles.com/forums/t-t11866.html

[ahabich]

Hi
I was thinking about fridge compresor, but i want my compressor to be fully mobile. I dont want to use voltage converter. Only the 12V accumulator.

Pozdrawiam

[jackssmirkingrevenge]

For that price, why not.

Im thinking about gun with 70 ml chamber and hammer valve

What sort of ammunition do you want to shoot, and how fast/far?

[ahabich]

hi
I want to shoot steel bearing balls, darts and lead-steel ammo.
As compressed air source i want to use air compressor or homemade stirrup pump
my "plans" in ggdt

[jimmy101]

Sounds like the car shock absorber compressor is similar to a cheapish ($150) standard shop compressor, couple minutes to take several gallon reservoir to ~120 PSIG max.

The only issue is how sturdy it is. Cheapo ($20) 12V compressor designed to refill a car tire in an emergency situation are not up to spud gunning. You need a compressor designed to actually be used more than a couple times and for longer than a few minutes.

120 PSIG is pretty common for pneumatic guns. You usually have to use a specialized compressor for higher pressures (like a hacked fridge compressor). 120 PSI is also a suitable upper limit if you are using PVC or ABS instead of metal for the gun.

I would be a little concerned with running the pump to pressures much higher than what it is rated for. It might be that the pressure limit just matches the air shock system. Or, that might be the pressure limit of the reservoir. Or, it might be the bank off pressure of the compressor. The problem is depending on which of those are the basis of the pressure limit the hazards of over pressuring the system changes substantially. You really don't want a reservoir charged to 200+ PSI to fail. It would be very bad for anyone in the vicinity.

Post the part number and/or a link so people can have a look. If it looks beefy enough it sounds like it would be a good 12V compressed air source.

[ahabich]

They use no more than 20 A, 12 V.

[POLAND_SPUD]

I've never had a chance to test those compressors so I can't say if they are good or not

EDIT

I guess you could give it a try - they seem to be sturdier that all those cheap 12V tire compressors

however, they doesn't seem to be in a perfect condition... try to find one in a better shape... IMO 50 $ for this is a joke...

or at least ask the guy if he would let you test it


rowniez pozdrawiam

[jackssmirkingrevenge]

Not the prettiest thing in the world but hey, if it works

So this is going to be a vehicle mounted system? A fire extinguisher would make a good accumulator tank.

[ahabich]

hi again!
I've found better suspension compressor for 70 $ - for bmw e39. But i dont know if there is possibility to run it only with accumulator - without the car "computer"

[POLAND_SPUD]

hmm this one looks much better

But I don't know if there is possibility to run it only with accumulator

probably yes... I guess that some of those cables are for the solenoid valve or pressure switch

I like that pan that it sits in.... just add some sort of cover for it and add a handle and you could have a nice portable compressor.. you could also add a small cpu fan and cut small vents so that air can flow around it and cool it down

but still I don't know how well those compressors perform

[ahabich]

Hi
Im going to ask a bmw mechanic about some details
This compressor looks much more complicated, but i hope it wont be a problem to make it running

[POLAND_SPUD]

as I said earlier I think that what you can see in that pic is not just the compressor itself... from what I ofund on the internet air suspension systems need a pressure switch that will the turn the motor on/off when pressure reaches/drops below a set pressure..

solenoid valves might also be somewhere there, though it would make more sense if they were closer to the air springs

[ahabich]

That's the main problem, I think that the solution might be connecting accumulator directly to the electric motor.

edit:
hi again
I ve decided to buy simpler suspension compressor for 40 $
It has only 4 wires, +,- and 2 signals from the sensor
I hope it wont be hard to start it

[Daltonultra]

What the different compressors out of? The ones in your first picture appear to be GM parts from the late 90s, early 2000s? If so, they will run flawlessly up to their rated pressure for many years. They will also be pretty easy to rewire, as they don't have the controller built into them.

The BMW one will probably be strong and reliable, too, but will also be more complicated and less happy with tampering.

The last one, I can't tell if it's a Ford unit, or a GM. If it's the GM unit from a late 80s to late 90s GM, it should be pretty reliable, but the metal clips that hold on one little hose are fiddly and weak. Again, dirt simple and easy to work with.

If it's a Ford compressor, don't bother with it. Ford/Lincoln/Mercury air suspension systems are known for being weak and unreliable.