PIP 3 Cylinder Radial

[michael-au]

The stanchions were machined on the manual lathe and thread with a dia
These are then installed on to the cylinders and a slot is then milled for the rockers
The cylinder and head are all one piece on this engine

 

[michael-au]

The rockers were machined on the cnc mill in the 4th axis this way all operations can be done in one setup

 

[michael-au]

Making the cylinders I think was one of the most challenging parts of this engine, there are so many set ups
The first part was the easiest turning the centre out and machining the fins,
CNC lathe was used to turn the fins
Internal boring was done on the manual lathe




After the fins are finished the cylinder is mounted in a chuck mounted on the mill table, I used CNC to drill the mounting holes in all the cylinders

Next op done in the dividing head, using a ball nose cutter a grove was cut through the fins in line with each bolt hole, this is to allow bolts easy access to the mounting holes



Next is to machine the top of the cylinders to the correct dimensions and the turn the fins, this be comes the head
A fixture is made to hold the cylinders so they can be turned in the lather



Once the top is turned to the correct shape the fins are turned

 

[michael-au]

This is the fixture that is used to mount the cylinders to the rotary table
The rotary table is mounted on to a tilting table, so the rotary can tilted to a 30° angle using a centre drill, drill down until almost all the countersink part of the drill is in the material
This countersunk hole will be used to line the cylinders up with the spindle on the mill, there is no other way to line up where to drill the pug hole and the valves etc







Now the Roary table is tilted to 30° and also at an angle of 41.9° to the table
A dead centre is placed in the quill and this is then used to line the spindle up with the hole that was first drill into he top af the fixture, this will put the cylinder in the correct place too drill the hole foe the spark plug and have it come out in the right place with on the cylinder



As the rotary is setup now all the hole for the spark plug, the two valves and one rocker stanchion, after these holes have been drilled and tapped the the angle table that the rotary is bolted to is turned to face the other direction at an angle of 41.9° and the other rocker stanchion can be drilled and tapped




Next step is cross drill the stachions, this is done by milling a slot and a piece of aluminum that is the same as the width of the stanchion and finding dimension from the open end of the slot and the placing the stanchions on the cylinders into the slot ar drilling the hole




so if your luck has held out to this point they should look like this

Still have to machine the inlet and exhaust ports yet

 

[michael-au]

Spark Plugs are made using corian for the insulators, the corona is cut off a piece scrap I got from a kitchen manufacturer, it is the turned down until it is round.
The bottom end and the insulators are machined on the cnc lathe




The insulator is drilled with a 1mm drill

After the end phase been milled and a tag is left it is bent over using this fixture



The plug is then place into the fixture to be swaged together


A 1mm stainless tin welding wire is used for the electrode

 

[michael-au]

Before I hade surgery on my hand
I assembled the parts I have made, there are no sleeves in the cylinders, no pistons or rods installed
And it is mounted on a temporary stand just for display
Another couple of weeks and I should be able to work on it again

 

[danallen]

Really nice work. That one piece cylinder and cylinder head is another reason I chose the Edwards radial over this engine.

 

[michael-au]

Really nice work. That one piece cylinder and cylinder head is another reason I chose the Edwards radial over this engine.

It took awhile to figure out all the angles, the more you do on the cylinders the more nerve wracking it gets,
One mistake can put you a long way back

 

[LuvToFish]

Great work! I’ve been mulling over the PIP plans for a while now and am considering this as my next project. One thing I noted, the plane call for a GMS 23100 carburetor that is unobtainum these days. Have you found a suitable replacement? I can’t find any specs on that carburetor so curious if you have an idea what will work. TIA and keep up that great work!

 

[michael-au]

Great work! I’ve been mulling over the PIP plans for a while now and am considering this as my next project. One thing I noted, the plane call for a GMS 23100 carburetor that is unobtainum these days. Have you found a suitable replacement? I can’t find any specs on that carburetor so curious if you have an idea what will work. TIA and keep up that great work!

Hi
I haven't given it a lot of thought yet but I think an RC carbs from a 40 or 60 size engine should be ok
I will probably make my own carby

 

[LuvToFish]

Should

Hi
I haven't given it a lot of thought yet but I think an RC carbs from a 40 or 60 size engine should be ok
I will probably make my own carby

That sounds reasonable. Should you find something that works well please let us know here. I’ll probably be in the market for something in the coming months.

 

[michael-au]

Should

That sounds reasonable. Should you find something that works well please let us know here. I’ll probably be in the market for something in the coming months.

Will do

 

[michael-au]

Finally able to get back to working on the cylinders, the exhaust and inlet ports were machined using the forth axis
So the machining of both ports could be done at the same time and in one setup
The hole that goes through to the valve cage is on a 15deg angle, the hole top is in line with the centre of the cylinder, so when the ports a milled out the hole then becomes off centre because of the 15 deg angle
Hope that makes sense

 

[LuvToFish]

Nice job! Looks you rotate the cylinder 15 deg then back pedal in the y axis .202 “ to achieve this. Are you going to go with 4130 tube for the sleeves like the plan calls for?

