Orbits valve mod

[DVLCHLD]

I have an Orbit WaterMaster 1" sprinkler valve, model # 57461. The solenoid screws into the centter of the cap. I want to remove the solenoid and install a fitting into that threaded hole for pneumatic operation of the valve. What EXACTLY do I need to do to do this? I need the valve to work as fast as possible. Should I pull the guide rod out? How about the round black piece and the tiny white piece that are presed into the cap? Should I drill out the part of the cap in that threaded whole that the solenoid usually covers up? I know I need to plug the hole the flow control screw is in. I searched and could not find an answer to this this question. Thanks.

[SpudUke5]

We have a guide on how to mod sprinkler valves right here

But ne way you want to take the guide rod out, and drill a 4th inch hole where the solenoid is. Then just attach the blowgun and thats it. If there are ne other holes outside of the valves fill those with epoxy.



Heres the pic. next time put it in your post so that is helps us in solving your problem.

Yay 400 Posts

[clide]

Here is a guide for that specific valve

http://www.thehalls-in-bfe.com/GGDT/lib ... 1_mod.html

[BigGrib]

Actually for a 1/4 npt fitting you would drill it out to 1/2 inch and then thread the fitting in cutting the threads as you go. please search the database or the wiki first please

[SpudUke5]

oh really
My bad, but ne way just use what clide wrote. I reccomend it.

[grumpy]

the correct size bit for drilling and tapping a hole for a 1/4 npt threaded fitting is 7/16 , i just had to buy a new one and had to look it up.

[DVLCHLD]

Thanks. That's exactly how I've modded my valve but when I open the ball valve the air just comes out of the ball valve. I don't have the actual air resevoir on the sprinkler valve yet. Right now I'm just using a small PVC fitting with a tire valve in it to pressure test the sprinkler valve. Do I have to have a bigger air resevoir for this set-up to work properly? Also, does it matter if the metal guide pin has been taken out of the sprinkler valve? I pulled it out and lost it. I really appreciate you guys helping me. I'm very mechanically inclined but this is new to me. I'm trying to build a trip wire bouncing betty paintball land mine. I've seen a few of them and thought I would build my own. Thanks again.

[elitesniper]

the diaphragm wont be aligned with out the guide rod

[DVLCHLD]

So, since I took the guide rod out an lost it my valve is trash. That's just great. In valves that don't have a guide rod how does the diaphram stay alligned?

[grumpy]

i don't see why it wouldn't still work, most people when they mod a valve with a guide rod bend out of the way.try it with a chamber on it and see what happens, just don't glue it till you know you don't need to remove it.

[DVLCHLD]

Yea, I'm going to give it a try without the guide rod. I think it will work just fine. The diaphram is supported by the edge anyway so I don't see how it could get so out of wack that it won't seal. If it doesn't work I'll just make a new guide rod out of something else and press it into place. Thanks.

[markieclarkie]

I once made a guide rod out of a finish nail. you will get better performance with a blowgun instead of a ballvalve. If you look hard enough on this site you can find plans for modding the blowgun (so it opens faster too). My blowgun modded golf baller(24"x3" chamber72"x2" barrel) heaves 'em a good 400yards.

[DVLCHLD]

Thanks for the tip about using a finish nail. That should work fine. The reason I'm using a ball valve is because I'm making a trip wire bouncing betty paintball land mine. Wow, that's a mouthful. Anyway, I'm going to have it spring loaded so that when someone hits the trip wire it will instantly open the ball valve. The land mine will launch a paint grenade about 6-8 feet into the air, then the paint grenade will pop open and spray paint everywhere. In theory, lol.

[grumpy]

for tripmines t use a a safety popoff valve as the trigger, with the mine charged to 100 psi it is sensitive enough that only use sewing thread as tripline. i like this as it is easy to get sewing thread in diferent colors so that it blends in better and is harder to be seen.

[MrCrowley]

you will get better performance with a blowgun instead of a ballvalve.. My blowgun modded golf baller(24"x3" chamber72"x2" barrel) heaves 'em a good 400yards.

Eh? A 1/4" ball valve would have better performance then a modded blow gun.

Also I just GGDT'd your gun, with optimistic performance settings for your setup at 120psi you can only shoot a golfball around 330yards, not 400yards. And that's with a golfball drag coef of .2 (which is sometimes needed in GGDT to get the correct distance.)