[PSUBS-MAILIST] SOLENOID BALLAST VALVE

[Alan James via Personal_Submersibles]

I have been working on my ballast valve design. (below)It's based on the drawing Vance handed out at the Islamorada convention, except it's operated by a solenoid rather than an air cylinder.I am intending to have a similar valve on the bottom of my ballast tank,but modified so that the sealing gasket sits on the outside of the top plate& pushes away. I will be able to use the same wire on the top valve on the coil of the bottomvalve so they work in unison. Just a matter of getting the right thicknessof wire & number of turns. If it fails you won't be able to release air to dive, but will always be able tofill the tanks with air.The iron core of the plunger will need to be coated. The wiring of the solenoidis already coated but I'll add a bit of epoxy.The intended assembly method is to cut a whole in the top of the ballast tank& drop the module in. Then use the bolt holes in the top plate as a templatefor holes through the ballast tank. The ballast tank holes are then oversizedto receive threaded inserts that are epoxied in from the inside. Then the valveis dropped in & bolted down.I am thinking of doing it all in hard anodized aluminum but are not quite sure.I am intending to weld the body to the top plate.Any thoughts???Alan 
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