The Double Push Button Stroke Hose Valve Controller

In 2004 ABCO came out with a new accessory. For a long time the stroke control hose was closed with a white plastic clamp of a type found in hospitals. This pinch clamp was simple and cheap and worked well. It was easy to figure out how to use.

You would flip the clamp open, and blow or suck on the hose to adjust the internal trapped air volume of the receiver/power unit combination, which in turn controlled the stroking action. It was not overly elegant, but quite functional.

The new push button unit is very elegant and uses high quality parts. It couples a pair of check valves pointing in opposite directions with a pair of air push button valves. It relies on the action of the power unit cycle in combination with these check valves. If you push one button and hold it a short period, there will come a time during the cycle of the power unit when there is a vacuum or a pressure relative to the outside air. If you are holding down the valve connected to the intake oriented check valve, air will be added to the trapped volume. If you are holding down the other one, air will be subtracted from the trapped volume. The need to fiddle with a clip or suck on a hose or blow on a hose is eliminated.

If you look carefully at this internal view of the new air valve unit, you can see the check valves and the backs of the push button air valves. The large brass tubulation at the bottom in this photo is the connection to the end of the stroke control hose. The white plastic clamp is no longer needed. Pushing and holding both push button valves allows pressure/vacuum to equalize on the receiver.

In use I found there were times when I could not get the pressure I wanted in some of my modified receivers and other gimmicks powered by the Venus 2000 power unit. While it worked fine with stock receivers in routine use, I felt I needed the ability to force more air in than the natural cycle action would take.

The fix was simple, I just got some additional 1/8 inch I.D. hose. In my case I was able to get some aquarium hose of high quality in the right size. I then just slipped this over the free end of the check valve which is oriented to allow air into the system. Now by pressing the appropriate push button valve and blowing into the attached hose, I can overpressure the system if I wish to. Or I can ignore the hose and use the valve console as it it were not modified. If you look carefully at the left side of the above photo, you can see the light green hose added and just visible under the black loop of hose you can see where it attaches to one of the clear plastic check valves. I made a hole in the side of the plastic valve box to allow the blow hose to exit.

Whether or not this modification is worth while to you will depend a great deal on how you use and enjoy your Venus 2000 unit and receivers. You may find the unmodified controller works great for you in all cases.

The one thing that did bother me was the old slither problem. I have always had a problem with the speed controller slithering away like a snake determined to hide under the bed. I attacked this with a clip arrangement that allowed it to be secured to a sheet or pillow case or some other convenient place, which was in turn slipped over the cable going to the speed control unit.  This clip helped a lot.

Unfortunately, the new air valve unit also believed in slithering and also thought hiding under the bed was just the right thing to do. Now I had two control units competing to see which could be most irritating and disappear the quickest onto the floor, or slither behind something. It was becoming a bit of a juggling contest.

So I decided one big console was better than two little ones. I placed them side by side, lining up the cord and the hose, fiddling with the positions until I liked the arrangement, and then made a paper template. I cut out a nice sheet of 1/8 inch aluminum. I happened to have some scrap that was already painted a nice color.

I rounded the edges of the metal plate and attached the two units with fat double sided adhesive "tape", actually a kind of mounting material made by 3M. I needed several layers to fill up the recessed base of the air control unit and the speed control unit. But when done, the attachment proved to be quite strong.

I had also drilled a hole in the new combined base in a convenient place so I could mount the clip near the center of balance. I have found these clips in several places. Sometimes used to reseal bags of fancy coffee or tea. Often the perfect clips are found on nametags. They have "buck teeth", that is one jaw overlaps the other as they close, which makes them particularly effective in grabbing clothing or sheets. The ones from nametags often have nice little flat plastic "loops" on them making them easy to combine with a split ring for mounting.

I had some split spiral wrap from Radio Shack used to control cable bundles, so to make it fancy, I slipped it over the hose and cable to bundle them together. You may or may not want to do this. I am still undecided. It makes it fancy looking, but it stiffens the combination. Being stiffer, this puts up a big more fight, and is a bit harder to get to "stay" where you want it.

I happened to have some nice rubber feet about 3/4 inch in diameter which were also stick on, so I placed them on the back of the console rather as an afterthought.  What a great afterthought! As it turns out these things grab onto sheets and other cloth surfaces and fight the slither factor very nicely. Between making one console out of two and adding the rubber feet, nearly all the problem was solved.  The clip makes for added versatility in keeping this console completely under control during use.

08/04

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