Good morning, not sure where to post this, we have a set of rea crossing gates and lights, lights function, gates have no gears and are controlled by pneumatic pressure supplied from a portable air compressor which runs a small Bima Piston, piston forces the gate arm down and a counter weight raises it, we need a more reliable set up, any thoughts?
Thanks
Geo
If you’re asking about the activation method (what actually moves the arm) I don’t think you’re going to find anything more reliable than pnuematics. I set up some crossing gates using some water-proof servos (which I then sealed in plastidip) and all potted electronics in a waterproof enclosure and they lasted less than three years. Electronics outside–at least anywhere it isn’t dry and warm–aren’t super reliable. If you’re triggering the gates with electronics, the same holds true: even potted electronics in a water-tight container will corrode over time.
If you tell us exactly what problem you’re having, we might be able to offer ideas… do the gates not open or close as expected, or is there something else going on?
George, please help me out here. I am a bit confused, are we referring to a 1:1 set of gates or a model scale set of gates? It will help to know what we are evaluating and possibly providing advice on.
Hi, gates are controlled by pneumatic actuators ,problem is that the gates bounce up when in the down position, counterweights were determined with the gate arms balanced in the 45 degree position, is this correct? Actuators are 1” Dia +/- . I tried to include some pics but it was confusing.
Thanks
Geo