Design a way to use one motor to control four hydraulic outputs

by jj

Engineering In Progress

About This Goal

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Progress Updates (5 total)

Update #1: Design a way to use one motor to control four hydraulic outputs

I have a single water input pathway that I want to switch to four different output pathways. The current solutions are either super expensive 4-way valves or one gate solenoid per output which is too complicated electrically. I think I should be able to use a camshaft or rotating disk system with one motor to do this cheaply.
Challenges Overcome: Jotted down some designs. The biggest advantage is our system is low pressure and switching speed is not important.

Update #2: Fit checking 3D printed parts on camshaft

30% complete
Ordered the parts for camshaft and controller. The d-shaft fit is nice and won’t need a set screw to stay on. Next step is to design the cams.
Obstacles Faced: I keep flip flopping on fine design details and without CAD skills it makes it hard to visualize!

Update #3: Cams printed

50% complete
Cams had to be reprinted a few times because tolerance of print was making them hard to insert. Will have to glue them down to prevent spinning.
Obstacles Faced: Hopefully the design can handle forces needed.
Looking Back: Increase hole diameter a bit to slide prints easily. Probably need to glue or use set screw to keep in place.

Update #4: Designed bearing housing, controls nearly done

65% complete
Burnt a few motor drivers and wasted too much time figuring out my alligator clips don’t work. Something weird is going on with the stepper- it’s randomly changing directions so maybe a phase wire is shorted or open.
Challenges Overcome: Modeled the bearing housing to center the shaft at the same position the shaft leaves the motor housing. This should hold shaft and cams centered.
Obstacles Faced: I’m at little rusty on controls/EE so took longer than I thought it would. Let’s see if stepper can apply the forces we need

Update #5: Controls logic done

75% complete
I had the phase wiring all wrong. Just need to print new cams and test this out! From initial testing, I think the stepper might have a hard time with some resistance. I misremembered and thought they would have a built in encoder, but I think only servos do. Might have a wrong motor choice.
Obstacles Faced: I had mixed up steppers having position encoding built in. I think only servos have these. If the stepper slips, we won’t know where we are anymore.
Looking Back: Phase wiring on motor is AA BB, I thought for some reason it was A B B A.