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Post by vance on Jun 29, 2021 16:57:07 GMT -8
I did a little work on the SSAM today. I made a pivot for the levers out of 1/16" stainless rod and threaded it for nuts. This replaces a cotter pin, and takes out a lot of slop. I also cut down the adjuster setscrew to give more diaphragm clearance and added a lock nut. This conversion is looking good! I'll pool test soon after some detail work. I still need to get some fills for my tanks!
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Post by vance on Jun 30, 2021 15:15:02 GMT -8
My compound levers are pretty similar to the Healthways levers James is using, and both should provide pretty good leverage. Just pressing the levers down with a finger feels pretty tight, but it needs to be tested on a tank. Here I go, quoting myself again. At least I stopped liking my own posts, after I learned how to undo an accidental "like" when I meant to "quote"! The difference between my levers and HWs is other than cosmetic. My lower lever is mounted upside down, compared to the HW lever, with the pivot tabs pointing up, rather than down, and the upper tab is shorter, thus lower. This is in order to gain a bit of lever throw. Next step is tuning.
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Post by vance on Jul 1, 2021 15:00:35 GMT -8
I assembled the SSAM today after doing some work on the converted hookah port. It's getting ready to be pool tested.
A while back, I machined a new 3/8" port into the damaged and leaking hookah port on an extra DAAM body. I made a plastic sealing washer in hopes that it will not leak.
The SSAM has been sitting on my desk for weeks, waiting to be finished. The levers are now operational, the washer installed, and the second stage screwed down. I will do some venturi adjustments tomorrow, and hopefully, I'll get it in the water.
But, I'm out of town again next week. I'm doing a BBQ/steakhouse tour of KC, and a tour of the West Virginia environs with a knowledgeable native. There will also be a fried chicken comparison tasting in Pittsburgh, Kansas!
Good times!
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Post by fishnbeer on Jul 1, 2021 15:52:38 GMT -8
Hey Phil- It look's like you have some great eat's in your future. yumm!
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Post by vance on Jul 2, 2021 15:34:03 GMT -8
Still no tank fills available at the PoAWTs.
So, I jumped through some hoops today to charge a tank to about 1000 psig. I had a full tank with a leaky J valve, and decanted some of its pressure to another almost empty tank via a cheater bar.
The SSAM output is way too strong. James added a secondary jet with a setscrew adjuster, but even with it removed, the thing needs more taming.
There's a few ways to go here: mod a USD second stage body, turn a new brass fitting, or re-jet the 3D printed part. Re-jetting seems easiest, and I can go to school on it to make a new part. I'll increase the existing jet size, and add 1 or 2 new jets to bleed off some of that venturi.
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Post by vance on Oct 17, 2022 15:19:34 GMT -8
Hey Phil- It look's like you have some great eat's in your future. yumm! I should probably update this after the trip was done. The KC part of the trip was great, and we had excellent beer and BBQ all over the city. KC is a really up-and-coming modern town with a lot of history, including BBQ, the Museum of Jazz History and the Negro Leagues Baseball Museum (which are both incredible). The WV part was also really great. My friend Bob and I drove 1000 miles in 3 days, touring WV, rural Ohio, rural Pennsylvania, rural Virginia, and rural Maryland. I got to add a couple of states to my list! We saw a lot of off the beaten path places he knew about, b/c he drives a truck all over the place. Maybe other people might not enjoy that much driving, but I love it. We went to the Nation's newest national park, The New River Gorge; the Falling Water House, by Frank Lloyd Wright; toured Pittsburgh, PA (which has been transformed in recent years and is another up-and-coming city), and many other cool places.
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Post by vance on Oct 25, 2022 15:28:54 GMT -8
I did a bunch of cleanup, rebending, and general smoothing and tidying up on my custom compound lever set for the SSAM. I also did some thinking about the air director and jets. After looking at and contemplating some mods to an OEM second stage body, I think I will make a new plug which will be drilled and tapped for some jets like in the photos, or another, kind of Mistral sorta venturi nozzle. I will most likely use hex stock, so oem retaining ears can be used to keep it from rotating. The stock HP spring installed in the HP nozzle is too strong, and will need to be replaced with something less intense. I think James has already done that. A reasonable cracking effort and good venturi should easily be attainable. Here's a tantalizing tidbit: James and I are collaborating on another DH conversion. It is a balanced, single stage, double hose conversion that is based on a popular single hose first stage. Mistral boxes and/or 3D copies are the most likely home! More to come!
