Looking to build a horn set for our Varsity Football team. Looking for ideas or suggestions as to what would be a good design. Thinking a K5LA would be a good start but don’t know if that is overkill or not.
Also need input as to compressors, tanks and any other details I might need.
Tks
Buy a k5 and you will never regret it. If your in need of one pm me I have a k5la for sale.
depending on how often they score haha. K5 and a 10 gallon tank
i wish i had my horns during football season of my senior year.
what i would do is get a big paintball tank, like a 90ci tank, and have it regulated down.
so if i do the math right
90ci @ 4500psi
90ci = 0.3896 gallons
(0.3896)(4500)=(150)(X)
so a 90ci paintball tank pressurized to 4500 psi will act like 11.5 gallons at 150 psi. so if you have multiple tanks it could be a portable system
or you could use a nitrous bottle or a CO2 bottle and rig a harness so it can be carried on you back.
but obviously you would have to have a backpack for everything
I’d ask honeybunchickens on Youtube as he has done all sorts of custom train horn installations, including stadium sets.
If you have access to A/C power then get on of those air compressors that’s small and powerful. If not, then get one that allows you blow the horns as often as needed and fits your budget. I will always recommend Oasis air compressors (available at Hornblasters).
Getting started with the parts. Have a K6LA on order that will be powder coated to the school colors. Mounting 5 bells on a high manifold and will figure out where to put #6 once I build the unit. Snagged a Oasis XD3000 yesterday for $450, even works like it should. Looking at replacing the 12v motor with a 36v so I can use it attached to a golf cart. One of the local companies will allow me to use a cart for the games so we don’t have to carry the beast. That will also supply the power so I don’t have to purchase batteries for the unit. 2 - 5 gal tanks all enclosed in a structure that will mount where the golf bags go and we should be set. I am going to use a manual valve and will try a 1" McMaster-Carr regulator to keep my pressure under 150. If all works like it should we will be the best out there in this part of Texas.
Tks for the replies. I am open to any suggestions as this is my first build.
Tks Dan for both of you taking the time today for my questions on the Oasis I purchased.
$450 sounds too good to be true for an XD3000. Others have done that and when they posted a pic it turned out to be an earlier model. Can you post a pic or 2 from different angles?
Looking at the pics I saw it is an older model. It doesn’t have the fan grill on the end of the motor. I am 500 miles away and I had someone that lives there check it out and pick it up for me. I know it works and pumps air. Other than that nothing for sure.
So tell me what I paid $450 for? A pig in a poke?
It appears to be an HP1000 (no oil level sight glass). They’re great for short runs because there should be a thermal switch in the motor, attached near one of the brushes, that limits its run time from a cold start to about 8 -10 minutes. Direct sunlight in summer could limit it even more.
The motor is no longer manufactured and parts are unavailable. When its brushes wear out, some have taken them to starter rebuilders that were able to modify or fabricate brushes to make them fit the brush guides.
If the compressor frame has 6 holes where the motor mounts, then it can be upgraded with an XD motor ($600) making it an XD2000. The XD motor is heavier, longer, and larger in diameter which extends below the botom of the frame so shims are needed under the frame to make up the space. It draws 50 amps less current, has more HP & torque, and being ventilated has no thermal switch limiting its run time.
The pump doesn’t have oil control and will discharge about 1 ounce of oil every hour of run time. I can’t see the other side of the compressor but there should be a small elbow with a bronze filter element that vets the crankcase to atmosphere or the oil will discharge faster. Check the oil level often. If you don’t have a dipstick make one from a wire hanger. Cut a piece 9 or 10 inches long, put a finger loop at one end, and bend the rest around the HP motor to about 90 degrees. The minimum level is 1 inch and the optimal level is 1.5 inches. You can put in a little more but it usually gets discharged faster and too much can hinder compressor performance.