 

[littlelocos]

Great work! I’ve been mulling over the PIP plans for a while now and am considering this as my next project. One thing I noted, the plane call for a GMS 23100 carburetor that is unobtainum these days. Have you found a suitable replacement? I can’t find any specs on that carburetor so curious if you have an idea what will work. TIA and keep up that great work!

Hello everyone,
I'm just finding this thread. NICE work on the Pip!!
Regarding the Carb, I designed a simple carb specific to the engine some time ago, and have attached that drawing here. I've also attached the drawing for the running stand as well. These are included in the current set that is still available.

Regarding purchased Carbs, I've recommended MECOA at http://www.mecoa.com/acc/carbs/index.htm. They have some small body carbs available at the bottom of the page linked above. Unfortunately, the Kavan carbs are being discontinued, thus the reason for the attached design.

@michael-au, very nice work on the gearbox. I've had several folks over the years ask about running as a sparky. Well done! I chose glow specifically to simplify the design from the Morton M5 drawings that were the launching point for Pip.

A cutaway rendering is attached showing how everything fits once assembled.

Please feel free to ask me any questions you may have.

Enjoy!
Todd.

 

[LuvToFish]

Hello everyone,
I'm just finding this thread. NICE work on the Pip!!
Regarding the Carb, I designed a simple carb specific to the engine some time ago, and have attached that drawing here. I've also attached the drawing for the running stand as well. These are included in the current set that is still available.

Regarding purchased Carbs, I've recommended MECOA at http://www.mecoa.com/acc/carbs/index.htm. They have some small body carbs available at the bottom of the page linked above. Unfortunately, the Kavan carbs are being discontinued, thus the reason for the attached design.

@michael-au, very nice work on the gearbox. I've had several folks over the years ask about running as a sparky. Well done! I chose glow specifically to simplify the design from the Morton M5 drawings that were the launching point for Pip.

A cutaway rendering is attached showing how everything fits once assembled.

Please feel free to ask me any questions you may have.

Enjoy!
Todd.

So cool, conversing with the man that designed the thing in the first place.

Thanks for sharing those Todd! I’m almost set to start building your PIP. BTW, has anyone put the PIP in an RC plane? Curious how well it performed in the air.

I’ll definitely be looking over the drawings you’ve shared — thanks! Speaking of drawings, I do not have the purchased plan set but have the MEB back issues 24 - 26. Where can the plans be purchased these days and is there any benefit in doing so vs. the magazine issues?

Thanks again Todd!

Dan

 

[littlelocos]

Glad to help.
Pip was designed to fly, but is not a lightweight at 28 oz. With an 11" prop, I get about 9500rpm. With a 12", about 8500.
Running videos are on YouTube.
Plans are available through Littlelocos Model Engineering via e-mail request. We usually bring the engine and a few sets to the Cabin Fever Expo as well.
Thanks,
Todd.

 

[michael-au]

Im not sure what steel I used for the liners as it is something that I just had on hand, I have made liners with it before though
Not sure where I would get 4130 aircraft tubing from

 

[michael-au]

Hello everyone,
I'm just finding this thread. NICE work on the Pip!!
Regarding the Carb, I designed a simple carb specific to the engine some time ago, and have attached that drawing here. I've also attached the drawing for the running stand as well. These are included in the current set that is still available.

Regarding purchased Carbs, I've recommended MECOA at http://www.mecoa.com/acc/carbs/index.htm. They have some small body carbs available at the bottom of the page linked above. Unfortunately, the Kavan carbs are being discontinued, thus the reason for the attached design.

@michael-au, very nice work on the gearbox. I've had several folks over the years ask about running as a sparky. Well done! I chose glow specifically to simplify the design from the Morton M5 drawings that were the launching point for Pip.

A cutaway rendering is attached showing how everything fits once assembled.

Please feel free to ask me any questions you may have.

Enjoy!
Todd.

Thank you for posting the carby drawings, very much appreciated
It has been a challenging build with the head being part of the cylinder, all the different angles and fixtures need to complete them, but it is satisfying once they are completed

I do recommend making an extra cylinder to use as a test piece, it allows for fine tuning any process before machining a cylinder that will be used, better to find a mistake in a spare
I had one extra cylinder I used to test processes out on

 

[littlelocos]

I do recommend making an extra cylinder to use as a test piece, it allows for fine tuning any process before machining a cylinder that will be used, better to find a mistake in a spare
I had one extra cylinder I used to test processes out on

I did the same. Make an extra in case of "casualties." My extra cylinder used threaded ports for intake and exhaust. These didn't look very neat, so I switched to the flanged connection. I may still use it for a single-cylinder version.

BTW, I'm amazed to see your CNC at work. Your photos and videos are great!