GTA
Support Equipment For PCP/HPA/CO2 and springers ,rams => Support Equipment For PCP/HPA/CO2 => Topic started by: benj397 on June 05, 2014, 01:48:48 PM
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Found out there is an economy version without some of the bells and whistles. Does anybody have one or an opinion about it?
How well are the raptors holding up? Any comments?
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Bump as I too am interested in these.
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My Raptors doing great.
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Well, not many comments here or other air gun forums so I decided to be a guinea pig and buy one. The Raptor price was too much for me and the economy version was about the same price as the Freedom 8 - but I would have also had to buy a 1st stage oilless compressor, hose and fittings which would have made the shoebox almost the cost of the raptor. I figured that if I got the Shoebox max, a 1st stage oilless compressor and hoses, fittings, etc. it would be about the price of the economy version but a lot less portable.
So I got the economy version of the raptor. It is working great. Very portable as it doesn't need a 1st stage compressor. Open (no sheet metal surround) which will make it easy to work on when that becomes necessary, and probably helps prevent heat buildup.
I did add an hour meter so I can track use. I made the right decision.
Here are photos since they are hard to find.
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The Tupperware container I suppose is the water vapor collector? You just dump it when it collects enough? If so, wonder how it would do to fill it with desiccant?
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No it is the water reservoir. It was just empty in this photo.
Nice and easy to clean when necessary.
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Ohhhh....cooling system.
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Could you tell us the price?
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$1295 shipped
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$1295 shipped
Thanks.
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What is the output on the economy one please.
Bob
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Sorry, I don't have a confirmed / verified output but the specs say 3 cu ft per minute.
What is the output for a freedom max or freedom 8?
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The Freedom 8 is 8 CF / hr., the original was half that.... It took 20 hrs. to fill an 80CF SCUBA tank from empty....
Bob
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Yea Bob I have the F8 and I love it. I was just curious.
Bob
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That pump looks like the one sold by mrodair.com. Does it come with a pressure cut off switch? How often is maintenance required? Do you get greases and re-build parts with the pump?
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Yes, mrodair is one of the current suppliers. I met Mike at the Malvern air gun show back in April but I bought mine before he had any (and possibly before he knew about them).
The compressor has a second hand on the gauge that you move to the cutoff point (anywhere on the dial). It is electrically connected to the electronics board and when that "set point" is reached, the compressor automatically cuts off. The water pump continues to run until you unplug the unit. BTW, the water pump start when you plug the unit in. The on/off buttons only work for the compressor. The gauge is similar to the attached photo but it isn't oil filled. It really doesn't need to be. An oil filled gauge is to help "buffer" the needle movement so a gauge can be read easier. An oil filled gauge isn't needed in this application.
It comes with a rebuild kit and a syringe of spare grease (at least mine did). Per the compressor page on the mrodair site, he includes a rebuild kit too. I'd check with them and ask about the grease.
The manual says to add a little grease when the unit begins to get noisy. There isn't any recommended tear-down, clean timeframe mentioned. If not used for an extended period of time, I would empty the water out of the reservoir and let the water drain from the compressor to prevent algae growth. Nothing in the manual mentions any anti-algae or anti-microbial additive to use. I didn't want to add anything other than water. And I'm using tap water. With the reservoir being clear, you can see the quality of the water in the unit and change as needed. I've had mine awhile now (> month) and I will be changing the water this weekend.
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Might be better to use distilled water, can be bought in most stores for about a buck a gallon. Regards, Tom
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Distilled or deionized water is corrosive to some metals when used alone.
I didn't want to add any sort of coolant additive or antifreeze to the HPA pump so I just use tap water.
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The Raptor comes pre filled with Royal purple's Ice and distilled water.
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Hey Dave I don't think these are Raptors they are selling on that site.
Bob
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It is an economy model that uses basic components of the raptor.
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Nope they aint, but its basically the same exact thing minus a few features. At least thats what they are telling us.
