Search found 66 matches
- Sat Feb 03, 2007 12:52 pm
- Forum: Stirling and "Hot Air" Engine Forum
- Topic: heater fan
- Replies: 1
- Views: 5469
Hi Jhead, http://www.jerry-howell.com has some beautiful plans and kits available. I have never personally built any of them, but I think that they are some of the nicest looking Stirling engines available at the scale you are considering. You may need to have access to a lathe in order to build the...
- Thu Feb 01, 2007 12:22 am
- Forum: Stirling and "Hot Air" Engine Forum
- Topic: why do most models have of displacer type piston?
- Replies: 2
- Views: 6581
- Tue Jan 30, 2007 10:38 am
- Forum: Stirling and "Hot Air" Engine Forum
- Topic: It will not run.
- Replies: 9
- Views: 13372
TJ, If possible, place a counter balance on the fan so that the displacer stops at a random position every time you free-spin it. This will help balance the engine and prevent it from stalling at low speeds (such as start-up). Also, with low heat and the system closed, try spinning the fan. Does it ...
- Mon Jan 29, 2007 11:34 am
- Forum: Stirling and "Hot Air" Engine Forum
- Topic: It will not run.
- Replies: 9
- Views: 13372
Here's the direct link to see the picture: http://www.stirlingengine.com/file-storage/download/DSCN2150.JPG?version_id=355 Wow, that's a big boy! Ok, so you mentioned that you do have compression and that the engine turns freely when the plug is removed. I'm still willing to bet that there is an air...
- Fri Jan 26, 2007 11:09 am
- Forum: Stirling and "Hot Air" Engine Forum
- Topic: Power producing low delta T state of the art?
- Replies: 11
- Views: 15704
Hi Pete, I'd research both NASA and Phillips work to see how you stack up. Half a watt is quite an accomplishment at the scale you describe. I'm not sure if you meet the definition of a low delta T engine at 30C, though. I'll have to defer to someone else, but I believe at difference of less than 10...
- Mon Jan 22, 2007 10:21 am
- Forum: Stirling and "Hot Air" Engine Forum
- Topic: It will not run.
- Replies: 9
- Views: 13372
- Wed Jan 17, 2007 11:03 am
- Forum: Stirling and "Hot Air" Engine Forum
- Topic: Flywheel
- Replies: 12
- Views: 34867
- Wed Jan 10, 2007 6:35 pm
- Forum: Stirling and "Hot Air" Engine Forum
- Topic: little machine shop walking beam engine
- Replies: 7
- Views: 9724
- Sat Jan 06, 2007 4:05 pm
- Forum: Stirling and "Hot Air" Engine Forum
- Topic: little machine shop walking beam engine
- Replies: 7
- Views: 9724
Hi Larry, Without any heat applied, if you flick the flywheel either direction, it should spin about a quarter turn or so and then bounce back to its resting position. If the flywheel simply spins without rebounding, there is a reasonable chance that the system is not air tight. Try disconnecting th...
- Fri Dec 29, 2006 2:25 pm
- Forum: Stirling and "Hot Air" Engine Forum
- Topic: cylinder ratios
- Replies: 14
- Views: 71720
Hi Donnie, I haven't tried it myself, though like you I have found several sources that mention it. Perhaps you could design your engine with a replaceable displacer so that you could try different configurations? It's a bit more work to make the cylinder openable, but I have found it a great deal e...
- Sat Dec 23, 2006 3:00 pm
- Forum: Stirling and "Hot Air" Engine Forum
- Topic: Home Built Stirling for Remote Power Generation
- Replies: 42
- Views: 52959
Ah, yes... we're back to the half-buried drum idea. (Still love it!) The only big concern I would have with an outdoor LTD engine is that friction must be maintained at an absolute minimum for these guys to work properly. Keep in mind that low-temp differentials also have very low output for their p...
- Tue Dec 12, 2006 4:00 pm
- Forum: Stirling and "Hot Air" Engine Forum
- Topic: cylinder ratios
- Replies: 14
- Views: 71720
Hi Gary, The proportions I used in my equations came from Roy Darlington's book: Stirling and Hot Air Engines and James Rizzo's Stirling Engine Manual . Their explanation is that the one-third two-third ratio was derived experimentally by Stirling. I believe that it assumes air as the medium. I stan...
- Mon Dec 11, 2006 11:35 am
- Forum: Stirling and "Hot Air" Engine Forum
- Topic: Strobe to Measure RPM
- Replies: 6
- Views: 34647
Good catch, Ben! I thought this at first as well. Turns out that at 60Hz a fluorescent light flashes 120 times. I'm not sure of the electrical explanation, just that that's the way it actually works. Regardless, I built an electronic revolution counter using a tiny magnet as the trigger and a hall s...
- Fri Dec 08, 2006 5:18 pm
- Forum: Stirling and "Hot Air" Engine Forum
- Topic: Strobe to Measure RPM
- Replies: 6
- Views: 34647
Actually, Donnie, there is a VERY easy way to measure RPM. http://www.sherline.com/rpmgage.pdf Basically, its a paper wheel with black and white divisions on it that takes advantage of the fact that fluorescent lights flicker at 60Hz. The page is pretty self-explanatory, and I can tell you from my o...
- Fri Nov 24, 2006 8:08 pm
- Forum: Stirling and "Hot Air" Engine Forum
- Topic: Flywheel
- Replies: 12
- Views: 34867