Something a little different....

[tom-1979]

Hi Guys,

I have designed and built a little steam / air engine that uses electric solenoid valves instead of mechanically actuated valves so I thought I'd share the plans.

I know it's not a beautiful engine but I built it as a funtional experiment. It's also my first design and build engine.

The machine I used to make it is a Clarke CL500M. This mill / lathe was bought as an MRO machine but it is capable for small projects if you take your time.

See the links for the build..

http://www.instructables.com/id/Electromechanical-Steam-Engine/

[ame]https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=jF-BylxRDvw[/ame]

My next engine will be a gasoline electric solenoid engine, probably a hit and miss.

View attachment ICENI ELECTROMECH ENGINE - SHEET 1 OF 2.pdf

View attachment ICENI ELECTROMECH ENGINE - SHEET 2 OF 2.pdf

 

[jimjam66]

Cool idea! I'm guessing you used a Hall effect sensor to trigger the solenoids?

 

[tom-1979]

Cool idea! I'm guessing you used a Hall effect sensor to trigger the solenoids?

Hi David, I thought about using a Hall sensor but I went for a micro-switch due to the extreme simplicity. I was really suprised that I could get away with one micro switch, but it did take alot of pondering to get it all set-up right.

 

[jimjam66]

Well it worked out great. Sometimes I forget the simple options like microswitches ...😳

 

[chrisinestes]

Neat idea. Thanks for posting it.

Keep up the good work!
Chris

 

[vederstein]

No shame in a "functional experiment". I like it when something is built strictly to see if it can be done. It's a learning experience.

Hell, I've got about a 1/2 dozen failed/partially successful experiments sitting on my shelf of shame. (Ok, the Webster I haven't yet given up on, but I've got other projects to complete first).


...Ved.

 

[Metal_slicer]

No shame in a "functional experiment". I like it when something is built strictly to see if it can be done. It's a learning experience.

Hell, I've got about a 1/2 dozen failed/partially successful experiments sitting on my shelf of shame. (Ok, the Webster I haven't yet given up on, but I've got other projects to complete first).


...Ved.

Seeing that photo makes me feel less bummed out about my experiment. I have learned a lot so far. I'm going to finish this project failure or not. Thanks for sharing. It's good to know that failure is just a part of the process.