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Post by vance on Nov 12, 2022 17:29:33 GMT -8
I replaced the USD first stage nozzle spring with a weaker one. Opening the valve is much easier w/o air pressure, and the reg locks up fine with it. But, when the air is turned on, the force it takes on the lever to actuate the valve is very hard. And, with James' adapter, or a standard USD DAAM second stage body (w/o the poppet), the resulting air blast is outrageous.
I will make a brass air director (in place of the second stage body) with a much smaller jet/bleed jet than James' 3D part has, to see if this can be controlled reasonably. No reason why not!
Interestingly, this is not the first conversion of this type. The Narghile regulators back in the day were CG-45s converted to second stage regs with a surface air source, or a remote first stage on a tank!
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Post by vance on Jan 7, 2023 13:32:52 GMT -8
When you get it setup and ready to test, you should place an LP adapter in the hookah port and monitor the dynamic pressure with an IP gauge. I realize that intermediate pressure is not normally what we think about with a single stage regulator, but I have measured it and it can be substantial, during the dynamic flow while inhaling. I have measured the “intermediate pressure” (IP)in a modified Mistral type of regulator and during a normal breath the momentary pressure can range between 60 psi to about 130 psi, depending on how hard I am inhaling. I have seen it go as high as 180 psi (maybe a bit more) when I induce a free-flow. This is a very transient pressure, but you can sustain it as long as you are inhaling. We called them single stage regulators, but a more accurate description is single valve. The actual pressure drops occurs in at least two very discrete stages or steps. The first significant pressure drop (compressible flow type of pressure discontinuity) occurs around the perimeter of the valve volcano orifice. The second pressure discontinuity occurs at the jet opening due to a second sudden pressure discontinuity. BTW, the nozzle or blue plastic piece should have no issues handling the pressure since the area is relatively small. The piece that is guiding the pin will see the same pressure, but the area is substantially bigger and there are fewer threads. It may not be an issue (and I have not done any specific calculations on the shear stress of these threads), but the pressure could be an issue with that large disc in 3D printed plastic. Just be careful when testing. Taking Luis' advice, I hooked up my IP gauge to the hookah port and tested a couple of air directors. I made a new one out of brass with one 1/16" port. It went beyond 200 psig. The James 3D director measured in the 70- 140 psig range. Way too much. I drilled 2 more bleed jets in the new air director: a 1/16" on top, another 1/16" on the side, and then added a 3/16" main jet, making it 4 total. This dropped the dynamic pressure to 40- 125 psig. The blast is prodigious. Next, I'll put the diaphragm and cover on it for a test. I am pretty sure that the result will be uncontrolled free flow.
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Post by vance on Apr 19, 2023 14:42:03 GMT -8
Well, it's still too strong. I think the next step is to reduce the volcano opening. Compared to an HW seat opening, the DAAM's volcano is pretty large. Having said "...the next step is ...", I'm wondering how to go about it!
JBWeld? Brass plug drilled smaller?
Huh. Any ideas?
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Post by james1979 on Apr 19, 2023 16:53:43 GMT -8
Weird idea for you... When I turned the jet away from the horn, it killed the venturi totally. What if you gave it the dial-a-breath treatment with a venturi disruptor?
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Post by SeaRat on Apr 19, 2023 19:24:51 GMT -8
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Post by vance on Apr 20, 2023 7:28:49 GMT -8
I'm thinking of an adjustable tab that attaches to one or both of the ear screw holes.
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Post by Tusker on Apr 20, 2023 15:22:06 GMT -8
Please update with pictures if you try that. I don't have any ideas to add, I just wanted to say that I really enjoy catching up with these projects and seeing the great things you guys come up with. A single-stage Aquamaster doesn't have to exist in a world with a Mistral, but I'm very glad it does!
Jacob
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