Lego Pneumatics - Pneumatic Principles

Pneumatic Principles

Lego pneumatics offer the opportunity to learn and experiment with the principles of pneumatics and control circuits. Advanced use of Lego pneumatics has been made in various Lego Mindstorms creations.

Lego pneumatic projects usually include a compressor made from a combination of a lego electric motor and pneumatic pump, together with a pressure switch which will activate the motor when greater pressure is required.

The pneumatic elements are most commonly used to resemble and take the function of hydraulic cylinders in appropriate models, actuating a digging arm or crane, for example. They can, however, also be used to build a pneumatic engine, which converts air pressure into rotary motion using the same principles as a steam engine. However, the cylinders are not optimised for this purpose, and such engines tend to be slow and lack power unless the cylinder inlets are enlarged.

Because a slight delay is involved between increased pressure and cylinder movement, various feedback loops can be used whereby one pneumatic component can activate another in a series of mechanical events.

Lego pneumatics can be configured in such a way that electronic circuits can be replicated. These circuits can then be combined to create digital computers.