Vacuum car project

[LV LOU]

Here's a few shots of the car I'm working on..The battery is the little silver thingie in the end compartment.That battery will keep a small heli in the air for 5-8 minutes,running three motors.The motor I'm using is the tail rotor motor,the smallest of the three.Should run for at least 12 minutes..The filter has a closed end,is held in under pressure,slides right out to clean it.

[LV LOU]

Here's a shot of the duct on top of the car..

[LV LOU]

Just realized this project just became a headache..I'm building the vacuum car to go between these MOW units I made,the longer one is a track cleaner with a stone under it..What I just realized is,I don't have any more Floquil Reefer Yellow to finish it,or the passenger car I was gonna put on it....THANKS TESTORS....

[up1950s]

Richie,I have a few Model Power C420/SD45 dummy trucks you're welcome to,but only 4 wheel pickup..One screw mount,though..

Thanks , but I am working on this with a LL PA dummy . The dummy has the pick-up plates so I get all 12 wheels or less feeding .

[up1950s]

Cool setup , what's the voltage of the motor ? Is there a source link for that filter ? Sorry , I can't offer you or anybody my Floquil . Never had any luck with water paints , so once I am out of my Floquil I might as well quit model railroading . Testers decision to kill Floquil paint has hurt model railroading more than anybody else EVER in history . Damn , what's a replacement for Diosol ?

[peteski]

Cool setup , what's the voltage of the motor ? Is there a source link for that filter ? Sorry , I can't offer you or anybody my Floquil . Never had any luck with water paints , so once I am out of my Floquil I might as well quit model railroading . Testers decision to kill Floquil paint has hurt model railroading more than anybody else EVER in history . Damn , what's a replacement for Diosol ?

Floquil is still alive and well in my local hobby store.it is also available online. recently Micro Mark was touting the fact that they still have plenty of Floquil in stock.

As for thinning for airbrushing, and for cleaning brushes, I often use hardware store type of lacquer thinner.  I use it on many types of paints.

[LV LOU]

Cool setup , what's the voltage of the motor ? Is there a source link for that filter ? Sorry , I can't offer you or anybody my Floquil . Never had any luck with water paints , so once I am out of my Floquil I might as well quit model railroading . Testers decision to kill Floquil paint has hurt model railroading more than anybody else EVER in history . Damn , what's a replacement for Diosol ?

Microscale discontinuing all those decals didn't do us much good,either.Same as Peteski,I never used Diosol,always Lacquer thinner as long as I've been doing this.My friend does HO,he uses paint thinner,the refined mineral spirits for enamel house paint.Guess I gotta check online for some paint,can't imagine my life without loco black..
 No idea on the motor voltage rating.The battery is a LiPo,3.6 volts,150Mah..I'll see if I can find a link for the filter,but any Harley shop should have it...I just realized,it's not an inline filter,it's the filter from inside the tank,sits on top of the petcock..

[peteski]

I'm curious what you guys will use for the impeller.  The Atlas car uses a centrifugal impeller, similar the what is used in shop-vacs.  The air intake is in the center of the impeller. I think those create more suction (or pull more vacuum) than an equivalent size propeller-type of a impeller.

[LV LOU]

I'm curious what you guys will use for the impeller.  The Atlas car uses a centrifugal impeller, similar the what is used in shop-vacs.  The air intake is in the center of the impeller. I think those create more suction (or pull more vacuum) than an equivalent size propeller-type of a impeller.

Mine will be the helicopter blade in the pic,cut down to fit the aluminum duct I fabricated.If necessary,and I don't believe it will be,I can add another blade 90 degrees off to make a 4 blade.The amount of air that motor/prop combo moves is amazing,the motor is an absolute monster for it's size.It's mounted on an 1/8 inch aluminum tube tail boom on the heli,if you hold the heli in your hand,and crank it up,it will flex the 4" long boom & the frame!!! It will be very similar to a model aircraft ducted fan..I'm going to try it at lower voltage first to see how it works,I'm actually worried it will blow the blades off if I put it at full voltage.

[LV LOU]

 Richie,this is the filter..Unfortunately,I didn't know it's 17 bucks list..When you own a Harley shop,you have stuff like this laying around,I just grabbed it out of a junk box,LOL!!

http://www.vtwinmfg.com/webapp/wcs/stores/servlet/VTwinProd5_10101_10102_3308621_-1_141351_141773_141789_141791

[up1950s]

Thanks ,  I,m not going to use it on this one , but nice to know of it , and where to search it out .

[LV LOU]

DUH..I just went back and looked,that price seemed wrong,a petcock costs that much.That price is for a five pack right from them..You can probably get one for four bucks or so at a shop...

[peteski]

Mine will be the helicopter blade in the pic,cut down to fit the aluminum duct I fabricated.If necessary,and I don't believe it will be,I can add another blade 90 degrees off to make a 4 blade.The amount of air that motor/prop combo moves is amazing,the motor is an absolute monster for it's size.It's mounted on an 1/8 inch aluminum tube tail boom on the heli,if you hold the heli in your hand,and crank it up,it will flex the 4" long boom & the frame!!! It will be very similar to a model aircraft ducted fan..I'm going to try it at lower voltage first to see how it works,I'm actually worried it will blow the blades off if I put it at full voltage.

Shortening the blades by more than half their length (judging but the photo showing the tube and the propeller) will drastically change their ability to push the air. The outboard part of the blade is what does most of the "pushing air".  The shorter blade will also spin faster (since there is less air resistance against it).  It might just disintegrate.    IIRC, ducted fans for RC models don't use standard open-air props but multi-blade impellers which look like turbines.  But it looks like you're having fun doing what your doing. I'll be curiously watching this thread for the final outcome of this experiment. 

[Lemosteam]

Looks like another way to achieve tractive effort!    Can you fit it into a loco? 

[central.vermont]

The amount of air that motor/prop combo moves is amazing,the motor is an absolute monster for it's size.It's mounted on an 1/8 inch aluminum tube tail boom on the heli,if you hold the heli in your hand,and crank it up,it will flex the 4" long boom & the frame!!! It will be very similar to a model aircraft ducted fan..I'm going to try it at lower voltage first to see how it works,I'm actually worried it will blow the blades off if I put it at full voltage.

Sounds like you also might want too tether it down for fear it might fly around the room!!!

Jon