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When I grow up I'm wanna be Just like dave and get some of the stuff he has. ;D And one of them will be the Raptor for just 1795. Air_Max makes the mamma to these ecco compressors.
Bob
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Hi guys!
I just bought the economy model from MrodAir - I think I got the second to last one they had in stock. It works great filling my new Synrod .25 Cal - it takes about 2 1/2 to 3 minutes to fill from 1500 PSI to 3K.
The MrodAir guy said he might not be getting any more in stock, due to a conflict with another importer - some sort of exclusive import deal. Later, Joe at AirTanksForSale said he was going to start selling them, so I don't know what is going on. I think the price on the economy model will probably go up, from what MRodAir was selling them for ($1295, free shipping) - at least that is what Joe Brancato said.
The only problem is moving the thing. It weighs a ton and the plastic water tank leaks around the "tupperware" lid. Between hoisting up a 65 LB compressor and trying to navigate stairs, deck furniture, Etc with this thing in tow, you gotta expect some leakage. I used 50% automotive antifreeze in mine (the manual says to use it), so I get small puddles of the stuff on my floor if I slosh the coolant around. Kinda scary, since I have two dogs that have the run of my property and I don't want them drinking the stuff. I moved the compressor out to my workshop, and put it in a place where I don't have to move it. The dogs can't get in there.
I will probably modify the compressor and replace the tupperware box with something more watertight. I also bought a run-time meter that I plan to hook to the motor wires to measure total run time for periodic maintenance.
One last problem with the compressor is that the quick disconnect hose is plumbed directly into the air/water separator. I may add a male quick disconnect to the separator and toss the cheapie Chinese hose. I bought a female-female hose from Joe, along with a Tiger Shark tank so I could use that instead.
Anyway, I really love the setup and the new rifle. I am vaporizing coffee cups at 100 yds - my wife is a potter, so I have a nearly infinite supply of reject crockery to destroy :-)
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Probably want to read the print on that "cheapie" chinese hose. Mine says made in Germany and rated to 630 Bar.
PM me with your email address if you want instructions on how to add an hour meter to this unit.
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Probably want to read the print on that "cheapie" chinese hose. Mine says made in Germany and rated to 630 Bar.
Hmm. Interesting. Looks like a low-end nickel plated brass quick disconnect fitting on the end of the hose. I may need remedial training in HPA hardware. :-) What kind of hardware did you get?
PM me with your email address if you want instructions on how to add an hour meter to this unit.
I am a seasoned electronic tech, amongst other things. :-) The biggie will be mounting the thing somewhere on the compressor chassis where it won't make smoke or fire if bad things happen. I may cut a hole in the existing controller housing and mount it there. The good news is that you can buy a Chinese 120VAC hour meter on eBay for about 8 bucks.
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I just seen that compressor on Joe's facebook page last week. https://www.facebook.com/AirTanksForSale (https://www.facebook.com/AirTanksForSale)
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To prevent algae growth you can put a silver coil in one of the suction or return lines for the reservoir and that will kill any algae that wants to grow. Silver coils are commonly used in water cooled PC systems. You can get them at just about any computer parts store that has components for water cooling. I have had one in my computer system at the water reservoir return for the last 3 years and have had no issues at all, but I do change out the water once a year and use distilled water as well.
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Hmm. Interesting. Looks like a low-end nickel plated brass quick disconnect fitting on the end of the hose. I may need remedial training in HPA hardware. :-) What kind of hardware did you get?
I am a seasoned electronic tech, amongst other things. :-) The biggie will be mounting the thing somewhere on the compressor chassis where it won't make smoke or fire if bad things happen. I may cut a hole in the existing controller housing and mount it there. The good news is that you can buy a Chinese 120VAC hour meter on eBay for about 8 bucks.
I don't hink I mentioned the quick connect - I said "hose". Fittings can be changed if desired and are cheaper than a new hose and fittings. BTW, there are brass fittings rated to 6000 psi. I'm not sure what the rating is on the one with the unit.
