Not quite steam engines, and certainly not ICE’s, Stirling engines seem to be in a class all of their own. A stirling engine uses temperature differences to, in most cases, generate mechanical motion. The working fluid is a gas, and is in a completely closed cycle, ie, no new gas should ever be introduced or lost during normal operation. The easiest to understand example of a Stirling engine is the traditional ‘coffee cup’ engine.
The engine in this video ‘feeds’ off of the heat coming from a coffee cup full of hot water. The gas moves back and forth between the internal chambers, and moves (in this case) a vertical rod that turns the wheel. When the top of the engine cools the warm air, the cycle repeats. The faster this cycle takes place, the more mechanical work that will be done! Here’s another well built Stirling engine.
This one runs off of the heat of two torches. When the heat is removed, it takes time for the engines to slow down, because the residual heat has to ‘burn off’ .
The Powerpack is still not quite done, but I got some footage of one of the first test runs and threw it all together during a 2 hour editing session for everyone’s enjoyment!
For those of you interested in the technical aspects of the Powerpack and Air cannon, here’s some information.
The sprinkler valve on the air cannon is a solenoid valve that costs around 40 dollars. It runs off of three 9-volt batteries in series, and is the device that cycles the air from the reservoir into the barrel, propelling the projectile. The air cannon in this video is the first I ever built, and is also the best one; It has never caused me any problems.
The Powerpack started as a fancy looking battery pack for my 15 watt solar panel I purchased months ago. I realized that it was the perfect size to act as a ‘universal power supply’, and the Powerpack was born! Inside are two 12 volt 12 Ah Gel Cell sealed led acid batteries. They are wired in parallel, which means I should be able to draw about 12 Ah’s out of the battery pack before I should recharge it, for the sake of prolonged longevity.
The mini air compressor was purchased from Harbor Freight for 25 dollars. Every time I go there I spend at least 3 times the amount I meant to. That store is just too amazing for words.
If I get the chance I might do a more complete write up someday so others can learn from my experience (and mistakes), though I bet that most people don’t need me to tell them what to do, there may be some who would be happy for a few guidelines. Cheers!
Another really cool video, this one is about the worlds (allegedly) largest vortex cannon. Interested? Watch the video to gain some insight. My favorite part is where it knocked down all of the cans! If you want to build your own, check out this Instructable!
Though I don’t get the chance to watch Mythbusters very often, (remember, I have farmervision. 7 channels. That’s it.), I could never pass up the chance to share this video. This is just too awesome.
