SpudFiles

Mine uses an o-ring that sits in the groove without moving. I got it just a tad smaller so that I could stretch it and sit it in the groove. I lubed it also.

that makes sense

does your guys sprinkler valves have like little grooves in the inside? I was just wondering because mine does and I dont think it would allow me to do the piston mod.

what brand is it?

its an orbit. the one with the solenoid in the middle.

oh i dont know then.

more experienced people might know

jon_89 wrote:its an orbit. the one with the solenoid in the middle.

If it's like this one, your best bet would be to get another one for the piston mod.

You see the white ring in the center of this valve body? That is used to seat the diaphragm (this being a chamber sealing version). It probably could be done, but I've not sat down and figured out just what is needed to do it yet (and, in all honesty, I probably won't).

[quote="hubb017"] most of us do not have a lathe to make precision cuts.

[quote]

Many of us do have a drill press. I've made pistons from 1/2 inch to 2 inches on mine out of HDPE.

Technician1002 wrote:

hubb017 wrote: most of us do not have a lathe to make precision cuts.

(fixed it for ya)

Many of us do have a drill press. I've made pistons from 1/2 inch to 2 inches on mine out of HDPE.

True. But, still, some of us don't. Like me. I've been planning on getting one, but I have not yet.

I have, however, used wood hole saws (the kind that are used to drill door handles and larger holes in wood) successfully, and these would make fine piston makers. In fact, I tried using one the first time I made a piston for a sprinkler valve, I just didn't have one large enough.

On a side note, if anyone has an idea of how to calculate valve opening speeds, I appreciate the assistance. I'm currently putting together a series of tests for The Sprinkler Valve (do determine just how much they can be improved) and that's one of the features I'd like to include in the test.

yeah its that one. i even tried the diaghram mod and it didnt work because of that silver rod in the middle. what brand are you modding?

jon_89 wrote:yeah its that one. i even tried the diaghram mod and it didnt work because of that silver rod in the middle. what brand are you modding?

http://www.orbit-irrigation.com/product ... 16/04/644/

I guess I go and try to find that one. Have you successfully completed the piston mod?

Yes I have.

Have you done any testing yet?

Actually, that's what I'm working on right now. I can tell that the shots are a little bit more powerful, but I (as well as everyone else) wants some numbers. I'm currently comparing the homemade piston and diaphragm to the standard diaphragm, pneumatically and electronically operated.

This testing should be done by next week sometime and I'll let everyone know of the results.