My offer of instructions wasn't necessarily directed at you. Just trying to help. BTW, while the ivory electronics box does look large enough to allow for mounting a meter inside, there really isn't enough room. There is a large circuit board in there that takes up room and then you have the 2 switches, the fuse and the 110v outlet spread out.
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Speaking of computer water cooling, I could see a computer water cooling system replacing that Tupperware. Would cost a couple hundred dollars though for radiator, fans, reservoir, pump and hoses.
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Well speaking of a computer radiator system I have also added that to mine. I like to tinker and already had a 120mm USB powered fan. Just had to get a radiator and elbow fittings. Don't think one could use a pump for a CPU system due to "friction" in the hose, compressor tower, and radiator. Not enough flow or power.
The fan and radiator all fit within the footprint of the compressor and powered from inside the electronics box and I use the current water reservoir.
I have instructions for that too.
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The Laing D5 pump should handle it, but if it came with a pump that's a huge savings. The d5 is 70.00 - 100.00.
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The D5 is a 12 volt pump isn't it? So you would have to get a 12 volt power supply too.
The compressor came with a pump.
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Speaking of computer water cooling, I could see a computer water cooling system replacing that Tupperware. Would cost a couple hundred dollars though for radiator, fans, reservoir, pump and hoses.
Check out eBay - there are all sorts of small radiators useful in computers and HPA pumps. The ones I looked at were way cheaper than what you would pay for PC coolers. The water pump on my new compressor looks suspiciously like the water pump on my overclocked PC so I don't think you need anything special to pump coolant through an HPA compressor.
BTW, I make my own PC coolant - about 30% full-strength car antifreeze, top it up with deionized water, and add a few drops of povidone iodine to keep algae from growing. You can buy the iodine at Wallmart or you local drug store. One bottle of the stuff is a lifetime supply.
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Yep, I got my radiator from ebay - single fan 120mm version in aluminum. However, most look like they have barbs made on them. I think these are too large for the tubing already on the compressor. You could remove the ones I got and I replaced them with quick connect elbows like already on the compressor.
Anyway, regarding a pump, one must realize that it has to pump up to the tower of the compressor, through the tower, out some tubing, into the radiator and up/down in the radiator and out through another tube back to the tank. This requires a little more umph than one realizes to obtain any flow.
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If anyone is in the greater Detroit area and wants to check out my Raptor your welcome to stop by.
Dave
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Yep, I got my radiator from ebay - single fan 120mm version in aluminum. However, most look like they have barbs made on them. I think these are too large for the tubing already on the compressor. You could remove the ones I got and I replaced them with quick connect elbows like already on the compressor.
Anyway, regarding a pump, one must realize that it has to pump up to the tower of the compressor, through the tower, out some tubing, into the radiator and up/down in the radiator and out through another tube back to the tank. This requires a little more umph than one realizes to obtain any flow.
When pumping liquid in a system PC or Compressor the reservoir is above the pump and water pushes or equalizes the pressure, so there is no need for a Pump that needs to pump a lot of pressure, all your are doing is circulating the water or coolant. It may take a little force but very very little to none. When pumping water up it takes a little less than 1/2 pound of force to pump water 1 foot of elevation (this is only if you are pumping up into dead air space). Anytime the water is equal in pressure and elevation it is only circulating the water. So if you want more cooling you need more volume not pressure in these type of systems, but if you move the coolant to fast (or too slow) with volume it defeats the purpose, the hot coolant needs to be in the radiator long enough to cool down. A car radiator works the same way, but it is controlled to stay in the radiator long enough to be cooled down before it travels (circulates) into the engine and then back to the radiator to be cooled down again.
Just a thought and some info! So moving too much to fast is not always the best choice!
William
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I prefer blonds. LOL
Mine delivers Monday!!!
WooHoo
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I thought you would get on me after I thought about it and erased it.
Bob