Posted by Art H on August 03, 2003 at 10:18:17:
In Reply to: wouldn't 4 r's/1p make more sense? posted by anonymous on August 02, 2003 at 13:50:53:
There is nothing stupid about your question; you should not be ashamed about stimulating discussion.
I'm curious about your opinion regarding HOW that would make more sense. Which kind of valve do YOU find to be "slow & sticky"?
Personally, I prefer pistons. But I think a rotor makes sense for a 5th valve for three reasons:
(1) You can get really large-bore rotary valves "off the shelf".
(2) You can splice a rotary valve into any straight segment of tubing.
(3) You can arrange linkage so that the 5th valve is operated by either hand, wherever you want it. With a piston you have to put your finger where the button is, whether that is comfortable or not.
Huge rotors tend to be heavy and therefore sluggish, but that's not so much of a problem for 5th valves as it would be for 1-4 because the 5th valve is unlikely to be used in rapid passages. (I'm sure there are exceptions to that generalization, but there is also no reason why rotors have to be so massive.)