Hello,
When you have home built air msucles, what is the maximum PSI that I could use? I have heard about 60 PSI giving good results. I have seen tanks that can release about 12 CFM. Can this be reduced because I’m not sure the air muscles can resist this kind of force?
I need to buy a compressor to compress the air onboard of a vehicle but I don’t know where to find all the current I need to do this. I guest I could use solar recharging baterries that give power to the compressor.
This looks quite interesting actually. Ive been considering experimenting with homemade air muscles as a simple project. That looks like a very good compressor, excellently priced!
where did i put my credit card?.. 
For working with compressed air, you will want a compressor with a storage tank, and a regulator. A pressure switch to keep the storage at a set pressure is also desirable.
The compressor shown above is just that - a compressor used for inflating things like tires and sports balls. Turn it on when you need air, and turn it off when you’re done. It delivers high pressure, but at low volumes, and it can take a while to provide any significant quantity of compressed air at useable pressures. If you’re going to be using the air to power things, be it tools or air muscles, you’ll want the ability to source large quantities of it on demand, without having to wait for a compressor to deliver the pressure you need a small volume (the displacement of the pump piston) at a time. For this, you will want a storage tank of some sort.
A regulator allows you to deliver a set pressure, without worrying about blowing your seals, lines, actuators, etc. This is generally a good thing, because things exploding under high pressures is a situation that is generally best avoided.
Finally, a pressure switch handles the supervisory task of keeping your storage tank at a useable level, turning the pump on when the pressure falls close to your minimum working pressure, and turning it off again when you have enough in the tank.
Fortunately, many commercially available compressors come with all three of these components already assembled into one nice unit, with a minimal risk of sudden unplanned decompression. You can also bodge together your own set, but the chance of inadvertent self-disassembly is much higher, and the savings aren’t really that great.
For a while, I ran my airbrushes off of a compressor set that I had hacked together using a spare tire, a 12-volt tire pump (like the one pictured above), and a recycled pressure switch salvaged from a water tank of some sort. The assembly was hooked up with an assortment of barb fittings, air hose, and clamps. It worked, but I probably spent just as much time on repairs and tracking down leaks as I did on using it for painting. After a rather sudden and dramatic failure under pressure, I finally got smart and bought myself a real compressor with the pump, regulator, tank, and switch all in one unit. It was well worth it, and getting rid of my “compressor of death” was probably one of the wisest purchasing decisions I made.
Hello, again, thank you for the information Seamuse, it was helpfull, now I understand what to look for a compressor and waht it means.
Now I have another question about air muscles…
I have seen air pistons that can move up and down very quikly (100 times/second with legos 
and also other types). I was wondering how fast can an air muscles do that. I assume the smaller the muscles the faster it can do it since you need less air to fill the muscles up thus the muscles fills faster at a given CFM (cubic feet/minute).
Do you guys have any idea of how fast an air muscles can inflate? Or just a general idea. I guess it would take more time than a normal piston… but I don’t know why. 
It probably has more space to be filled.
For info : I did some calculations 7.5 inches long (no tension or contraction) for 1/4 inner tube. can get maximum 4.5/8 inches in diameter (braided sleeve around it). With tension the muscles can get to 11 inches with tension and then 9 inches with less tension. i juste need two inches of contraction and that the muscle be still in tension after 2 inches… so taht would be OK. the muscles would have maximum 4.638753984375 cubic inches to get contraction… Is that a lot?
Help 
Well, after a while I’m back!
I built a couple of muscles. I did trest mostly with the 19 mm braided sleeve diameter. It was used with a 3/8 ID * 1/2 OD.
I have 19% contraction under 33 pounds and 10% uder 50 pounds. I am now looking for a bigger sleeve and latex tube. I think I that I can get a much better contraction and stronger muscle.
Anyone here have ideas on how to make a stronger muscles? Anyone have experience here?
